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Jónas Rúnar Viðarsson

Director of Business and Development

jonas@matis.is

BADMINTON (Bycatch And Discards: Management Indicators, Trends and LocatiON)

The main objective of the project was to gain knowledge about discard patterns in Europe and to evaluate the effectiveness of discard measures, including the effectiveness of fishing gear. Another goal was to improve methods for assessing and managing bycatch and discards. Two main methods were used in the project. First, data collected under the European Union Data Collection Regulation (2002) was used, later the Data Collection Framework (2008). This is data collected nationally, where inspectors monitor fishing trips and record catches and discards. Data of this kind have some well-known flaws, it is expensive to collect and they inevitably have distortions, but are nevertheless important sources of information. In this project, this data was combined for several countries within the European Union. It was a complex process where data collection methods differed from country to country. This preparatory work will be useful for future projects, where the intention is to use data for more than one country. It is not possible to fully understand human behavior by examining statistical data. Understanding discards is no exception. Therefore, stakeholders and experts were also interviewed about their views on the discard problem. It was hoped that the interviews would add to the knowledge gained from the analysis of the specified data. The two methods used in the project led to the same two main results. Firstly, there is a large difference in discard patterns according to fishing areas, countries, fishing gear, vessel size and species. It seems that the biggest difference is between fishing areas and thus it is best for discard regulations to be adapted to each area. Second, discards, quantities, patterns, and their composition seem to depend on many factors. In particular, current EU Common Fisheries Policy and the interplay between its various components seem to have a major impact. As a result, the usefulness of different methods of reducing discards will be difficult to assess. It is very important which methods are used together.

Discarding keeps being an important issue in world fisheries; it is a way for fishers to adjust their landings to the legal and market constraints, but is largely considered as a waste of rare natural resources and as contributing to the depletion of stocks bearing a high fishing pressure. Many jurisdictions, including the European Commission, are preparing regulations to reduce or ban discards. To design effective regulations, an understanding of the extent and processes of the issue is required. The MariFish BADMINTON project aimed to build up the knowledge of discarding patterns and factors in European fisheries, evaluate the efficacy of selective devices and other discard management measures that have been implemented in the past, and improve methods to analyze, monitor, and manage bycatch and discarding. Specific objectives included the provision of discard estimates for selected European fisheries, and of appropriate indicators; the determination of the most important factors affecting discard amounts and composition; and the elaboration of integrated management approaches to the discard issue. BADMINTON relied on two types of approaches to fulfill these aims and objectives. First was the analysis of onboard observer data, since intensive collection of catch and discard data onboard commercial vessels has been undertaken in European countries under the European Union Data Collection Regulation (2002) followed and intensified by the Data Collection Framework (2008). Thus, one significant contribution of the project was to collate onboard observer data from several European Union member states, given the many differences between national onboard observer programs sampling schemes, protocols, details of data recorded, and data storage formats. This first step paves the way towards a future better integration of national onboard observer programs. The second approach was to conduct stakeholder interviews and expert consultation, which was meant to complement the data analyzes with fisher's perspectives on the discard issue, and to provide an integrated approach toward management. Both approaches lead to the following two broad conclusions: · Discard patterns exhibited high diversity across regions, countries, gear types, vessel sizes, and species, with variability being more pronounced among regions. Thus, discard management approaches might be devised at a regional level - consistent with the proposed regionalization of the currently discussed reform of the European Union Common Fisheries Policy. Discards amounts, patterns, and composition, are determined by a multitude of interacting natural and human (economic and social) factors in a given place and time, and usually no simple explanations can suffice. The project has developed a number of tools, distinguished in three categories ie. · Selectivity related tools · tools to appraise and understand the discarding issue · tools that can be used to assist in devising management strategies A discard management strategy should not include only a combination of discard mitigation measures; if discards are to be reduced, appropriate and consistent incentives need to be mended together.

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