36 Month’s On: Progress review from the Danish case study

Read on for an update from the GAP2 Danish herring case study, outlining progress over the last 12 months. 

We have developed a much better understanding of the herring migration patterns and now have a model for predicting the mixing of the local herring populations in the overall stock. This will help answering the question asked by all involved: Can we ignore the local herring populations and just manage ‘herring’? We have demonstrated this model for fishery and management stakeholders to provide a background for their decision on a series of management options.

We have now learned ‘the hard way’ that there are several layers in the policy process and that our study must operate on those terms. We have, however, through meetings and correspondence, the CS has informed the more closed negotiation process of what can be considered as an off-set for a LTMP for the herring fishery, specifically how to handle the management challenge of sharing TACs for Division IIIa, where negotiations between EC and Norway historically has been strenuous.

Peter Hopkins, member of the Fisheries Conservation and Control for the Baltic Sea and North Sea (DG MARE) has joined our meetings and this has shortened the ‘distance’ between policy makers and stakeholders for EC and made it possible for managers to negotiate knowing that all interests are included in the process.

In the short term a paper about herring migrations patterns will be submitted. We also have in mind a paper on the modelling of the herring stock. Furthermore, we are thinking in about developing a paper on management beyond the case study, and possibly doing so in partnership with other scientists involved in GAP2.

 

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