Fishermen and scientists working together to improve information about discards in the Dutch flatfish fisheries. Collaboration between scientists and fishermen within self-sampling projects will improve fisheries catch data, include more fishers’ knowledge and improve communication and understanding between the two sectors. This in turn will help fisheries managers fine-tune their policy.
Our Progress So Far
Self-sampling is a new form of research cooperation which has been developed between the Dutch fishing industry and IMARES since 2009. Self-sampling is used as a method of gathering catch data on fishing vessels, wherein:
- fishermen collect samples of their catch
- the samples are then processed by either fishermen or scientists
- the processed samples are analysed by scientists.
Because self-sampling is much cheaper than paying onboard observers, it results in many more samples, spread across a wider geographic range.
Our case study takes a closer look at three of these self-sampling programmes. The first is the self-sampling fleet providing data for the data collection regulation of the EU (approximately 21 fishing vessels); the self-sampling for monitoring the effects of the pulse-fishery (appr.20 fishing vessels) and the self-sampling in the TR gears (appr. 52 fishing vessels). The three programmes have a different set-up with different goals as well as with different methods of self-sampling.
To find out how we’re progressing with our work, click on the links below.
|24 Months On: Update from the Dutch case study|
24 Months On: Marloes Kraan gives an update of the GAP2 case study in the Netherlands.
|18 Months on: Progress Update on Dutch Case Study|
Work continues on improving the selectivity of demersal fishing gear to catch less discards.
|One Year On: Progress Update on Dutch Case Study|
Progress update on Dutch case study investigating self-sampling and discards, one year into the GAP2 project.
Netherlands DenkTank to be consultative group for the Dutch discards case-study.
Over the next few months, we plan to
- Organise meetings between the scientists and fishermen involved in the self-sampling projects to discuss the results of the programmes, the method of self-sampling, the research cooperation, and the underlying knowledge of both scientists and fishermen on the topic of discards and stock assessments. We are planning for these meetings to be held in the second half of 2012 and first half of 2013.
- Write a self-samplings guidebook.
- Hold further interviews with scientists and fishers about the cooperation and the F-project and write an article on the basis of the intern’s report.
- Start to make progress on addressing the discards research questions posed by the Discards Think Tank.
Case study coordinator
- A social scientist, Marloes is a researcher at the Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Studies (IMARES).
- Marloes is interested in making fisheries research more trans-disciplinary, interactive governance in fisheries and making social science more useful to fisheries policy.
- To find out more, visit www.marloeskraan.eu
- Email: firstname.lastname@example.org
Case Study Researcher
- Holding an MSc in Fisheries Biology, Josien’s interests range from discard monitoring to exploring innovative ways of working with industry.
- Josien is a science Officer at the European Fisheries and Aquaculture Research Organisation and a project leader of cooperation projects at IMARES, Wageningen University.
- Project leader cooperation projects
- Email: Josien.email@example.com
Dr Paula den Hartog
Case Study Partner Organisation
- Head of Fisheries and Trade at the Dutch Fish Product Board
- Holding a PhD in in Behavioural Ecology, Paula is passionate about stakeholder involvement in fisheries management.
The optimal process of self-sampling in fisheries -lessons learned from the NetherlandsPresentation given by Marloes Kraan, Josien Steenbergen, Edwin van Helmond on 9th May 2012 at the World Fisheries Congress