Search

Since the 1980s, the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) has shaped European fisheries. It has often been criticised for being too prescriptive and, above all, for failing to protect either fishermen or ecosystems. The last reform dates back to the early 2010 s and has led to a slight but slow improvement in the state of ecosystems. Given that the CFP is in the process of evaluation, a group of French fishery scientists set up an initiative to add to the debate on what should be retained, reinforced or added to a possible new reform. This initiative came 10 years after a previous manifesto that presented their vision for fisheries in Europe. Four major issues emerged from the current initiative: (1) a need for transparency and simplification in fisheries management, (2) a need for more consultation and dialogue between stakeholders, (3) the urgency of the situation in the Mediterranean Sea, and (4) the necessity of putting into practice all research developments for an ecosystem approach to fisheries. Compared to 10 years ago, the response of scientists shows that the focus is no longer on achieving the maximum sustainable yield, but rather on the following steps to protect ecosystems and fisheries. An ecosystem approach to fisheries remains indispensable for both ecosystems and fishing activities. To this end, scientists put forward numerous proposals to improve the CFP, acknowledging that the final solutions should emerge from consultation with stakeholders. Climate change, an issue raised much more than in the manifest, reinforces the need to act.

In European waters, climate-induced changes in ocean conditions will alter marine ecosystems, leading to potential repercussions for the European fisheries and the status of exploited species. Here, we used a new version of the EcoTroph model, forced by a regional high-resolution coupled hydrodynamic-ecosystem model, to investigate the effects of climate change on biomass and catch in 15 areas (ICES divisions) of the European Atlantic shelf ecosystems. Based on the projected changes in temperature, zooplankton and benthic secondary producers, we modeled the changes in biomass and catch at each trophic level by the end of the 21st century. We projected that total biomass and catch for the whole Atlantic European seas would decrease by 11.5 and 10.0%, respectively, by 2090-2099 relative to 2013-2017 under a ‘no mitigation’ greenhouse gases emissions scenario (RCP8.5). The projected decrease in catch is 310000 or 240000 t by 2090-2099 under a high (RCP8.5) or a moderate (RCP4.5) emissions scenario, respectively. Some areas, such as the Celtic Sea, would be more affected than others, while the climate impact on the bentho-demersal biomass and catches would be more pronounced, especially toward the higher trophic levels. Our study suggests that climate change may strongly impact European fisheries, with ecological consequences and potential socio-economic repercussions. Future studies using alternative climate and ecosystem models would allow the exploration of uncertainties in projected biomass and catch. While fisheries management is required to adapt to these changes, the projected impacts on catch cannot be avoided without aggressive mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions.

SEAwise deliverable 6.7 is the first of two deliverables in task 6.4. It investigates the consistency of existing targets and limits from the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Trade-offs between different objectives (ecological, economic, social), targets and limits are highlighted. A wide range of model types (from bio-economic to full ecosystem models) has been applied to various case study areas across the North East Atlantic and Mediterranean. Although model predictions are by nature uncertain, this study provides important information on likely inconsistencies between existing targets and limits and trade-offs expected under ecosystem- based fisheries management (EBFM). The scenarios investigated include the current range of management applied in terms of the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) concept (i.e. strict MSY approach vs. Pretty Good Yield (PGY) approach allowing sustainable deviations from single species FMSY point estimates). The landing obligation is a key aspect of current fisheries management and was fully considered, in particular for mixed demersal fisheries. Maintaining current fishing effort without further management measures was the least sustainable option in nearly all cases studies. This approach led to increased risk of stocks falling below critical biomass limits. Although the fishing effort adaptions needed is highly case specific, this indicates that further management measures are likely to be needed to ensure a sustainable exploitation of all stocks. Scenarios applying a strict MSY approach in combination with the landing obligation (i.e. FMSY as upper limit with fisheries ending when the first stock reaches FMSY) in most case studies led to the lowest fishing effort. This had positive effects on MSFD related indicators such as bycatch of Protected, Endangered and Threatened (PET) species, benthic impact and the Large Fish Indicator as well as global indicators such as CO2 emission or eco

