AFRAME

A framework for fleet and area based fisheries management.

The move towards and ecosystem approach to fisheries management requires that the ecosystem, rather than single fish stocks, is the focus for management.The reform of the Common Fisheries Policy also includes a regional approach to management. However, multi-fleet and mixed-species fisheries management is currently based on single-species assessment and advice, with some adjustments based on other information to take into account the mixed nature of the fisheries.
Thus, there is only limited integrated advice given for an area, and well-defined targets for the management of such fisheries are also largely missing. Management need to address directly the fleets and fisheries in an area. Management shall ensure that these human activities are within sustainable bounds defined by the productivity of the ecosystem in general and in particular of the fish stocks.

The objective of the project is to develop an area- and fleet- based framework that integrates single-species assessment and advice. The framework must be robust to uncertainty caused by lack of discard data. The task also includes development of reference points as a basis for setting management targets.
Case studies comprise regions in the Northeast Atlantic (e.g. the North Sea) and the Mediterranean, and focus on areas where the need for a fleet-based management is most urgent.