Henrik Hamrén, Baltic Eye, Baltic Sea Centre
Scientists from Germany, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland gathered in Helsinki in mid-April for the ICES Workshop on Developing Integrated Advice for Baltic Sea ecosystem-based fisheries management (WKDEICE).
The initiative originates from the ICES/HELCOM Working Group on Integrated Assessments of the Baltic Sea (WGIAB) - a scientific forum that develops and combines ecosystem-based assessments with management efforts for the Baltic Sea.
The main focus for WKDEICE is to accelerate the progress towards a more comprehensive fisheries management advice. By using novel multi-species and ecosystem modelling approaches, the group will develop a demonstration tool for incorporating environmental-, ecosystem-based and socio-economic conditions into the ICES advisory process.
The meeting started by defining and testing a number of highly relevant hydrographical and environmental indicators, which were then used in short-term projections for Baltic fish stocks. In addition to the environmental drivers, the scientists worked on ways to also incorporate the human dimension, e.g. socio-economic conditions, to further enhance future integrated advice.
"The human dimension is especially important since fisheries support livelihoods and political decisions need to better account for economic considerations", says WKDEICE co-chair Rüdiger Voss from Kiel University.
The workshop was held 18-21 April at the Finnish Environment Institute in Helsinki, Finland. WKDEICE will report by April 2016 to the attention of the ACOM and SCICOM.
