DEEPFISHMAN: Management And Monitoring Of Deep-sea Fisheries And Stocks

Abstract

Deepwater fisheries pose particular difficulties for management. Target species are difficult to assess with adequate levels of certainty, they are slow growing and generally vulnerable to overfishing and many of these fisheries reside outside EEZs and are, therefore, not subject to national jurisdictions. The EU project DEEPFISHMAN will develop a range of strategy options for the management of deepwater fisheries in the NE Atlantic that will take account of these factors. The primary objective of the project is to identify and develop new and more effective assessment methods, reference points, control rules and management strategies to be used in the short term. The second objective is to develop a long-term research and management framework in which additional data needs will be specified in order to fill current information gaps to achieve reliable long-term management requirements. This research effort will be supported by a range of case studies selected to reflect the characteristics of the different types of deepwater fisheries found in the NE Atlantic. In addition, two case studies outside the NE Atlantic are selected to give a wider perception of the management and monitoring of deepwater fisheries in the world. Case studies will collate, store, combine and raise data to appropriate fisheries/stocks levels. The socio-economic aspect of the fisheries and the expected impact of the management strategy options will be examined. The project outputs will aim to provide robust guidelines for deepwater fisheries management suitable for adoption within the Common Fishery policy. Keywords: Deep-water fisheries, EU project