LTMP Special Focus Group for North Sea

Special Focus Group established to work on mixed fishery Long Term Management Plans in the North Sea

On 22nd February, at a meeting of the North Sea Demersal working group, Steven Mackinson (Cefas) presented ‘Ideas on working toward ecosystem-based Long Term Management Plans for mixed fisheries’. This provided the working group with an update on ideas for using ecosystem models to help understand some of the multi-species and fisheries trade-offs involved in developing Long Term Management Plans for mixed fisheries.

Because of the complexity of the issues, biological processes, models and decisions – learning how to effectively communicate such research goes hand-in-hand with developing research methods. Since the last meeting with the Regional Advisory Council in September 2011, Cefas have been working developing ways to take account of uncertainty in ecosystem models and to show how by doing so, decision makers are better informed when evaluating alternative management options.

The Demersal Working Group were encouraged that such research would be helpful in developing management options for mixed fisheries. The group therefore agreed to convene a mixed fishery LTMP focus group, chaired by Mike Park (Scottish Whitefish Producers Association), which will work closely with the Cefas-led case study andwith researchers participating in the new EU FP7 project MYFISH. The focus group will allow scientists and stakeholders to closely work together on the concepts, methods and novel ideas that are needed to address this complex issue.

Steven Mackinson’s presentation can be found here.

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