2nd Meeting of the MariFish Bycatch and Discards Scientific Committee

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Work Package 7 Collaborative Research
Programmes Thematic programme Reducing
discards
WP8 joint call update The BADMINTON
project Vassiliki Vassilopoulou Hellenic Centre
for Marine Research
2nd Meeting of the MariFish Bycatch and Discards
Scientific Committee Madrid, 5-6th October 2009
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• BADMINTON (Bycatch And Discards Management
  INdicators, Trends and locatiON) involves
  research teams from 7 countries
• Denmark (IFM DTU-AQUA)
• France (IFREMER scientific coordination)
• Greece (HCMR administrative coordination)
• Iceland (MATIS)
• the Netherlands (IMARES)
• Spain (IEO)
• UK (Cefas)
• Total funding granted from the MariFish Common
  Pot 1,021,569

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Project Aims

• Develop the knowledge of discarding patterns and
  factors in European fisheries
• Evaluate the efficacy of selective devices and
  other discard management measures that have been
  implemented in the past.
• Improve methods to analyse, monitor, and manage
  bycatch and discarding in European fisheries.

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Project Objectives

• to quantify and analyse spatial and temporal
  distribution of discards from selected EU fleets
•  to develop operational indicators for state
  (discard amounts characteristics), pressure
  (selectivity of fishing) and management response
• to investigate important factors (ecological,
  socio-economic, technical) that determine discard
  amounts
• to compare alternative management strategies
  aimed at reducing discards in mixed species
  fisheries and suggest mitigation measures

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WP1 Descriptive analysis of discards and total
catch in European waters

• Leader IMARES
• Objective 1 Description of the observed species
  and size composition in the landings and discards
  estimation of total catch and discard numbers
  by species for the different fleets and areas
  with the associated estimation uncertainties.
• The performance of simple and
  ratio-estimators and of different raising metrics
  (e.g. trip numbers, fishing days, total or
  target-species landings) will be compared between
  fisheries/countries. The precision of estimates
  by quarter and/or length class will be examined,
  as well as the sampling effort required to meet
  the DCR objectives.
• ? Data for identified fleets that have the best
  reliability will be used (good quality DCR data)
  this may also help identify which data is
  required to conduct meaningful analyses
• ? The method will build on tools developed under
  the EU COST project

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WP1 Descriptive analysis of discards and total
catch in European waters

• Leader IMARES
• Objective 2 Quantification of spatial and
  temporal patterns in discards
• A statistical framework for estimating
  spatial and temporal discards patterns will be
  developed using Generalized Additive Mixed
  Models discard estimates will be extrapolated
  over space and time, using total fleet fishing
  effort
• ? The analyses in WP1 will be formulated in a
  common statistical framework (R) to allow easy
  adaptation within the consortium.
• ? The outcomes of WP1 will be inputs to the
  subsequent analyses performed in WP2-5.

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WP1 Descriptive analysis of discards and total
catch in European waters

• Leader IMARES
• Milestones
• Report on an overview of existing discard data by
  métier/fleet, area and member state.
• Tool for description of spatial and temporal
  discarding patterns, comprising of a statistical
  framework in an open-source software program.
• ? progress on methodology and sampling effort
  required for estimating and presenting discards
  at the fleet level in European fisheries.

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WP2 Indicators of bycatch and discards in
European waters

• Leader IEO
• Objective Development of indicators to monitor
  and manage discard issues for European
  fisheries/fleets
• 1. State indicators that describe the composition
  of catches and discards at both the stock and
  community levels
• Sorting size for commercially important species.
• Minimum, mean and maximum size of discards.
• Diversity indices (richness, evenness) for total
  catch.
• Trophic level of total catch.

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WP2 Indicators of bycatch and discards in
European waters

• Leader IEO
• Objective Development of indicators to monitor
  and manage discard issues for European
  fisheries/fleets
• 2. Pressure indicators
• Summary tables of known selectivity of fishing
  gears.
• Indicators for selectivity estimates by fleet for
  a range of species both commercial and
  non-commercial and for the community.