Characterizing the structure and functioning of marine ecosystems requires a deep understanding of the dynamics of its populations and the biotic interactions among them. To this end, we developed a mass-balanced food-web model of a regional sea in the Northeast Atlantic, the Bay of Biscay (BoB), considering one of the most important anthropogenic disturbance in the area, the fishing pressure. The food-web model was performed for the whole BoB region for the first time. The model represents the ecosystems in the early 2000s, encompassing 120433 km2 between 0 and 1000 m depth. The model was composed of 52 functional groups, ranging from primary producers to top predators, and considering both Spanish and French fishing fleets. Input data included biomass obtained locally from bottom trawl and acoustic surveys, data from stock assessment, official fishery statistics, published and unpublished data on stomach content analyses and the use of empirical equations to estimate consumption and production rates. Our results highlight the importance of the pelagic domain, since the main trophic flows are determined by the interaction between phytoplankton, zooplankton and forage fishes. The role of the detritivore pathway was also relevant due to the relatively high abundance of detritivores organisms and the large percentage of primary production flowing to the detritus. Forage fish have resulted to be a key compartment fostering the connectivity between the benthic and pelagic domains. Pelagic sharks, dolphins, anglerfish, large hake and large demersal fishes were identified as potential keystone functional groups in the BoB model. The results also showed an intense exploitation by fisheries in early 2000s. Different strategies between Spanish and French fleets were also found. French fleets were mainly focussed on low trophic level forage fish (e.g., sardine and anchovy) and had larger impacts on higher trophic levels, while Spanish fleets mostly focussed on higher trophic

Climate change is expected to profoundly affect key food production sectors, including fisheries and agriculture. However, the potential impacts of climate change on these sectors are rarely considered jointly, especially below national scales, which can mask substantial variability in how communities will be affected. Here, we combine socioeconomic surveys of 3,008 households and intersectoral multi-model simulation outputs to conduct a sub-national analysis of the potential impacts of climate change on fisheries and agriculture in 72 coastal communities across five Indo-Pacific countries (Indonesia, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, and Tanzania). Our study reveals three key findings: First, overall potential losses to fisheries are higher than potential losses to agriculture. Second, while most locations (> 2/3) will experience potential losses to both fisheries and agriculture simultaneously, climate change mitigation could reduce the proportion of places facing that double burden. Third, potential impacts are more likely in communities with lower socioeconomic status.

Characterizing the structure and functioning of marine ecosystems requires a deep understanding of the dynamics of its populations and the biotic interactions among them. To this end, we developed a mass-balanced food-web model of a regional sea in the Northeast Atlantic, the Bay of Biscay (BoB), considering one of the most important anthropogenic disturbance in the area, the fishing pressure. The food-web model was performed for the whole BoB region for the first time. The model represents the ecosystems in the early 2000s, encompassing 120433 km2 between 0 and 1000 m depth. The model was composed of 52 functional groups, ranging from primary producers to top predators, and considering both Spanish and French fishing fleets. Input data included biomass obtained locally from bottom trawl and acoustic surveys, data from stock assessment, official fishery statistics, published and unpublished data on stomach content analyses and the use of empirical equations to estimate consumption and production rates. Our results highlight the importance of the pelagic domain, since the main trophic flows are determined by the interaction between phytoplankton, zooplankton and forage fishes. The role of the detritivore pathway was also relevant due to the relatively high abundance of detritivores organisms and the large percentage of primary production flowing to the detritus. Forage fish have resulted to be a key compartment fostering the connectivity between the benthic and pelagic domains. Pelagic sharks, dolphins, anglerfish, large hake and large demersal fishes were identified as potential keystone functional groups in the BoB model. The results also showed an intense exploitation by fisheries in early 2000s. Different strategies between Spanish and French fleets were also found. French fleets were mainly focussed on low trophic level forage fish (e.g., sardine and anchovy) and had larger impacts on higher trophic levels, while Spanish fleets mostly focussed on higher trophic

IndiSeas (“Indicators for the Seas”) is a collaborative international working group that was established in 2005 to evaluate the status of exploited marine ecosystems using a suite of indicators in a comparative framework. An initial shortlist of seven ecological indicators was selected to quantify the effects of fishing on the broader ecosystem using several criteria (i.e., ecological meaning, sensitivity to fishing, data availability, management objectives and public awareness). The suite comprised: (i) the inverse coefficient of variation of total biomass of surveyed species, (ii) mean fish length in the surveyed community, (iii) mean maximum life span of surveyed fish species, (iv) proportion of predatory fish in the surveyed community, (v) proportion of under and moderately exploited stocks, (vi) total biomass of surveyed species, and (vii) mean trophic level of the landed catch. In line with the Nagoya Strategic Plan of the Convention on Biological Diversity (2011–2020), we extended this suite to emphasize the broader biodiversity and conservation risks in exploited marine ecosystems. We selected a subset of indicators from a list of empirically based candidate biodiversity indicators initially established based on ecological significance to complement the original IndiSeas indicators. The additional selected indicators were: (viii) mean intrinsic vulnerability index of the fish landed catch, (ix) proportion of non-declining exploited species in the surveyed community, (x) catch-based marine trophic index, and (xi) mean trophic level of the surveyed community. Despite the lack of data in some ecosystems, we also selected (xii) mean trophic level of the modelled community, and (xiii) proportion of discards in the fishery as extra indicators. These additional indicators were examined, along with the initial set of IndiSeas ecological indicators, to evaluate whether adding new biodiversity indicators provided useful additional information to refine our understand

