Norman Graham

By-catch reduction in the brown shrimp, Crangon crangon, fisheries using a rigid separation Nordmøre grid (grate)

A series of experiments was conducted with a rigid separation grid in an attempt to reduce the levels of by-catch and subsequent discarding of juvenile fish of commercial importance in the brown shrimp Crangon crangon, fisheries of the English East coast. Three designs of grid were tested including two constructed from stainless steel and one from plastic. The effectiveness of the grids was assessed by comparing the catches from the twin beam trawls used in this fishery. One beam trawl was fitted with the grid the other kept as standard. The by-catch levels of plaice, Pleuronectes plattessa, and whiting, Merlangius merlangus were reduced significantly, with no significant loss of shrimp, C. crangon. The selectivity of the grids were determined by two methods, first by comparing the numbers at length retained in each trawl and, second by the fitting of a small mesh retention cover over the escape hole of the grid. Selectivity parameters were obtained for both species. The selectivity of two further bar spacing was assessed for the final design of grid. The biological consequences of introducing the grids into the shrimp fleet of the European Union are discussed.

Ignoring discards biases the assessment of fisheries' ecological fingerprint

Understanding the pressures of fisheries on the ecosystem is crucial for effective management. Fishery removals, or catch, are composed of both landings and discards. However, the use of discards data in studies investigating the effect of the fishing pressures is sparse. Here, we explore the individual contribution of both these catch components to the overall pressure of fisheries on the ecosystem metrics. Using Irish observer data, we compare the linear relationship between several ecological metrics calculated for landings and discards with those of catch. Our results show that in fisheries with high discarding rates, discards can drive the fisheries’ ecological fingerprint and highlight the need to rectify landings-based estimates to make them representative of those of catch in order to gain a robust picture of the impact of fisheries.

50th plenary meeting report (PLEN-15-03) : plenary meeting, 9-13 November 2015, Brussels

Graham, A. ... et. al.-- 49th Plenary Meeting Report of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) (PLEN-15-02), Plenary Meeting, 6-10 July 2015, Varese, Italy.-- 127 pages

Landing Obligation in EU Fisheries - part II (STECF-14-01)

The Expert Working Group meeting of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries EWG -13-17 on Landing obligation in EU fisheries part II was held from 26-28 November 2013 in Dublin, Ireland. The report was reviewed and en orsed by the STECF by written procedure in February 2014. How to obtain EU publications Our priced publications are available from EU Bookshop (http://bookshop.europa.eu), where you can place an order with the sales agent of your choice. The Publications Office has a worldwide network of sales agents. You can obtain their contact details by sending a fax to (352) 29 29-42758.

29th Plenary Meeting Report of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (Plen-08-03)

The Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries hold its 29 plenary on 3-7 November 2008 in Brussels. The terms of reference included both issues assessments of STECF working group reports and additional requests submitted to the STECF by the Commission. Topics dealt with ranged from fisheries economics to stock review issues. How to obtain EU publications Our priced publications are available from EU Bookshop (http://bookshop.europa.eu), where you can place an order with the sales agent of your choice. The Publications Office has a worldwide network of sales agents. You can obtain their contact details by sending a fax to (352) 29 29-42758. The mission of the JRC is to provide customer-driven scientific and technical support for the conception, development, implementation and monitoring of EU policies. As a service of the European Commission, the JRC functions as a reference centre of science and technology for the Union. Close to the policy-making process, it serves the common interest of the Member States, while being independent of special interests, whether private or national. A A B B XXXXLC