The Issues

Fishing in Europe

Many of Europe’s fish stocks are in a poor state, having been over-fished and subjected to management practices resulting in wasteful discarding. Until now, centralised fisheries management has largely focused on the state of fish resources, being based upon formal biological science alone. This approach has prevented the involvement of communities whose livelihoods depend on fish resources, as well as others interested in the long-term wellbeing of the ecosystem. Our current system of fisheries’ governance is unresponsive to local conditions and those with a stake in the fisheries draw attention to a long history of negative incentives.

Working together in GAP1

In April 2008, the GAP1 project, coordinated by Dr Steven Mackinson, was created in a direct response to these shortcomings. The aim of the project was to initiate working collaborations between scientists and fishery stakeholders, starting to combine their knowledge and skills to enhance the understanding and management of fisheries and the marine environment. GAP1 created a bedrock of active participation and mutual learning by establishing 11 case studies of science-fishery stakeholder collaboration, which GAP2 is now building upon.

Fisheries’s Futures and GAP2

The EU’s Common Fisheries Policy reform is now underway, providing an opportunity for change. GAP2 wants to demonstrate that through working together, scientists, fishers and policy makers can find sustainable solutions to the thorny issues of fisheries management. To do this, we will be working throughout Europe, with people involved at the local, national and international levels. If you want to find out more – please get in touch.

Work Packages

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