Since April 2014 GAP2 has been involved in promoting collaboration between French & UK stakeholders in the scallop fishery of the Channel/ la Manche. Their aim was to alleviate historic tensions, with the view of putting in place the first steps towards a long-term management plan for the fishery. Find out more about this on-going work below.
Collaboration in the Channel
Collaboration in the Channel
- In April, 2014 GAP2 ran a pioneering, two-day collaborative workshop in Brixham, Devon. This workshop was based around the issue of long-term profitability and sustainability in the Channel scallop fishery, bringing to together fishers from both sides of the Channel.
- In September, 2014 GAP2 published a roadmap report for Channel collaboration based on the findings from this workshop.
- A second collaborative workshop took place in Normandy, France, on 11th – 12th February 2015. You can read the final report, see the agenda, view presentations or read blogs from the key links below.
Key Links
| Second Channel scallop report published The second report published by GAP2's programme of work on the Channel scallop fishery - outlining concrete steps towards new, increasingly regionalised management measures for this key fishery for UK and France. | Jun 2015 |
| GAP2 Scallops Normandy Blog – EDF Oceans Erin Priddle, from the Environmental Defense Fund, offers her perspective on the recent GAP2 scallops workshop, held in Port en Bessin, Normandy, back in February. | Apr 2015 |
| GAP2 Scallops 2015 – The Presentations A collection of presentations from the second GAP2 workshop on the Channel scallop fishery - with content from industry, science, and policy representatives. | Apr 2015 |
| Scallop Workshop – Normandy, February 2015 The GAP2 team are delighted to announce a follow up Scallops workshop to be held in Normandy, France in February 2015 . | Dec 2014 |
| Roadmap for Channel Collaboration published by GAP2 GAP publishes new roadmap report for the Channel scallop sustainability and long-term management. | Sep 2014 |
| Reflections from Brixham and looking forward – Giles Bartlett WWF UK's Marine Policy Officer, and GAP2 partner, Giles Bartlett reflects on the Brixham scallop workshop, and discusses possible future developments for this exciting and progressive project. | Sep 2014 |
| GAP2 Scallops Workshop – the Presentations/ les Présentations. In April of 2014 GAP2 held a pioneering, collaborative workshop on the Channel Scallop fishery (including both French and UK fishermen), to discuss potential first steps in a regional management plan for the fishery. Click on the links below to … | Aug 2014 |
| Channel Scallop Fishery – Round-up Work which began at GAP2's pioneering workshop on the Channel scallop fishery is 'to be continued' - here we provide a round-up of the event and outcomes so far. | Jun 2014 |
| Maine scallop fishery – lessons learnt and shared Scallop resource specialist Trisha De Graaf from Maine, USA, shares her experience of scallop management after attending the GAP2 Channel scallops event in Brixham. | May 2014 |
| It’s good to talk! GAP2 Channel scallop workshop French and UK Channel scallop fishers agree a number of measures at pioneering GAP2 workshop in Brixham, Devon. | Apr 2014 |
February Workshop 2015
On February 11th and 12th, 2015, GAP2 hosted a follow-up to its successful Brixham workshop, which built on agreed points from the initial workshop to develop concrete steps towards a long-term, regional, management plan for the Channel scallop fishery. You can read these steps in the final report from the workshop. Supported by WWF and the EDF (Environmental Defense Fund), the event focussed on a collaborative future for fishers, scientists, and policy-makers with a ‘stake’ in the Channel.
Prior to the workshop, Giles Bartlett, WWF, commented:
“We are really excited that GAP2 is putting on this workshop in France close to the area where the ‘scallop wars’ dispute happened in 2012. This shows how how relationships have strengthened thanks to this work. WWF and the team are looking forward to making important progress during the course of the event.”
The event was fully, neutrally facilitated and simultaneously translated into French and English throughout.
For a French version of the event agenda, click here. For an English version, click here.
Ascertaining the age of a scallop © GAP2
April Workshop 2014
In April, 2014, a two-day workshop took place with a focus on the future management of the scallop fishery in the Channel. The workshop was hosted and funded by GAP2, with support from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Environment Defense Fund (EDF), and the North Western Waters Advisory Council (NWWAC).
Agreed Points
Its overall aim was to examine the management of the Channel scallop fishery, to bring together a wide range of participants from all coastal member states concerned, through a participatory process, and to provide a platform for industry to fully engage in the management framework of this fishery.
The workshop achieved its overarching aims, which can be found below:
- Increased trust between different stakeholders
- Shared understanding of the challenges and opportunities for scallop fishermen
- Greater awareness of different perspectives on scallop management in the channel
- A number of ideas for improvements to develop further
- Proposed date and venue for a follow up event in France
Scallops from the Channel © GAP2
During the course of the event, a number of key points were agreed between French and UK delegates. Participants concurred that more data on stocks will be vital to underpinning a sustainable future of the fishery. Fishers from both sides of the Channel stated that they would welcome the opportunity to support these scientific studies.
Additionally, it was agreed that a full capacity assessment of operating scallop boats in the area would be beneficial, as would the potential harmonization of technical measures in ICES area VIId.
Last but not least, the session concluded that all measures should encompass a bottom-up approach, being driven by industry. Furthermore, that a dedicated working group be created to facilitate the further development of innovative management measures, and discussion of market development, for the scallop fishery.
If you require any further information, or have any questions, please contact GAP2’s Communications Officer, Katrina Borrow, at katrina@mindfullywired.org
