Novel ways to manage oceanic resources

Background and Objective

The Blue Growth of European fisheries is at risk due to over-exploitation, unforeseen changes in stock productivity, loss of markets for capture fisheries due to aquaculture, future trade agreements opening European markets to external fleets, and fluctuations in the price of oil and other business costs. All of these risks need to be considered when providing advice needed to sustainably maximize profits for the diverse array of fisheries operating in European waters and to help safeguard the benefits this sector provides to the social coherence of local, coastal communities. PANDORA aims to:

1. Create more realistic assessments and projections of changes in fisheries resources (30 stocks) by utilizing new biological knowledge (spatial patterns, environmental drivers, food-web interactions and density-dependence) including, for the first time, proprietary data sampled by pelagic fishers.
2. Advice on how to secure long-term sustainability of EU fish stocks (maximum sustainable/”pretty good” and economic yields) and elucidate tradeoffs between profitability and number of jobs in their (mixed demersal, mixed pelagic and single species) fisheries fleets. Provide recommendations on how to stabilize the long-term profitability of European fisheries.
3. Develop a public, internet-based resource tool box (PANDORAs Box of Tools), including assessment modelling and stock projections code, economic models, and region- and species-specific decision support tools; increase ownership and contribution opportunities of the industry to the fish stock assessment process through involvement in data sampling and training in data collection, processing and ecosystem-based fisheries management.

The project will create new knowledge (via industry-led collection, laboratory and field work, and theoretical simulations), new collaborative networks (industry, scientists and advisory bodies) and new mechanisms (training courses and management tools) to ensure relevance, utility and impact.

Approach

The PANDORA project contributes to ensuring the long-term sustainability of European fisheries by advancing current models for fish stock assessments. In cooperation with regional stakeholders, PANDORA will create new biological knowledge, develop fisheries management scenarios and policy recommendations, and provide an online tool box for fishers, fisheries managers, decision- and policy-makers across Europe.

Links and Downloads

Project website: Pandora