We, members of the Association Francaise d'Halieumetrie, share the conviction that European fisheries have a future. It is time to get off the wrong track. Radical change is required to embark on the path of sustainable development and truly implement the ecosystem approach to fisheries. Today, high fishing pressure is deployed to catch a rare resource, which in return is responsible for the rarity. We must reverse the situation: an abundant resource that affords high catches applying moderate fishing pressure. All management tools and especially all actors must be mobilized. The transition is not simple, and European solidarity must accompany the changes. It is well worth the effort. By reducing fishing pressure, it will be possible in the medium term to restore fish stocks, to make ecosystems return to good ecological status, to stabilize and even increase catches and to considerably improve economic efficiency. This is obviously in the interest of fishers but it is also in the interest of future generations and all users of this common heritage that is the sea. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Using Lagrangian simulations, based on circulation models over three different hydroclimatic periods in the last 45 years in the North Atlantic Ocean, the trans-Atlantic migration of the European eel Anguilla anguilla leptocephali was simulated via the passive drift of particles released in the spawning area. Three different behaviours were modelled: drifting at fixed depth, undergoing a vertical migration or choosing the fastest currents. Simulations included mortality hypotheses to estimate a realistic mean migration duration and relative survival of A. anguilla larvae. The mean migration duration was estimated as 21 months and the mortality rate as 3 center dot 8 per year, i.e. < 0 center dot 2% of A. anguilla larvae may typically survive the trans-Atlantic migration.

The trophic level mean and variance, and the degree of omnivory for five Celtic Sea fish predators were estimated using a database of stomach content records characterized by a high level of taxonomic resolution. The predators occupied a high position in the food web, i.e. 4.75 for Atlantic cod Gadus morhua, 444 for haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus, 4.88 for European hake Merluccius merluccius, 5.00 for megrim Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis and 5.27 for whiting Merlangius merlangus. The level of taxonomic resolution of the prey did not greatly affect mean T-L predator values; an effect on variance was evident, low resolution masking intra-population variability in T-L. Generalized additive models (GAM) were used to explain the variability of predator T-L caused by environmental variables (international Council for the Exploration of the Sea, ICES, division and season) and predator characteristics (total length, L-T). Significant year, location season and interaction effects were found for some species and with L-T, at the scale of ICES subdivision. The species-specific variability of T-L could be due to spatio-temporal variations in prey availability and in predator selectivity following ontogenetic changes. Omnivorous fish T-L. was less affected by spatio-temporal variations. In addition, results showed that the omnivory index and T-L variability provide dissimilar information on predator feeding strategy. Combining information on T-L. variability and omnivory allowed between within individual and between-individual components contributing to trophic niche width to be separated and the type of generalization of fish predators to be identified. (c) 2008 The Authors Journal compilation (c) 2008 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

In this study we show how substantial gains towards the goals of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) can be achieved by different single-species management. We show that fishing has much less impact on stocks if fish are caught after they have reached the size (Lopt) where growth rate and cohort biomass are maximum. To demonstrate our point we compare the impact of three fishing scenarios on 9 stocks from the North Sea and the Baltic. Scenario (1) is the current fishing regime, scenario (2) is a new management regime proposed by the European Commission, aiming for maximum sustainable yield obtained from all stocks, and scenario (3) is set so that it achieves the same yield as scenario (2), albeit with fishing on sizes beyond Lopt. Results show that scenarios (2) and (3) are significant improvements compared to current fishing practice. However, scenario (3) consistently shows least impact on the stocks, with seven-fold higher biomass of demersal fishes and an age structure similar to an unfished stock. This allows juveniles and adults to better fulfil their ecological roles, a major step towards the goals of ecosystem-based fisheries management. We give examples where scenario (3) is practiced in successful fisheries. We present a new interpretation of the relative yield per recruit isopleth diagram with indication of a new target area for fisheries operating within the context of EBFM. We present a new expression of the relative biomass per recruit isopleth diagram, which supports our analysis. We conclude that size matters for precautionary and ecosystem-based fisheries management and present a list of additional advantages associated with fishing at Lopt.