Final Report Summary - UNCOVER (Understanding the mechanisms of stock recovery)
The UNCOVER project produced a rational scientific basis for long-term management plans (LTMPs) and recovery strategies for some of the ecologically and socioeconomically most important fish stocks and fisheries of the European seas. Among the project objectives was to identify changes experienced during stock depletion and collapses, to understand prospects for recovery, to enhance the scientific understanding of the mechanisms of fish stock and fishery recovery and to formulate recommendations for best implementation of LTPMs and recovery plans.
A multidisciplinary approach was utilised in order to:
1. synthesise and integrate relevant information from previous and ongoing research programmes;
2. evaluate and develop recovery strategies that incorporated biological, environmental, technical and socioeconomic factors.
The selected ecosystems varied significantly in structure and productivity due to differences in climatic conditions, physical properties, species composition and species interactions. They encompassed a wide range of physiological and population limiting conditions and processes and were subject to different harvesting intensity and strategy; thus, they represented a broad array of conditions.
UNCOVER was organised in seven work packages (WPs) focussing on the four selected case study areas. Three WPs addressed biological and ecological aspects of stock development, including environmental and fisheries' influences. WP4 built the model series to evaluate different recovery options, which were sensitive to various stock, environmental and fisheries' limitations. WP5 focussed on economic and social issues which were critical for the design and implementation of effective recovery plans. WP6 included coordination activities, synthesised and summarised the project outcomes. Workshops were organised as part of this process. Finally, WP7 was dedicated to project management and knowledge dissemination. Communication activities included the construction of the project website, the production of reports, scientific papers and newsletters and the participation to relevant conferences and working groups.
Models within UNCOVER were mainly used on three different levels. Individual-based models (IBMs) were developed to investigate ways in which environmental factors' variability could influence the rates of survival and growth of marine fish early life stages. Multispecies models were utilised to project future stock recovery potentials. Finally, fisheries management evaluation tools were applied and further developed to assess alternative management strategies.
Social and economic research in UNCOVER consisted of two components. The first was socioeconomic research which focused on understanding the impacts of existing recovery plans. Techniques from anthropology and economics were employed for community impacts and impacts on fleets respectively. The second approach consisted of sociological research on the relevant governance institutions, which focused on the stakeholders' opinion regarding recovery plans and examined how these plans fit in to the overall fisheries system.
An analysis of world-wide recovery of fish stocks and fisheries practices was elaborated as part of the project and evaluated the significance of various performance criteria. The final model incorporated the most effective among them, namely:
1. management performance;
2. rapid reduction in fishing mortality;
3. environmental conditions during the recovery time period;
4. life history characteristics.
Moreover, UNCOVER examined the factors which could pose constraints on the recovery of fish stocks and fisheries. Such factors were considered as drivers of population dynamics which affected the stock size either beneficially or detrimentally. They included recruitment, growth, fish mortality and natural mortality. The balance between those beneficiary and negative variables over a specific time period determined the population increase of decrease. Thus, specific activities in order to understand and estimate the factors' evolution in cases of interest were undertaken. Parameters which influenced the system balance were the unaccounted fishing mortality, the climate change and variability, the multispecies interaction and trophic controls, the fisheries induced evolution, the presence of invasive alien species and the human presence which imposed additional constraints to the system.
The undertaken research proved that quantifying uncertainty was a far more demanding task than determining options for reducing its impact. Uncertainty did not only include variance or random errors but also bias, which was difficult to identify but could be highly influential on stock understanding and forecasting. Compliance with the management rule was also important for the production of reliable evaluations, whereas time lags in management progress contributed to the system uncertainty. In addition, many of the sources of uncertainty affecting fisheries were external to the marine environment. Fluctuations in global or local markets created an important source of uncertainty in predicting fishers' behaviour. Finally, sustainable fishing consisted of taking surplus production of fish from the ecosystem; thus determining fish production uncertainties was also critical. A number of alternative techniques, able to quantify and reduce uncertainty to some extent, were combined in order to effectively include all the above parameters in the analysis. Managing fish in a multispecies context facilitated the identification of uncertainty in more processes, and helped resolve processes that were critical to the management of the system.
The UNCOVER project targeted four different regions and produced LTMPs and recovery plans for eleven fish stocks and fisheries with the aim of maintaining commercial fish stocks within safe biological limit and recovering depleted stocks to agreed threshold levels. Final recovery scenarios were developed and tested and their strengths and weaknesses were observed and justified. The proposed management schemes did not only take into account environmental and technical parameters but also the potential economic and social consequences of recovery plans application.
Applied recovery plans in Europe primarily clusters of management measures designed to bring about the recovery of particular species. UNCOVER's research on governance concluded that they also acted as focal points for collective action around reforming fisheries management at various scale levels. A general stakeholders' consensus on the recovery plans for single species was already achieved. However, this was not the case for mixed fisheries recovery plans, since the resulting regulatory discards were confronted by the fishermen as an unacceptable practice imposed by the sector management. UNCOVER concluded that plans design could help to develop institutions for the ecosystems approach to fisheries management, as well as to pitch management in appropriate scales. Another priority was to develop more responsive and flexible management systems.
UNCOVER took into consideration socioeconomic factors related to recovery plans application. An important parameter for successful implementation was the short-term cost for fishers. In case costs were too high, the involved parts did not comply with the expected pace. UNCOVER concluded that overlapping restrictions were more effective in terms of compliance compared to a single regulation. However, overlaps were not welcome by managers as they judged them as provoking frustration and confusion. Active support for recovery plans by fishing fleets and communities was a critically important socioeconomic factor, even though it often needed to be underpinned by science and government. Moreover, the social analysis revealed that a combination of the fleet ability to diversity and an active fisheries' oriented civil society had the highest potential for innovative engagement in fisheries management.
