Bycatch and Discards: Management indicators, trends and location.
The project aims to develop the knowledge of discarding patterns and factors in European fisheries, evaluate the efficacy of selective devices and other discard management measures that have been implemented in the past and improve methods to analyse, monitor, and manage by-catch and discarding in European fisheries.
The project is developed along five main steps: (1) A descriptive analysis of total catch in terms of species and size composition. (2) The development of indicators of discard issues: indicators of discard state (amounts and characteristics of discards), of the pressures that determine discards (selectivity of fishing), and of the management responses to this issue. (3) An analysis of the factors that determine discard amounts, including environmental settings, year-class strength, community composition, and fishing practices. (4) An analysis of socio-economic and institutional drivers and incentives that influence fishers’ behaviour in regard to selectivity and discard. (5) Based on all previous steps, the elaboration of potential mitigation measures.