The partnership wants to achieve consensus about the sustainable management of fish stocks in the North Sea area through improved co-operation of fishers, researchers and other vital actors such as fishery managers, conservation groups, and fish processors and merchants.

Many fisheries in the North Sea are currently in a poor state, with fish stocks close to collapse. More sustainable management of fishery resources is required to ensure the economic and social well being of coastal communities around the North Sea. In order to achieve this it is necessary to draw on both fishers and scientific knowledge. ?The North Sea Commission Fisheries Partnership" (The Fisheries Partnership) aims to achieve integrated and sustainable management of shared fish and shellfish stocks in the North Sea through the transnational co-operation of fishers, scientists, managers and other stakeholders.

Expected Outcomes

The principle outcomes of the Fisheries Partnership are improved cross-sectoral exchanges of views between fishers, scientists and other stakeholders including fishery managers, fish merchants and processors and conservation groups. Transnational dialogue between fishers from different countries around the North Sea will also be promoted and scientific advice on the state of fish stocks further developed by making better use of information held by fishers. There will be an evaluation of the costs and benefits of different fishery management measures and consensus developed on these. The project will work for the implementation of new and more sustainable management measures, taking into full account of biological, economic and social factors.

Activities

The Fisheries Partnership is divided up into three phases. Phase one will establish new structures to make scientific advice on fish stocks more transparent and inclusive and make full use of the data held by fishers. Phase two will provide a pilot structure for advising on the management measures that can be adopted to protect fish stocks and the environment while taking into account the economic and social effects upon fishing communities. Phase three will define and implement a new structure for managing marine resources in the North Sea, which may have wider applicability (e.g. the Baltic and Mediterranean), and will consult widely within fishing communities on the measures to be adopted. It will then seek to implement the agreed measures through the European Commission and the national governments that have ultimate responsibility for management of the North Sea Fisheries. Working Groups will be established to consider particular issues, conduct research and make recommendations for the project. Review Panels will be convened to peer review fish stock assessments, while surveys will be carried out on the views of fishers. Seminars will be held in fishing ports in each participating country to disseminate activities to groups of fishers and others and to seek feedback.

Reported Outcomes

The Fisheries partnership have had meetings with their Working Group and Study Group involving representatives of environmental NGOs, fisheries managers as well as marine researchers. Together they have discussed and concluded on the importance of greater participation by fishers when collecting research data from fisheries and the need for scientists to make more use of such data. They have also given advice both to the European Commission and the European Parliament on the development of Regional Advisory Councils.