Second Channel scallop report published

New report: GAP2 publishes outcomes of 2nd Channel scallop workshop

In February 2015, GAP2 held the second in a series of workshops on the future management of the Channel scallop fishery. A collaborative workshop was held in Normandy, France, with a view to pulling together concrete ‘next steps’ in building an environmentally and economically sustainable future for this key fishery for the UK and France. 

The outcomes of this meeting have now been published in a detailed report. Read it here. A French version of this report will be published shortly. 

Executive Summary 

DSC_2968

The GAP2 scallops work kicked off in Brixham, England in 2014.

A two-day workshop on the future management of the Channel scallop fishery was held in Port-en-Bessin, Normandy, France from 10-12 February 2015. The event was attended by a diverse group of approximately 55 participants, including industry (fishers and their representatives, quota managers, supply chain), government, academia, and environmental organisations.

The workshop’s purpose was to build on dialogue and outputs from the first GAP2 Channel scallop workshop held in Brixham, England in April 2014. Organisers sought to inspire motivate participants to engage in a process seeking commitment to a long-term management plan, thereby better ensuring the future health and success of the Channel scallop fishery.

The workshop was funded by GAP2 and logistical support was provided by WWF UK, the Environmental Defense Fund’s EU Ocean Program, and North Western Waters Advisory Council (NWWAC).

Delegate discussion converged upon three themes: ‘leadership and governance‘, ‘science and data‘, and ‘management measures‘. The main outputs/actions from these themes were documented by the GAP2 team and are set out below:

  • Establish a ‘science and data working group’ with the aim of designing regional protocols for data collection on both sides of the Channel.
  • Recognise the need for harmonisation of management approaches without homogenisation and set up a ‘management working group’ exploring how best to achieve this.
  • Convene a scallop focus group through the NWWAC Channel Working Group 3.
  • Explore the potential for UK industry to undertake a selectivity trial of the French specification dredges.

The spirit of the workshop was open and constructive, and participants remained highly engaged in discussions throughout. The final repot and key outputs will be presented at a future NWWAC meeting, most likely at Edinburgh during July 2015.

Read the report in full, here.

For further information on this work, please contact Communications Manager, Katrina Borrow: katrina@mindfullywired.org

 

This entry was posted in GAP2 General, News, Scallops and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.