Natural Resource Assessment & Management
Natural resource assessment and management are essential components of fisheries management. This requires monitoring and evaluating the health and abundance of fish populations, as well as their habitats and ecosystems. Resource assessments using either quantitative or data limited methods, provide valuable information for fisheries management, enabling managers to set sustainable harvest limits or quotas and develop conservation measures to rebuild overexploited stocks within the ecosystem and protect vulnerable habitats. Management strategies may include measures such as seasonal closures, size limits, gear restrictions, and catch quotas to ensure the long-term sustainability of fisheries. Adaptive management approaches that incorporate new information and feedback from stakeholders are also critical to the success of fisheries management.
MRAG Europe is helping to manage European fish stocks using an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM). This includes an understanding of the ecosystem challenges in EU fisheries, and the measures adopted under the Common Fisheries Policy that take into consideration elements of EAFM. Further to this, we are helping to assess the robustness of ICES mixed fisheries scenario assumptions which could lead to changes in fishing opportunities. Our work also includes the availability of data to provide scientific advice for various commercial and recreational fisheries within the EU Outermost Regions.
