European Fisheries View Global Warming as Main Danger to Fishing Industry

A survey conducted by EU-funded EcoScope Project indicated that fishing professionals are also concerned with bycatch and protected fishing areas

OOSTENDE, Belgium, June 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Global warming is seen as a key difficulty in sustainably managing European fisheries in the future, according to a comprehensive survey conducted by the EU-funded EcoScope Project.

The study indicated that 72.2 percent of those surveyed noted that they view global warming as the major threat to fisheries. This was followed by bycatch and protected areas and fisheries restricted areas, (50% each) in terms of managing fisheries sustainably in the ecosystem context.

Biodiversity indicators came in as the fourth most important topic (44%) while trade-offs between different uses of marine and coastal areas and species distribution were fifth at 33.3%. 

The survey was conducted to formulate an accurate understanding of fisheries stakeholders main needs, challenges and possible obstacles. EcoScope aims to develop a series of e-tools that can be easily used by stakeholders as a decision support system to implement an ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM). 

"The data provided from this survey will be evaluated and implemented by EcoScope, to fine tune the accuracy of their marine policy scenarios, spatial planning simulations amongst many other complex models and techniques," said the coordinator of the EcoScope Project, associate professor Athanassios C. Tsikliras of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

"EcoScope Project is well positioned to address many of the key concerns and needs reported in this survey. The insights obtained are highly valuable for the development of the EcoScope e-tools and the project will continue to engage with stakeholders to ensure the final tools address stakeholders needs."

Stakeholders were invited to answer the questionnaire, formulated by EcoScope partner The European Marine Board, based on their relevance for EBFM at European level. They included a well-balanced cross section of members including scientific advisory bodies, management, regulatory bodies, policy makers and NGOs.

About EcoScope 

EcoScope is an EU-funded project that aims to promote an effective and efficient ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management. EcoScope addresses ecosystem degradation and anthropogenic impact that cause fisheries to be unsustainably exploited in European seas.

For more information: https://ecoscopium.eu. 
Follow EcoScope on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

Contact Person:
Assoc. Prof. Athanassios C. Tsikliras 
Tel.: +30 2310 998391 
Mobile: +30 6932 609539 
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE EcoScope