LogoDiscardLess Strategies for the gradual elimination of discards in European fisheries

Scientific Publications


Ships banned from throwing unwanted fish overboard

In a big change to fisheries, the wasteful practice of throwing fish overboard this month became illegal in waters of the European Union. Scientists believe the policy will incentivize vessels…
Authors:
Erik Stokstad

Publication ID:
10.1126/science.363.6423.112

The European Landing Obligation - Reducing Discards in Complex, Multi-Species and Multi-Jurisdictional Fisheries

This open access book provides a comprehensive examination of the European Landing Obligation policy from many relevant perspectives. It includes evaluations of its impacts at economical, socio-cultural, ecological and institutional…
Authors:
Editors: Sven Sebastian Uhlmann, Clara Ulrich, Steven J. Kennelly

Publication ID:
DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03308-8

Unravelling the scientific potential of high resolution fishery data

Fisheries science and fisheries management advice rely on both scientific and commercial data to estimate the distribution and abundance of marine species. These two data types differ, with scientific data…
Authors:
Kristian Schreiber Plet-Hansen, Erling Larsen, Lars Olof Mortensen, J. Rasmus Nielsen, Clara Ulrich

Publication ID:
https://doi.org/10.1051/alr/2018016

Quota exhaustion and discarding: how Ireland’s monthly quota system has a limited relationship with discarding patterns in the commercial fishing fleet

The Irish fishing fleet is subject to monthly quotas which are designed to ensure an equal share between vessels and to spread uptake throughout the year. This monthly quota system…
Authors:
Julia Calderwood, David G. Reid

Publication ID:
https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsy158

The landing obligation calls for a more flexible technical gear regulation in EU waters – Greater industry involvement could support development of gear modifications

Rigid fisheries management frameworks often leave fishers with limited possibilities and incentives to adjust the selectivity of their gears to the specific fishing conditions. Implementation of the landing obligation in European fisheries emphasizes fishers…
Authors:
Søren Qvist Eliasen, Jordan Feekings, Ludvig Krag, Tiago Veiga-Malta, Lars O. Mortensen, Clara Ulrich

Publication ID:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2018.10.020

An overview of fisheries discards in the Azores

In contrast to the vast majority of European maritime territories, the Azores is an isolated oceanic archipelago in the North East Atlantic characterised by small-scale hooks-and-lines fisheries. Yet, in spite…
Authors:
L.Fauconnet, C.K.Pham, A.Canha, P.Afonso, H.Diogo, M.Machete, H.M.Silva, F.Vandeperre, T.Morato

Publication ID:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2018.10.001

Identifying choke species challenges for an individual demersal trawler in the North Sea, lessons from conversations and data analysis

A likely side-effect of introducing the landing obligation of the 2013 Common Fisheries Policy into mixed fisheries is the occurrence of the “choke species” problem. When discarding no longer is an…
Authors:
Lars O. Mortensen, Clara Ulrich, Jan Hansen, Rasmus Hald

Publication ID:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2017.09.031

A method to address the non-random spatial distribution of on-board observer data to map landings and discards

The Landing Obligation is legislation meant to gradually reduce discards in European fisheries from 2015. Identifying spatial patterns of landings and discards is an important element in mitigating the effects…
Authors:
Fabien Pointin, Anne-Sophie Cornou, Romain Prod’homme, Nicolas Taupin, Marie-Joëlle Rochet

Publication ID:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2017.10.023

Bioeconomic assessment of a change in fishing gear selectivity: the case of a single-species fleet affected by the landing obligation

The European Union Common Fisheries Policy has established a discard ban, which states that fish below a reference size cannot be sold directly for human consumption. In a fishing effort-regulated…
Authors:
Raúl Prellezo, Itsaso Carmona, Dorleta García, Luis Arregi, Jon Ruiz, Iñigo Onandia

Publication ID:
10.3989/scimar.04597.18A

Using trophic models to assess the impact of fishing in the Bay of Biscay and the Celtic Sea

Using the Bay of Biscay and Celtic Sea area as a case study, we showed how stock-assessments and trophic models can be useful and complementary tools to quantify the fishing…
Authors:
Abdelkrim Bentorcha, Didier Gascuel, Sylvie Guénette

Publication ID:
https://doi.org/10.1051/alr/2017006

Improving the ecological efficiency of the bottom trawl fishery in the Western Mediterranean: It’s about time!

