New tools for fisheries management Fishing fleets from across the world converge on certain areas of the oceans, but it is not always clear what they catch and in what quantities. The FarFish project aims to develop new tools and methods to improve fisheries management, with the wider goal of supporting the long-term sustainability and profitability of the industry, as Jónas R. Viðarsson explains. Many European fishing
fleets travel far from their own shores to catch a variety of species, in some cases sailing as far as the Pacific Ocean or the Indian Ocean. For example, the international waters of the South-West Atlantic are extremely important fishing grounds for the Spanish fleet, while the region also attracts vessels from other parts of the world. “Fleets from basically all over the world fish there,” says Jónas Viðarsson, Director of the value creation division at Matis in Iceland. However, it is not clear how much fish is caught there, while some of the fleets operate according to different rules. “EU fleets have to comply with EU legislation regardless of where they are fishing. This creates a lack of level playing field with other fleets in the area that don’t have to comply to such strict regulations established with the aim of fishing in a sustainable manner” continues Viðarsson.
FarFish project However, a number of the other fleets operating in the SW-Atlantic high Seas area follow a different set of rules, and as things stand now, no organisation is taking overall responsibility for fisheries management there, a situation that is paralleled in many other parts of the oceans. As the coordinator of the FarFish project, an initiative which brings together 21 different partners from both within the EU and outside it, Viðarsson aims to develop new tools and methods
Growing seafood demand has created pressure on fish stocks around the world.
for fisheries management, while also supporting knowledge-sharing between scientists. “We are encouraging dialogue between different countries. For example, we are organising a conference focusing on high seas fisheries in the South Atlantic,” he outlines. “It is important to get the scientists involved in stock assessment and fisheries to talk together.”
something that we are always looking at,” stresses Viðarsson. Fisheries are an important part of the economy in many parts of the world, and there is a general awareness of the need to protect stocks, yet Viðarsson says it can be difficult to assess the abundance of different species. “We often do not have reliable information about what is being caught in certain regions and who is fishing there,” he says. “So stock assessment and fisheries management are quite complicated.” This is an issue high on the project’s agenda, with researchers working to develop new tools and assessment methods, based on data gathered in the oceans. The project is based around stakeholder involvement and outreach, with scientists gathering data on six case study areas, including both the South-West- and South-East Atlantic high
EU fleets must comply with EU legislation regardless of where they are fishing within or outside European waters. These strict regulations are established with the aim of ensuring that the EU fleet conducts its fisheries in a sustainable manner at all times. The majority of fishing fleets of course want to maximise their catch and overall profitability, but this must also be compatible with the long-term goal of maintaining stocks of many different species in the oceans. A lot of attention in research is therefore devoted to assessing fish stocks and identifying the Maximum Sustainable Yield. “This is
seas areas, as well as four areas subject to sustainable fisheries partnership agreements with the EU (Cape Verde, Senegal, Mauritania and Seychelles). “We have been collecting and analysing data on fish biology, ecology, and the surrounding ecosystems,” says Viðarsson. “We have been investigating the fisheries management tools that are available
in these six different fisheries areas across the world, and at what data is available for doing these assessments. We have also been doing value-chain analysis, and developing decision-support tools.” The situation in each of these six case study areas is very different, with the project seeking to build a deeper picture of the specific challenges they face, as well as the social and economic factors that may affect fisheries management. One of the main species of interest in the project is tuna, which has been over-fished in some parts of the oceans to a point where some types are at risk of extinction, underlining the importance of effective management. “It is important to sustainably harvest these resources,” stresses Viðarsson. A large part of the project’s work is about knowledge sharing and competence building, both within the EU fleet and in partner countries. This takes place through programmes in schools and universities, as well as other outreach activities. “We are working with our partners in Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde and Seychelles, as well as in Brazil, and other countries with sustainable fisheries partnership agreements with the EU,” outlines Viðarsson. The overall fisheries picture is highly dynamic however, and fish populations may move to different areas as the temperature of the oceans change, another topic of interest to Viðarsson and his colleagues in the project. “We have been looking for example at how the environment is affecting small pelagics off the West coast of Africa. It seems likely that some species will move because of climate change,” he says.
Consumer demand This is clearly an important issue for fishing fleets, as they need to identify grounds where they can catch enough fish to meet consumer © LDAC/CFFA-CAPE
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FarFish Responsive Results-Based Management and capacity building for EU Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement- and international waters Project Objectives
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demand, while preserving the sustainability of the resource. Fish are a major part of the local diet in many parts of the world, providing a source of omega-3 and many important vitamins, yet growing demand is likely to be met primarily from aquaculture rather than wild fisheries, believes Viðarsson. “The total global wild catch of fisheries has stagnated at somewhere between 90-100 million tonnes a year, and it is unlikely that we will see any major changes in that. However, by improving the sustainability of global fisheries we can potentially slowly increase wild catches over the long term,” he says. The ideal scenario in terms of fisheries management would be to establish a global framework to share knowledge on stocks and ensure that all fishing fleets operate under the same rules. While this is not entirely realistic at this point, the project is working to encourage collaboration between different countries, which could lay the foundations for further dialogue and knowledge-sharing. “We have already secured participation in a dialogue between scientists from across the world that are fishing in the high seas fisheries in the South Atlantic. If we are able to get the scientists that are involved in stock assessment and management to talk together, then that is an important first step,” says Viðarsson. “We hope that when the project finishes, other researchers will take up the reins.”
FarFish has the overall objective to provide knowledge, tools and methods to support responsible, sustainable and profitable EU fisheries outside European waters. To achieve this, FarFish has provided a better knowledge base of selected SFPA and high-seas fisheries where the EU fleet operates and identified opportunities for improvement.
Project Funding
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program.
Project Partners
• Matís – Iceland • University of Sao Paulo – Brazil • IMAR – Cape Verde • Syntesa – Denmark • Long Distant Advisory Council – EU • UNESCO-GROFisheries Training Program – Iceland • IMROP – Mauritania • University Cadi Ayyad – Morocco • Marine Research Institute – Norway • University of Tromso – Norway • Nofima – Norway • CCMAR / University of Algarve – Portugal • COREWAM – Senegal • ISRA / CRODT – Senegal • Seychelles Fishing Authority – Seychelles • CSIC – Spain • ANFACO - Spain • CETMAR – Spain • OPROMAR – Spain • Shuttle Tread – UK • University of Portsmouth – UK • SJOKOVIN – Faroe Islands
Contact Details
Jónas R. Viðarsson, M.Sc. Director of Division of value creation Matís ohf. Icelandic Food and Biotech R&D Vínlandsleið 12, 113 Reykjavík T: +354 422 5107 E: jonas@matis.is W: https://www.farfish.eu W: https://www.matis.is Jónas R. Viðarsson, M.Sc.
Jónas R. Viðarsson is the coordinator of the FarFish project. He is a director of division at Matís in Iceland and has a long experience from participating in interdisciplinary international research and innovation projects. He has as well a long experience from working within the seafood industry, both in capture and processing.
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