Historically inshore fisheries have had a fundamentally important role in the livelihoods and socio-cultural development of coastal communities across the GIFS study area in Belgium, Netherlands, France and England. The purpose of this GIFS activity, therefore, was to provide a long-term perspective on the importance of inshore fisheries to coastal communities and its future potential as a source of local and fresh food, employment and as an economic resource. Through an inventory of data sources and subsequent digitization, quality control, standardization and integration of historical data, the following key questions were addressed in Belgium, Netherlands, France and England:

• How has employment in inshore fisheries changed over time?
• How has economic value, volume and composition of landings of inshore fisheries changed over time?
• How do the trends and issues above relate to those in the fisheries sector as a whole?
• What information sources are available to document the historical relevance of inshore fisheries in the study area?

This activity was led by VLIZ. Additional information can be found in the toolkit and interactive map.