The improvement of fishing technology has been detrimental to the sustainability of fisheries, which is particularly clear for the bottom trawl fishery. Reducing its environmental impact is a key point…
Authors:
Beatriz Guijarro, Francesc Ordines, Enric Massutí

Publication ID:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2017.06.007

Inferring the annual, seasonal, and spatial distributions of marine species from complementary research and commercial vessels’ catch rates

The objective of this study is to analyse at fine scale the annual, seasonal and spatial distributions of several species in the Eastern English Channel (EEC). On the one hand,…
Authors:
Bourdaud Pierre, Travers-Trolet Morgane, Vermard Youen, Cormon Xochitl, Marchal Paul

Publication ID:
http://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsx092

A meta-analysis of vertical stratification in demersal trawl gears

A meta-analysis is presented of fishing trials that use trawl gear with horizontal separator panels to direct fish into an upper or lower codend. The analysis is applied to eight…
Authors:
R.J. Fryer, K. Summerbell, F.G. O’Neill

Publication ID:
https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2016-0391

Balanced harvesting can emerge from fishing decisions byindividual fishers in a small-scale fishery

Catching fish in proportion to their productivity, termed balanced harvesting, has been suggested as a basis for the ecosystem approach to fishing. Balanced harvesting has been criticized as uneconomical and…
Authors:
Michael J Plank, Jeppe Kolding, Richard Law, Hans D Gerritsen, David Reid

Publication ID:
https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12172

Food-Web and Ecosystem Structure of the Open-Ocean and Deep-Sea Environments of the Azores, NE Atlantic

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive intends to adopt ecosystem-based management for resources, biodiversity and habitats that puts emphasis on maintaining the health of the ecosystem alongside appropriate human use of…
Authors:
Telmo Morato, Emile Lemey, Gui Menezes, Christopher K. Pham, Joana Brito, Ambre Soszynski, Tony J. Pitcher and Johanna J. Heymans

Publication ID:
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2016.00245

Predictive modeling of deep-sea fish distribution in the Azores

Understanding the link between fish and their habitat is essential for an ecosystem approach to fisheries management. However, determining such relationship is challenging, especially for deep-sea species. In this study,…
Authors:
Hugo E. Parra, Christopher K. Pham, Gui M. Menezes, Alexandra Rosa, Fernando Tempera, Telmo Morato

Publication ID:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2016.01.004

New modes of fisheries governance: Implementation of the landing obligation in four European countries

Fisheries policy is increasingly influenced by civil society organizations. The newest example of this is the formulation of the landing obligation, a regulation that should reduce the contested practice of…
Authors:
B.I. de Vos , R. Döring, M. Aranda, F.C. Buisman, K. Frangoudes, L.Goti, C. Macher, C.D. Maravelias, A. Murillas-Maza, O. van der Valk, P. Vasilakopoulos

Publication ID:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2015.11.005

Fishers’ opinions on marketization of property rights and the quota system in France

After many years of Common Fisheries Policies in the European Union, 88% of stocks are still being fished beyond their Maximum Sustainable Yield. While several Member States and the European…
Authors:
Katia Frangoudes, Bellanger Manuel

Publication ID:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2017.01.010

Selectivity in Trawl Fishing Gears

In this manual we describe the different stages of the fish capture process, highlight how different parts of the gear may influence selection and identify possible design changes which can…
Authors:
F. G. O’Neill, K. Mutch

Publication ID:
DOI: 10.4789/1890-1

Reducing discards without reducing profit: free gear choice in a Danish result-based management trial

The 2013 Common Fisheries Policy introduced a landing obligation on a range of species, bringing more focus on the full accountability of all catches. To investigate the potentials and challenges…
Authors:
Lars O. Mortensen, Clara Ulrich, Søren Eliasen and Hans J. Olesen

Publication ID:
doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsw209

Effectiveness of fully documented fisheries to estimate discards in a participatory research scheme

A key challenge for fisheries science and management is the access to reliable and verifiable catch data. In science, the challenge is to collect reliable, precise and traceable data to…
Authors:
Lars O. Mortensen, Clara Ulrich, Hans Jakob Olesen, Heiðrikur Bergsson, Casper W. Berg, Nikolaos Tzamouranis, Jørgen Dalskov

Remote electronic monitoring and the landing obligation – some insights into fishers’ and fishery inspectors’ opinions

This study focuses on Danish fishery inspectors and on fishers with Remote Electronic Monitoring (REM) experience, whose opinions are less well known. Their views on the landing obligation and on…
Authors:
Kristian S. Plet-Hansen, Søren Q. Eliasen, Lars O. Mortensen, Heiðrikur Bergsson, Hans J. Olesen, Clara Ulrich

Discard ban and balanced harvest: a contradiction?

Discard bans have been proposed as part of management policies aimed at balanced harvest (BH). Nationwide discard bans exist in several coun- tries, including Chile, the European Union, Norway, and…
Authors:
Lisa Borges, Luis Cocas, and Kåre Nolde Nielsen

Publication ID:
doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsw065

Achieving maximum sustainable yield in mixed fisheries

Achieving single species maximum sustainable yield (MSY) in complex and dynamic fisheries targeting multiple species (mixed fisheries) is challenging because achieving the objective for one species may mean missing the…
Authors:
Clara Ulrich; Youen Vermard; Paul J. Dolder; Thomas Brunel; Ernesto Jardim; Steven J. Holmes; Alexander Kempf; Lars O. Mortensen

Publication ID:
2016;doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsw126

The discard ban and its impact on the maximum sustainable yield objective on fisheries

This is the reference document of the Workshop on "The discard ban and its impact on the Maximum Sustainable Yield objective on fisheries" of 16th June 2016, organised by the…
Authors:
Clara Ulrich, Raúl Prellezzo, Sarah Kraak

Publication ID:
DOI:10.2861/994117

The bad, the good and the very good of the landing obligation implementation in the Bay of Biscay

Landing obligation (LO) has become a core element on the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). In this work a bioeconomic simulation tool is used to anticipate the effects of LO in…
Authors:
Raúl Prellezo, Itsaso Carmona, Dorleta García

Publication ID:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2016.04.016

FEATURE ARTICLE - One year on: the landing obligation in Europe

The article looks at the effect the introduction of the landing obligation has had on EU fisheries for the last year. It tries to answer these questions: is the landing…
Authors:
Lisa Borges, FishFix

Publication ID:
Newsletter February 2016

Fisheries, the inverted food pyramid

A global assessment of fishing patterns and fishing pressure from 110 different Ecopath models, representing marine ecosystems throughout the world and covering the period 1970 – 2007, show that human…
Authors:
Jeppe Kolding, Alida Bundy, Paul A.M. van Zwieten, and Michael J. Plank

Publication ID:
DOI:10.1093/icesjms/fsv225

Balanced harvest: utopia, failure or a functional strategy?

Since “balanced harvest” was proposed in 2010 as a possible tool in the operationalization of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF), the concept gained extensive international attention. Because maintaining ecosystem…
Authors:
Jeppe Kolding, Serge M. Garcia, Shijie Zhou and Mikko Heino

Publication ID:
DOI 10.1093/icesjms/fsw060

Maximizing fisheries yields while maintaining community structure

Under the ecosystem approach to fisheries, an optimal fishing pattern is one that gives the highest possible yield while having the least structural impact on the community. Unregulated, open-access African…
Authors:
Jeppe Kolding, Nis S. Jacobsen, Ken H. Andersen, and Paul A.M. van Zwieten

Publication ID:
DOI 10.1139/cjfas-2015-0098

The Optimal Fishing Pattern

Conventional fisheries management encourages highly selective fishing patterns for various purposes, such as increase relative yield, reduce unwanted by‐catch, protect various species or sizes and rebuild ecosystems. Recent empirical and…
Authors:
Jeppe Kolding, Richard Law, Michael Plank and Paul A. M. van Zwieten

Publication ID:
ISBN: 978-1-118-39442-7

Catalogue of selective devices tested in Danish Fisheries (in Danish)

In this report (In Danish) we gather knowledge and experience from fishing gear selectivity trials conducted in Danish waters over the last decade. The primary focus is on the by-catch of…
Authors:
Rikke P. Frandsen, Ludvig A. Krag, Junita D. Karlsen og Jordan P. Feekings

Publication ID:
DTU Aqua-rapport nr. 300-2015