Building on the work of WKING 2020, and in response to a new DG MARE request for ICES advice on the progress and impact that has been made in innovative gear use within EU waters since, the Workshop 2 on innovative fishing gear (WKING2) will meet online 23–25 August 2023 to:
- ToR a: Evaluate/endorse the catalogue of gears considered ‘innovative’, including their objectives, technical specificities, and known impacts/benefits (in terms of selectivity and catch efficiency on target and non-target species and environmental impact in terms of benefits for, or negative effects on, marine ecosystems and sensitive habitats);
- ToR b: Assess the level of uptake of innovative gears (for innovations ready for deployment), by the EU industry (per sea basin and fishery). Investigate what aspects impact the uptake of innovative gears. Depending on data and knowledge availability, assess the impact of finance, user-friendliness, health, and safety. For those innovations which are already taken up, present the results for the fleets;
- ToR c: To discuss the main drivers, for those innovations not implemented, that prevented their use, if known. Where possible, include analysis of the socio-economic trade-offs and propose ways to facilitate their implementation.
A Core Group of members from the ICES Working Group on Fishing Technology and Fish Behaviour (WGFTFB) will work by correspondence to address ToR a ahead of the workshop.
The Core Group, with input from other experts in the ICES community, will facilitate information collection and discuss the Innovative Gears conceptualization. The Core Group will also collect information on the types of innovative gear that have been used in EU fisheries in recent years.
At the WKING2 meeting, the Core Group will present results for review and deliberate the findings to date (i.e. ToRs b and c).
To sign up for this workshop please e-mail
Jan De Haes at ICES Secretariat.