People, sharks and science
Hetherington, S.J.; Bendall, V.A. (2020). People, sharks and science, in: Holm, P. et al. Collaborative research in fisheries: Co-creating knowledge for fisheries governance in Europe. MARE Publication Series, 22: pp. 263-277. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26784-1_16
In: Holm, P. et al. (2020). Collaborative research in fisheries: Co-creating knowledge for fisheries governance in Europe. MARE Publication Series, 22. Springer: Cham. ISBN 978-3-030-26783-4. XXIII, 320 pp. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-26784-1, more
In: MARE Publication Series. Amsterdam University Press/Springer: Amsterdam. ISSN 2212-6260; e-ISSN 2212-6279, more
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| Keywords |
By-catch
Management
Elasmobranchii [WoRMS]
Marine/Coastal |
| Author keywords |
Industry research, Elasmobranchs, Conservation species |
| Authors | | Top |
- Hetherington, S.J.
- Bendall, V.A.
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| Abstract |
Drawing on personal experience of industry-led research in the South-west of the UK, this chapter takes you on a journey through what it can take for industry-led research to make a difference to the sustainable management of elasmobranchs (sharks, skates and rays) considered to be of conservation concern. Throughout this journey, the research design, implementation and resulting analysis are a collaborative effort between scientists and fishermen. Between 2009 and 2011, three species of elasmobranch in the North-east Atlantic, spurdog (Squalus acanthias), common skate (Dipturus batis ‘complex’) and porbeagle (Lamna nasus), went from being perceived as a valuable, commercially fished quota species (limits on the amount of fish that can be landed for sale by fishermen) to being a conservation species with either a zero total allowable catch (TAC) or with a prohibited species listing. Due to the large sizes and aggregative nature of these shark species, by-catch and discard issues emerged in the offshore commercial net fisheries of the Celtic Sea where there were no previous issues. The resulting high rates of by-catch and discards of what are now considered conservation species had a follow-on negative financial impact on the fishing industry. United through the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation (CFPO), fishermen from the South-west of the UK together with the Shark Trust (an environmental non-government organisation (eNGO)) raised awareness with the UK Government of the need to generate the evidence base required to help find a solution for effective management and conservation of spurdog, common skate and porbeagle. Here we highlight two industry by-catch and biological data collection projects that have explored what is needed to create effective engagement and problem-solving by Government scientists, fishermen and their representatives, Government policy advisors and an eNGO. This experience provides a road-map for current best practice and methods for scientists to collaboratively work with the fishing industry to collect by-catch data and biological information on data-deficient species of conservation concern. It serves as an example of how industry-led research can generate scientifically robust data to feed into policy and influence management. |
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