Thursday, 07 October 2010

PARTNERSHIP WITH INDUSTRY SECURES MAJOR STUDIES ON FISH STOCKS AT NAFC MARINE CENTRE

The benefits that can be obtained through Shetland-based fishing industry and science working together has been proven again with in excess of £170,000 in funding granted by the Scottish Government to NAFC Marine Centre to conduct two major studies on northern whiting and ling respectively. Scientists at the Centre worked closely with the Shetland Fishermen’s Association, Orkney Fisheries Association and the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation to develop and propose the projects to the Scottish Industry Science Partnership, which funded five projects in this financial year.  The projects aim to bring together stakeholders to address common issues of importance to industry, and will actively involve commercial fishing vessels and seek to profile fishermen’s knowledge in relation to key stocks.

One project will conduct a comparison of industry and scientific perceptions relating to the status of the North Sea whiting stock, as in recent times there has been a significant discrepancy between the two. The Marine Centre will examine fishing data from commercial vessels and compare it to the results of seasonal surveys conducted by Marine Scotland Science to determine stock abundance.  Part of the work is intended to explain how much of the discrepancy between the views of government scientists and industry is due to the timing, location and sampling methods used.  The information gathered will be passed to the government and the European panel that recommends the annual quota for this important species on which many Shetland, Orkney and wider Scottish vessels depend.

A further study on the biology of ling reflects both the importance of this species in terms of income for Scottish vessels but also that, until now, there has been no routine sampling or survey in place for the species and very limited knowledge on which to base management advice. Scientists from the Marine Centre will collate the limited existing knowledge pertaining to the species and its fishery within Shetland, Orkney and wider Scotland, and begin to develop a baseline of information relating to stock age structure and reproduction.

When asked about the significance of the projects, Head of Marine Science and Technology at NAFC Marine Centre, Dr. Martin Robinson said: “I am delighted and proud that the hard work of staff within the department has led to the funding of these projects, both because of their significance to industry but also because they were developed through direct collaboration with stakeholders. Partnerships of this type always offer the best value for money and impact by using fishermen’s knowledge to define highly applied research that targets problems faced by real people working within our coastal community.  These projects really sum up why the Centre is here; to provide meaningful support to industry that is practical and not purely academic.”

President of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, Alan Coghill commented: “It is vital that fishermen engage with scientists through the SISP projects and whiting and ling are two stocks of great importance to Scottish Fishermen but particularly those in Orkney and Shetland. It is particularly appropriate therefore that this is led by NAFC Marine Centre in liaison with the two island's fisheries groups. There is an urgent need to address the differing perceptions of fishermen and scientists on these stocks in a controlled manner which can be passed to the scientific community with the assurances that the information has been properly monitored.”

Bertie Armstrong, Chief Executive of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation said: “At this point in time, where the general demands on marine science have never been greater, this is just the sort of focussed, practical work that the Scottish fishing industry needs. All fisheries management decisions are based on science, and if this is not sound and robust, the regulations will be weak or counter-productive.  The work is very much welcomed.”

Further information:

For further information, please contact: Dr Martin Robinson, tel 01595 772000, email martin.robinson@nafc.uhi.ac.uk or visit www.nafc.ac.uk

Or, Louise Rosie, Shaw Marketing and Design, tel 01595 692465, email louise.rosie@shaw-online.com or visit www.shaw-online.com