Just now, the first meeting of a new and extensive multinational project that the European Union has decided to support for three years was coming to an end. EcoFishMan.
The meeting has, among other things, discussed whether a common fisheries policy Of the European Union has delivered the expected results. Suffice it to say that close to 90% fish stocks in the jurisdiction of EU countries are overfished and a third of the stocks are in danger of extinction because they fail to regenerate. Discards are a major problem, for example it is estimated that 30-55% cod catches from the North Sea are discarded.
The European Union expects the EcoFishMan project to develop a new methodology that will be useful in changing and reforming its fisheries management system.
Following on from this introductory meeting, emphasis will be placed on co-operation with fishermen, fishing and processing and on the utilization of information from electronic catch diaries. The aim of the project is to promote environmentally friendly, sustainable and economic management with a special emphasis on traceability and to minimize discards. One of the goals of the EcoFishMan project is to analyze what has been successful in Icelandic fisheries management and pass on that experience. At the same time, there are plans for more co-operation with those who work in fishing and processing in the fishing industry.
Among the Icelandic parties that will be approached for professional knowledge are Directorate of Fisheries, Association of Fish Processing Plants, National Association of Icelandic Fishermen, Marine Research Institute, Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture, National Association of Small Boat Owners and several Icelandic companies that produce technical equipment for the fishing industry, such as Trackwell, Vaki and Marel.
Those who attended this first meeting included members from Matís, Eurofish (DK), CETMAR (ES), The Bitland Enterprise (FO), the University of Iceland, the National Research Council / Institute of Marine Sciences (IT), Nofima Marin (NO) , University of Tromsø (NO), Centro de Ciências do Mar (PT), IPIMAR (PT), MAPIX technologies Ltd (UK), Marine Scotland Science (UK) and Seafish (UK).
For further information Sveinn Margeirsson CEO of Matís.
News from Stöðvar 2's newsroom from the meeting can be found here.
