Project

The overall objective of this project was to address the poor understanding of the links between management tools, fleet developments and the pressure exerted on fishing communities, and more precisely to supply fisheries managers with a modelling tool that will allow them evaluating the impact of regulations on the dynamics of fleets and fishing mortality.

The overall objectives of the project were to identify and understand specific shortcomings in the European fisheries policy and its implementation, which have contributed to the problems evident in several European fisheries, and to devise means for their rectification. The project focused on the knowledge production and decision-making within the fisheries management system, the interrelationships between these processes and the role played by stakeholders.

ITAC focuses on administrative arrangements to restrict and monitor fishing mortality. The aim is not only to describe regulatory arrangements, but to offer an understanding of how these systems function as wholes and why they have attained their present forms. An understanding of the management systems does not only require knowledge of the various institutions, but an understanding of how they are woven together - how they mutually restrict and shape each other. The main research question is: how and under which conditions can regulations aimed to restrict fishing mortality be successfully implemented at the administrative level?

The project will undertake four case studies divided on three different types of regulation schemes: 1) Direct catch regulation (Norwegian cod fisheries), 2) Capacity utilization (The Faroe Island demersal fishery) and 3) Indirect catch regulation (The North Sea cod recovery plan - having a Danish perspective & Recovery plans in Galicia).

Coordinator: Norwegian Agricultural Economics Research Institute (NILF)

The project is a research-based analysis of the status and development potentials for the fish processing industry in Northern Jutland 2010-2025. The analysis provides updated descriptions of strengths and weaknesses in different segments of the fish processing industry. An integral part of the project is development processes in groups of processing industries, which will develop SWOT analysis and segment strategies. The project will present proposals and ideas of areas where the fish processing industry in Northern Jutland can base survival and development in the coming years.

Socio-economic effects of the main management principles of the future Common Fishery Policy (CFP): impact of new policy framework and opportunities for the fishing sector to develop self- and co-management.

The Common Fisheries Policy is in a major reform process at the moment. The European Commission draws the conclusion in its analysis of the previous reform in 2002 (COM (2009) 163 final) that despite making some progress there are still many problems unresolved. On the positive side, the Commission lists better stakeholder involvement, phasing out direct capacity-enhancing subsidies and the introduction of long-term management plans. On the negative side the Commission identifies a deep-rooted problem of overcapacity, imprecise policy objectives, a framework that does not give sufficient responsibility to the industry, lack of compliance and a decision making system that encourages a focus on short-term management. We will analyze a range of available, emerging and possible new management measures to overcome these shortcomings of fisheries management, and will consider their implementation on a regional level.

Through the project 'Fiskens Fodaftryk', extensive work has been done to uncover key challenges related to assessments of the climate impact of Danish fisheries ('CO2 footprint') through life cycle assessments (Life Cycle Assessment, LCA). 'Fisheries' in this context covers the catch stage, although subsequent stages such as processing and transport also contribute to the climate impact of fish products via CO2 emissions related to these stages.

On a general level, the project has explored different methodological approaches, the importance of assumptions, data availability, and partly the communication challenges that may arise when calculating the climate impact of Danish fisheries. Ultimately, the project's results can contribute to future opportunities to work in a targeted and documentable manner to reduce the climate impact of Danish fisheries, where this is possible and appropriate. The project's insights will also be relevant in the context of the development of consumer-oriented environmental and climate labels or campaigns.

The project has focused in particular on examining the possibilities and limitations of making climate impact assessments based on data that is continuously and systematically collected at the national level for (approximately) the entire fisheries sector. Such an approach could potentially make it manageable to continuously produce uniform assessments that cover the entire fisheries sector, as models and data processing procedures can thus be applied uniformly and effectively to the entire sector.

The project is funded by the Fisheries Tax Fund 2020-2021, and the output and activities from the project are made available continuously via this page.

The Code of Conduct project focuses on development of codes of conduct for sustainable and responsible fisheries in Denmark. Codes of conduct for sustainable fisheries at general level (UN and EU) already exist. The project intends to integrate market and management interests in a process where fishermen formulate the specific code of conduct for their fishery. By analysing expectations and demands regarding sustainable and responsible fisheries from public management and from central market actors such as large European supermarket chains, the project will provide the fishermen with information of usefulness of a code of conduct: Can the code be a tool for fishermen to "take back responsibility" in management, and can it support attempts to get a higher value out of the catch? The general framework for codes of conduct and a specific code of conduct for the pelagic fishery will be formulated in interaction with the fishermen and their organisations.

The project consists of four phases: 1) Analysis of trends in demands and expectations to sustainable fishery from central market interests and the management system. 2) Development of a general framework for codes of conduct within Danish fisheries. This will be discussed with representatives from the catch and processing sectors as well as management. 3) Development of a specific code of conduct for sustainable and responsible fisheries within the Danish pelagic fishery. In this phase the project team will help fishermen from the sector and the Danish Pelagic Producer Organisation formulating their own code of conduct. 4) Communication of the experiences from the project through a conference, articles and a folder with guidelines for a framework of codes of conduct for sustainable and responsible fisheries and for how to involve the fishermen in the specific fishery.

The COST Action “Rethinking the Blue Economy: Socio-ecological impacts and opportunities” (RethinkBlue) centres around the Blue Economy and related policies affecting European societies. After the term was introduced at the UN Rio+20 conference, the paradigm was adopted by various actors across Europe and beyond. In the EU, the Blue Economy paradigm involves regional and national political-economic priorities, new legislative and governance frameworks, and EU and national financial support for sectors of the marine economy. However, the impact of these policies on coastal populations are not yet well-understood. Accelerating globalisation, technological developments and the impact of climate change pose additional challenges.

The purpose of this Action is to rethink the Blue Economy, in two ways. First, by assessing its impact on coastal societies, and second, by exploring opportunities deriving from innovations and potential synergies between established and emergent marine activities. The guiding research questions are:

1. What are the impacts, positive or negative, of Blue Economy developments on human well-being, social equity and the economic and environmental sustainability of coastal societies?
2. What are potential opportunities for innovations and synergies between sectors?

Scientific interactions focus on five themes: (1) maritime occupations, (2) food security & sustainable blue consumption, (3) port cities & coastal communities, (4) fisheries governance & emergent activities, (5) climate change & natural hazards. Knowledge exchange and capacity building among researchers and stakeholders of the Blue Economy will be facilitated through meetings, research workshops, an online seminar series, training schools, and conferences.

Action keywords: Blue Economy - Maritime governance and policy - Socio-economic transformations - Social, economic and environmental sustainability - Coastal societies