Fisheries Science Partnership programmes off the NE and SW coasts of England and in the Irish Sea: experiences gained and future directions

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A Fisheries Science Partnership (FSP) between the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquacuture Science (Cefas) was established in 2003 as part of a package of funding for the UK fishing industry announced after the December 2002 Council of Minister’s meeting. Its purpose is to build relationships between fishermen and scientists, and to involve fishermen in the co-commissioning of science funded by the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Ten projects were carried out during 2003/04, and a further ten projects in 2004/05. These projects covered a diverse range of stocks and fisheries including the industrial fisheries for sandeel and Norway pout in the North Sea; the beam trawl fisheries for sole, plaice and anglerfish off SE England; and a number of different trawl fisheries for cod, flatfish, saithe, Nephrops and deep-water species. The programme has comprised a mixture of time-series surveys, fishing gear selectivity studies and examination of spatial patterns of catch compositions. The projects have provided useful information for ICES and for negotiations between the UK and the European Commission. A further three years of the FSP programme has now been funded. The FSP programme has evolved since 2003, and valuable lessons have been learned. This paper describes the FSP programme, its advantages and limitations, and future directions