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WP2 Indicators of bycatch and discards in
European waters
Leader IEO

• Milestones
• Collation of relevant biological and technical
  information to estimate indicators in each study
  area
• Common protocol for developing state and pressure
  indicators

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WP3. Factors affecting discard patterns

• Leader Cefas
• Objective Analyze the environmental and
  technical factors that influence discard patterns
  and evaluate the efficacy of technical measures
  implemented in the past.
• WP3 will use the data compiled in WP1 and WP2 on
  discard patterns and indicators, along side
  information on environmental variables and year
  class strength, and details of gear based
  technical measures legislated for in selected
  fisheries.
• The sensitivity and responsiveness of the state
  indicators (WP1 and 2) will be examined by an
  analysis of their relationships with pressure
  indicators (WP2) and response indicators (WP3).

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WP3. Factors affecting discard patterns

• Leader Cefas
• Milestones
• Provision of a general framework to evaluate
  technical measures
• Collation of catch data with corresponding
  information on gear type, area, season
  environmental factors, year-class strength and
  legislation
• Development of methods for evaluating specific
  technical measures using catch and associated
  data

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WP4. Socio-economic and institutional incentives
for discarding
Leader IFM Objective Develop an understanding
of socio-economic and institutional drivers and
incentives on fishers behaviour with regard to
selectivity and discard practices. Development
of a framework based on a review of previous
studies of implementation and effects of
selective and discard reducing tools especially
gear. Central elements in the framework would
be economic incentives, the institutional
(management) framework and norms among the group
of fishermen.
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WP4. Socio-economic and institutional incentives
for discarding

• Leader IFM
• Objective Develop an understanding of
  socio-economic and institutional drivers and
  incentives on fishers behaviour with regard to
  selectivity and discard practices.
• In order to understand drivers and incentives
  influencing discard behaviour case studies will
  be investigated with a focus on the selective
  behaviour of the fishers specific fisheries where
  new selective gear is being developed or has
  been/is being introduced.
• The mixed fishery for Nephrops in Skagerrak and
  Kattegat
• The English southwest otter trawl
• The Greek demersal trawl fishery in North Eastern
  Mediterranean waters

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WP4. Socio-economic and institutional incentives
for discarding

• Leader IFM
• Milestones
• Provision of a framework for understanding
  drivers for the selective and discard behaviour
• Specification of drivers and incentives in the
  selected fisheries and a description of how they
  influence the general discard behaviour and
  uptake of selective gear

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WP5. Mitigation measures to reduce discards in
European waters

• Leader MATIS
• Objectives
• To suggest potential mitigation measures, based
  on all previous WPs.
• To develop and use a simulation tool to evaluate
  discard management strategies
• A simulation tool combining morphological
  information on fish and invertebrates with
  different mesh configurations will be further
  developed and used to compare management
  strategies to mitigate discards in mixed species
  fisheries (scenario analysis).
• Deliverables from WP3 (factors that determine
  discard amounts) and WP4 (understanding which
  socio-economic and institutional factors
  influence the fishers discard behaviour) will be
  used to set up a what-if scenario for technical
  measures for discard minimization.

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WP5. Mitigation measures to reduce discards in
European waters

• Leader MATIS
• Milestones
• Simulation tool to predict optimal mesh and the
  effect of technical measures
• Workshop to discuss the consequences of findings
  in the other WPs in terms of discard management
• Meetings with local end-users to discuss project
  results

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Timing of WPs and their components
Final report
Project Management
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Dissemination of results

• scientific papers and presentations in scientific
  conferences
• a Theme Session about Discarding indicators,
  factors, and potential mitigations will be
  proposed as part of an International Conference
• a website will be consructed and used to
  distribute general information on the project,
  publication of results, announcements of events,
  links to relevant websites, contact information,
  news etc.
• ? There will be opportunity for visitors to
  respond and reflect on the material presented.