MAFCONS
Managing fisheries to conserve groundfish and benthic invertebrate species diversity

Fishing affects marine ecosystems beyond the effects on just the target species. Populations of non-target species and the diversity of species have declined, contrary to the Rio Convention on Biological Diversity. The 1997 intermediate ministerial meeting determined that an ecosystem approach to management be developed, enabling marine ecosystems to be utilised in a manner consistent with sustainable development and the conservation of biological diversity. This project aims to develop a management protocol which, when added to the present ICES fisheries management advice process, will allow managers to predict the consequences of management policy on species diversity. A theoretical model underpinning the management protocol will be developed, taking account of the actual ecological impact of fishing activity. The data required to use and test the ecological model and apply the model within the management protocol will be collected.

Objectives
The objective of the project is to provide the scientific advisors to fisheries managers with mathematical tools that will allow them to quantify the consequences of groundfish and benthic invertebrate species diversity to achieve particular fisheries objectives.

Progress to Date
The three coordination meetings and three workshops have been held. All the partners have carried out their first groundfish survey cruises for sample collection. Analysis of these samples has begun and will continue.
The first two workshops have provided much material for the review documents to be written for them. The third workshop produced a sampling and analysis protocols manual due in July 2003. This document was generated on time but has been modified since during the sample collection period, and is now being further modified during the sample analysis period.

Classified in CAP AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE, BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY, QUANTITATIVE APPROACHES AND MODELLING

Scientist responsible for the project