Summary of project objectives
Objective A.
Develop provisional list of management objectives for fisheries and
environmental management in the study area, based on regional,
national and international policy drivers and consultation with
stakeholders.
Objective B.
Produce provisional list of métiers for classification of fisheries
in study area, based on review of analysis of the strengths and
weaknesses of existing classification schemes and consultation with
stakeholders. Assign vessels and gear types to these métiers.
Objective C.
Review fishery impacts on ecosystem components and attributes in
the study area, taking account of the effects of the environment.
Rank significance of fishing impacts based on the probability that
they will compromise objectives reported in milestone 1.
Objective D.
Develop and test data management system for handling fishing effort
data in all métiers identified in milestone 2 and for linking
effort data to catch and bycatch data (once the data management
system is in place the data will be updated throughout the
project).
Objective E.
Select and test state indicators (relating to biodiversity,
communities and habitats) for reporting on progress in relation to
the management objectives identified in milestone 1.
Objective F.
Collate spatially referenced data describing the ecology and
environment of the study area in a standard format that can be used
for mapping, spatial analysis, study of pressure-state interactions
and model development and validation.
Objective G.
Determine reference points (target and limit) and/or reference
directions and/ or reference trajectories for the state indicators
for biodiversity, communities and habitats (as identified in
milestone 5), and report on the relationship between indicator
values in the study area and the reference points and/or directions
and/or trajectories.
Objective H.
Develop, test and validate a model linking pressure on biodiversity
to the state of biodiversity (where pressure is measured with an
indicator that measures fishing mortality). Use the model to set
reference points (target and limit) and/or directions and/or
trajectories for the pressure indicator.
Objective I.
Develop, test and validate a model linking pressure on fish
communities to the state of fish communities (where pressure is
measured with an indicator that measures multispecies fishing
mortality). Use the model to set reference points (target and
limit) and/or directions and/or trajectories for the pressure
indicator.
Objective J.
Develop, test and validate a model linking pressure on habitat to
the state of habitat (where pressure is measured with an indicator
that measures the direct physical impacts of fishing). Use the
model to set reference points (target and limit) and/or directions
and/ or trajectories for the pressure indicator.
Objective K.
Assess contribution of the fishery impacts associated with each
métier to total pressure (as measured with the pressure
indicators); based on an analysis that takes account of changing
pressure in space and time.
Objective L.
Based on models of pressure-state links, set targets for the
pressure required to meet reference points and/or directions and/
or trajectories for each of the state indicators and identify the
alternate allocations of pressure by métier that would achieve
these states
Objective M.
Develop models of (métier by métier) responses to management
action, where the management action would be taken to meet
reference points and/or directions and/ or trajectories for
pressure indicators. Management actions to be considered include
catch controls, effort controls and technical measures (closed
areas and gear modifications building on work conducted in
MF10-2).
Objective N.
Undertake Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) of the entire
management system, to evaluate the effects of error at different
stages of the management process (data collection, indicator
estimation and implementation of management action). Review the
strengths and weaknesses of the proposed management system based
upon the MSE.
Objective O.
Produce decision tables to describe the consequences of alternate
management options for the fisheries (by métier), biodiversity,
communities and habitat. Discuss outcomes with industry and Defra
and identify options for meeting management objectives.
Objective P.
Recommend process for implementation of the EAF in the southwest,
including guidance on data collection and reporting, classification
of métiers, the selection of indicators and changes to management
systems needed to meet objectives.