Sustainable management of ray and skate stocks of in the English Channel and the North Sea
Did you know? More than 10 species of rays and skates can be found on the seabed in the English Channel and the North Sea. Today, fishing for these fish is managed at the European level by regulations that do not take into account the differences between species!
By managing species that have very different harvesting and resource conditions in the same way, the regulations are incapable of adapting to the actual situation of each stock.
At present, there is still insufficient scientific data to consider specific management measures for each species. However, fishermen, who are fully aware of these obstacles, would like to improve the regulations and their techniques in order to avoid overfishing and to facilitate the release of the most vulnerable species of rays and skates.
So how do we do this? To answer this question, the fishermen of the English Channel and the North Sea have launched a collaborative project. The idea? Mobilise all the stakeholders at a European level. A first of its kind!
Its objective? Propose solutions aimed at providing sustainable and cross-border management of ray and skate stocks in the English Channel and the North Sea.
Discussions between fishermen and scientists on improving the regulations have resulted in two concrete proposals:
For the SUMARiS project, Nausicaá has provided all its expertise on the development of rays and skates and its knowledge of the different species.
The Aquariology department has studied the key stages in the lifecycle of these species: reproduction, fecundity and egg development stages, in order to contribute to improving the biological knowledge of rays and skates in the English Channel and the North Sea and to contribute to the sustainable management of marine resources in the English Channel and the North Sea.
Nausicaá's expertise was sought at several levels:
Through these observations and in coordination with the various scientific partners, technical proposals have been put forward in order to examine changes to European regulations.
The SUMARiS project has received funding from the INTERREG 2 Seas programme 2014-2020 co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund under subsidy contract n° 2S03-024.
Rays and skates are important for biodiversity and the ecosystem and we would not be able to do without them.
Conservationists, fishery researchers, fishermen and fisheries share their expert views on the importance of rays and skates and the balance to be found between preserving and harvesting marine resources.
To envisage sustainable management that is adapted to each species of ray ans skate in the English Channel and the North Sea, the first step is to simply gain a better understanding of them. Over the past three years, numerous studies have been carried out to improve our knowledge of the biology and resources of these species. Stock status, lifecycle, spatial distribution, post-harvest survival rates, etc., were all addressed by the partners.
Through numerous communication tools, the project partners have raised awareness and trained professionals and the general public to identify these species. This is a huge step towards high-quality data in the future!
And what about you? Do you know how to recognise them?
To envisage sustainable management adapted to each species of ray and skate in the English Channel and the North Sea, the first step is to know them.
Ask yourself all the questions you need to recognise the different species of ray:
you'll have all the answers!
Partners
Did you know?
More than 10 species of rays and skates live in the waters of the English Channel and the North Sea.
Today, fishing for these fish is managed at a European level by a single TAC (Total Allowable Catch), without any distinction between species!
What difference does it make?
By managing species with vastly different fishing and resource levels in the same way, the regulations are incapable of adapting to the actual state of each stock.
What is the problem? There is still not enough scientific data to consider management measures for each species.
However, fishermen want to improve regulations and fishing techniques to avoid overfishing and to facilitate the release of ray and skate species that are considered as vulnerable.
So how do we achieve this?
To answer this question, English Channel and North Sea fishermen have initiated a collaborative project. What is the idea? Mobilise all stakeholders on a European scale. The first of its kind!
This is the SUMARIS project. Its objective? Propose solutions for the sustainable and cross-border management of ray and skate stocks in the English Channel and the North Sea.
First step: Get to know the different species better. To achieve this, a database on rays and skates has been set up and completed. Breeding cycle, determination of their age or even geographical distribution of the different species: extensive data have been collected.
Step 2: Disseminate this information. By creating many outreach and training tools, more and more people are now able to identify rays and skates in the English Channel and North Sea. This will lead to higher quality data in the future!
Step 3: estimate the survival rate of rays and skates after they have been released. First on the boats, with sorting, sampling and estimation of their vitals using the RAMP method. Then, some of them will be sent to land-based tanks for three weeks of increased surveillance.
Last step: Bring the whole sector together, from fishermen to scientists, to discuss how the regulations can be improved. The result? Two concrete proposals.
Proposal 1: Consider a new minimum landing size for each species.
Proposal 2: Change the method used to allocate quotas in order to find a sustainable balance between the economy and preserving maritime resources.
And what happens after that? The adventure continues for the European stakeholders of the SUMARIS project. With one goal: to continue to build up knowledge with a view to improving how these species are managed on a European scale.