Management of bycatch stocks in mixed fisheries

Background and Objective

The overall objective of the PROBYFISH project is to develop a modelling framework and a support tool to assess whether proposals for regionalised management measures are in accordance with the objectives of the CFP. The project addresses this task through th the development of agreed and robust methods  to define target and bycatch species, identify the species for which TAC management of target species would be sufficient to ensure sustainable exploitation without additional safeguards, identify measures that will lead to the sustainable development of the bycatch stocks which are not sufficiently protected by target species TACs, produce agreed reference levels to safeguard stocks in accordance with the CFP and combine the results of all activities in a user-friendly and flexible tool.

Approach

In complex simulations with more than 100 fleets it is tested whether current fishing patterns already ensure a sustainable exploitation of bycatch stocks as long as target stocks are managed according to the MSY concept. If this is not the case, the spatial distribution of species and the bycatch in each fleet segment will be analysed to enable the suggestion of fit for purpose management measures (e.g., closed areas, effort reduction in specific fleet segments, adaptation of gears). In order to know when a certain bycatch stock is at risk, reference points will be tested that indicate when additional managment measures are needed.

Results

The final report can be viewed and downloaded via the following link: Probyfish final report