John Browne T.D., Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Marine & Natural Resources with responsibility for marine matters, today announced that he has secured funding to launch a major new collaborative research programme between the Irish fishing industry and Marine Institute scientists.
Three new research projects will be undertaken to provide new information to improve the knowledge and advice available to managers for key fish stocks, important to the Irish fleet. These projects will focus on West of Ireland anglerfish, Celtic Sea cod and the closed area in the Irish Sea.
"Sustainable management of our fishery relies on accurate fish stock information but providing meaningful stock assessments can often be a difficult task. This research will seek to deepen our understanding of the resource and ultimately improve the quality of the scientific assessments and advice, to the benefit of fishermen and managers alike," said Minister Browne.
"These projects represent a great opportunity to develop a strong working relationship between scientists and the fishing industry. Working together and sharing each others knowledge will provide new information and insights that will help addresses key fisheries issues," continued the Minister.
All three projects will commence in November 2006 and run to the end of 2007 and will be funded under the Marine Research sub-measure in the National Development Plan.
Please see below for a detailed description of the three new research projects being undertaken:
West of Ireland Anglerfish This project will involve a survey based assessment of the anglerfish stock off the west and south coast of Ireland. Trawl surveys will be carried out on commercial vessels in the deep waters of the slope at between 200m and 600m. The project will link up with an EU funded project on anglerfish off Donegal and another project being carried out by the Scottish fishing industry and scientists. Overall these three anglerfish projects will survey an extensive area from the south west of Ireland to the north of Scotland using the same trawl gear. The project will also combine scientific and industry knowledge on anglerfish. The data collected will be used to carry out a survey based estimate of stock abundance and so improve the advice for the stock. The results will be discussed with the North West Regional Advisory Council (NWRAC).
Celtic Sea CodThis project will examine the movement of cod in the Celtic Sea area and specifically in the closed box for cod that operates in March and April. Tagging work will focus on cod moving into the box, examine how long they stay in the box and where they go when they leave the Box. The project will use local fishermen's knowledge to enhance the tagging work. Working closely with industry, local boats will be used to tag the cod and establish their movements. The results will be discussed with the NWRAC and will be presented to the EU to help with the development of management plans for Celtic Sea cod.
Irish Sea Cod Box This project will focus on the Irish Sea Cod Box which was established in 2000 to help with cod recovery. There is great debate as to whether the Box should have been closed to all fishing operations thus rendering it more effective. Data will be compiled and computer models will be used to 'simulate' what might have happened with a full closure. The results will be discussed with industry and the lessons learned will be available for discussion with the NWRAC.