EASME on behalf of the EMFF have just put out a call for a service contract in developing a modeling framework and support tool to assist fisheries management and stakeholders by-catch stocks at the fleet or metier level within the different geographical areas covered by the new generation of MAPs. This tool will be used to assess whether proposals for regionalised management measures under mixed-fisheries plans are in accordance with the objectives of the CFP.
One thing is for sure, fishermen the length and breadth of the UK will be looking towards central government to step in and replace EMFF with an appropriate industry funding alternative - especially in areas like Cornwall - which benefitted to the tune of many millions or EU funding over the years and helped bring much of it into the 21st Century.
It will be interesting to see what part or role the UK takes in this kind of EU initiative post Bexit given the extent of the waters involved.
Here are some of the key features of the tender:
1.1. INTRODUCTION
The Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (henceforth "EASME" or "the Contracting Authority")1, acting under the powers delegated by the European Commission, is launching this invitation to tender for a study to identify measures to protect by-catch species in mixed-fisheries management plans.
The call for tenders is based on Regulation (EU) No 508/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council2 and on the Commission Implementing Decision C(2016) 8422 final (Action 1.3.2.5)3.
1.2. BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND CONTEXT
Under the reformed Common Fisheries Policy4 (CFP), the new generation of multi-annual plans (MAPs) shall take into account, among other characteristics and where relevant, mixed-fishery considerations. Mixed fisheries are fisheries in which several species are likely to be caught in the same fishing operation (i.e. using the same vessel and gear). This characteristic of mixed fisheries offers a challenge to fisheries managers used to managing single stock fisheries, because the assumption that vessels will stop catching a given species once their quota for that species is exhausted is much less likely to hold true for complex, multi-species, multi-gear fisheries, where fleets are given a set of different fishing opportunities for the various stocks.
Additionally, the new generation of MAPs includes a number of species and stocks fished within a particular region (e.g. the Baltic Sea) to be managed according to the target of fishing at Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) and a deadline for achieving this target. In addition, they provide biomass safeguards below which fishing mortality must be reduced. The new MAPs also introduce the concept of regionalisation, where EU countries with a direct management interest may agree to submit joint recommendations for achieving the objectives of a particular plan or other management measure.
1.3. GENERAL AND SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
EASME wishes to enter into a service contract for developing a modelling framework and a support tool to assist fisheries managers and stakeholders (European Commission, regional groups of Member States and the Advisory Councils) in managing by-catch stocks at the fleet or EASME/EMFF/2017/022:
The identification of measures to protect by-catch species in mixed-fisheries management plans metier level9 within the different geographical areas covered by the new generation of MAPs (see point 1.4.1.). This tool will be used to assess whether proposals for regionalised management measures under mixed-fisheries plans are in accordance with the objectives of the CFP.
Specifically, this support tool will help in:
(i) where MAPs which have already identified target and by-catch species exist, by - identifying where TAC management of the target species is sufficient to provide sustainable exploitation of by-catch species and where this is found not to be the case, by identifying candidate measures, including single or grouped TACs and other technical measures that will lead to sustainable exploitation of the by-catch stocks;
(ii) in areas where MAPs have not yet identified the target and by-catch stocks, by - developing methods and tools that would enable the appropriate classification of individual stocks as either target or by-catch. Such tools could also be used to amend existing plans where necessary;
(iii) where by-catches are managed via TACs applied to the target species, by - developing methods, candidate indicators and thresholds that would be used by managers to adopt additional management interventions.
The outcomes of this study will provide a tangible output as a tool for managers (and reviewers) to assess specific joint recommendations and their accordance with the CFP to support regional management.
Full access to the tendering process is here: