Five new projects, funded by EMFAF with €2.5M, kick off to boost scientific data, monitoring, and cooperation for sustainable EU fisheries management
Five new projects to improve scientific knowledge on fisheries have recently kicked off their activities.
The projects are funded under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) and will receive an overall budget of almost €2.5 million from the call for proposals for Scientific Advice for Fisheries, launched in November 2024.
The call aimed to promote the development and the strengthening of the scientific knowledge needed for fisheries conservation and management measures in support of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP).
The main priorities were the reinforcement of policy-oriented fisheries science, the better use of the collected scientific data, the improved cooperation between scientists and the fisheries sector, as well as the support of the scientific community in developing and maintaining the relevant expertise to provide high quality scientific advice.
Some proposals were well supported by fisheries stakeholders, like advisory councils and fisheries organisations, while others build on work done in the framework of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, or from previous projects.
You will find more information on the five funded projects below.
IMBUS – Implementing More and Better Use of ICES Survey data
The IMBUS project will develop standardised and easily accessible tools that allow a better use of bottom trawl survey data collected under the umbrella of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).
Its two main objectives are to improve quality control of data collection process on board of bottom-trawl survey vessels, and access to bottom-trawl survey data for different purposes and user groups. IMBUS will expand the use of conventional fisheries independent data collection through surveys to cover climate change and management issues (including an ecosystem approach to fisheries), in addition to fisheries catch advice.
Duration: 24 months EU contribution: €478,985.06
REMINDER – Revealing Mysid abundances to better understand changes in herring condition in the Baltic Sea
In 2021, two key shrimp plankton species suddenly became scarce in the Northern Baltic Sea. This affected the health of herrings older than three years, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, and led to a drop in the spawning stock biomass. As a result, authorities advised to reduce how much herring could be fished. The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) also highlighted the need for better monitoring these species. This is where REMINDER comes in.
The project will improve the scientific knowledge regarding the abundance and distribution of large crustacean plankton – especially mysid shrimps – in the Baltic Sea. The project aims to understand the dynamics of herring predation on crustacean plankton, as a driver of herring growth. It will also define an operational framework for monitoring the abundance of mysids and large crustacean zooplankton in the Baltic Sea.
Duration: 29 months EU contribution: € 567,243.74
Smart4SAM – SmartDots for Monitoring, Accuracy and Reliable Training of essential biological data – Quality assurance for Stock Assessments
Age and sexual maturity are essential biological data for estimating key fish stock parameters like growth, mortality, and spawning stock size. SmartDots is an online platform that allows sharing of age and maturity interpretation of fish based on images. The platform was originally developed by ILVO (Belgium) and made available for the whole community through the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).
Smart4SAM will expand the SmartDots software with functionalities to create reference collection, adapt and test stock assessment models to data integrate uncertainty derived from these collections. It will also use artificial intelligence to support biological data interpretation and integration into SmartDots. The project will focus on vulnerable and commercial fish stocks.
Duration: 29 months EU contribution: € 371,108.88
EM4SSF – Enhancing Monitoring for Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries
The project aims to fill the main data gaps and provide a common framework and quality control system for the reporting of data on small-scale fisheries across Europe. It builds on the recommendations of the last International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Workshop on Geo-Spatial Data for Small-Scale Fisheries.
EM4SSF will focus on six case studies: Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, Denmark, and Greece.
Duration: 29 months EU contribution: € 430,812.81
PAMBAS – Provide Advice for a sustainable fisheries Management Based on suitable stock Assessment modelS
PAMBAS focuses on fishing activities of deep-sea shrimps exploited by the Spanish fleet in West Africa. The aim is to fill critical knowledge gaps to support sustainable fisheries management along the coasts of Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea and Angola, as the fishing activities of the European Union in the region are regulated by the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements.
The project includes biological data collection of two kind of shrimps: deep-water rose and striped-red shrimps. PAMBAS will refine stock identification, develop standardised catch per unit effort indices and apply different stock assessment models.
Duration: 29 months EU contribution: € 599,980.13