Successful recovery plans did not only consist of innovative scientific knowledge implementation. The whole process ought to be developed regarding stating clear objectives, participation and commitment of the stakeholders, control and compliance of the plan. UNCOVER aimed to evaluate existent recovery strategies and develop novel ones. Thus, implementation requirements were assessed and feasible management objectives were defined. Appropriate inspection and monitoring schemes were necessary for assessing implementation and compliance and the collected data should be quality assured.
UNCOVER emphasised that it was essential to set realistic long-term objectives and strategies to achieve successful LTMPs and recovery plans. The project concluded that such plans could increase their potential for success through the inclusion of the following components:
1. consideration of stock-regulating environmental processes;
2. incorporation of fisheries effects on stock structure and reproductive potential;
3. consideration of changes in habitat dynamics due to global change;
4. incorporation of biological multispecies interactions;
5. incorporation of technical multispecies interactions and mixed-fisheries issues;
6. integration of economically optimised harvesting;
7. exploration of the socioeconomic implications and political constraints from the implementation of existing and alternative recovery plans;
8. investigations on the acceptance of the plans by stakeholders and on specifically incentives for compliance by the fishery;
9. agreements with and among stakeholders .
Overall, UNCOVER provided imperative policy support and contributed to the development of sustainable, ecosystem-based management approaches in the fishing sector.
A multidisciplinary approach was utilised in order to:
1. synthesise and integrate relevant information from previous and ongoing research programmes;
2. evaluate and develop recovery strategies that incorporated biological, environmental, technical and socioeconomic factors.
The selected ecosystems varied significantly in structure and productivity due to differences in climatic conditions, physical properties, species composition and species interactions. They encompassed a wide range of physiological and population limiting conditions and processes and were subject to different harvesting intensity and strategy; thus, they represented a broad array of conditions.
UNCOVER was organised in seven work packages (WPs) focussing on the four selected case study areas. Three WPs addressed biological and ecological aspects of stock development, including environmental and fisheries' influences. WP4 built the model series to evaluate different recovery options, which were sensitive to various stock, environmental and fisheries' limitations. WP5 focussed on economic and social issues which were critical for the design and implementation of effective recovery plans. WP6 included coordination activities, synthesised and summarised the project outcomes. Workshops were organised as part of this process. Finally, WP7 was dedicated to project management and knowledge dissemination. Communication activities included the construction of the project website, the production of reports, scientific papers and newsletters and the participation to relevant conferences and working groups.
Models within UNCOVER were mainly used on three different levels. Individual-based models (IBMs) were developed to investigate ways in which environmental factors' variability could influence the rates of survival and growth of marine fish early life stages. Multispecies models were utilised to project future stock recovery potentials. Finally, fisheries management evaluation tools were applied and further developed to assess alternative management strategies.
Social and economic research in UNCOVER consisted of two components. The first was socioeconomic research which focused on understanding the impacts of existing recovery plans. Techniques from anthropology and economics were employed for community impacts and impacts on fleets respectively. The second approach consisted of sociological research on the relevant governance institutions, which focused on the stakeholders' opinion regarding recovery plans and examined how these plans fit in to the overall fisheries system.
An analysis of world-wide recovery of fish stocks and fisheries practices was elaborated as part of the project and evaluated the significance of various performance criteria. The final model incorporated the most effective among them, namely:
1. management performance;
2. rapid reduction in fishing mortality;
3. environmental conditions during the recovery time period;
4. life history characteristics.
Moreover, UNCOVER examined the factors which could pose constraints on the recovery of fish stocks and fisheries. Such factors were considered as drivers of population dynamics which affected the stock size either beneficially or detrimentally. They included recruitment, growth, fish mortality and natural mortality. The balance between those beneficiary and negative variables over a specific time period determined the population increase of decrease. Thus, specific activities in order to understand and estimate the factors' evolution in cases of interest were undertaken. Parameters which influenced the system balance were the unaccounted fishing mortality, the climate change and variability, the multispecies interaction and trophic controls, the fisheries induced evolution, the presence of invasive alien species and the human presence which imposed additional constraints to the system.
The undertaken research proved that quantifying uncertainty was a far more demanding task than determining options for reducing its impact. Uncertainty did not only include variance or random errors but also bias, which was difficult to identify but could be highly influential on stock understanding and forecasting. Compliance with the management rule was also important for the production of reliable evaluations, whereas time lags in management progress contributed to the system uncertainty. In addition, many of the sources of uncertainty affecting fisheries were external to the marine environment. Fluctuations in global or local markets created an important source of uncertainty in predicting fishers' behaviour. Finally, sustainable fishing consisted of taking surplus production of fish from the ecosystem; thus determining fish production uncertainties was also critical. A number of alternative techniques, able to quantify and reduce uncertainty to some extent, were combined in order to effectively include all the above parameters in the analysis. Managing fish in a multispecies context facilitated the identification of uncertainty in more processes, and helped resolve processes that were critical to the management of the system.
The UNCOVER project targeted four different regions and produced LTMPs and recovery plans for eleven fish stocks and fisheries with the aim of maintaining commercial fish stocks within safe biological limit and recovering depleted stocks to agreed threshold levels. Final recovery scenarios were developed and tested and their strengths and weaknesses were observed and justified. The proposed management schemes did not only take into account environmental and technical parameters but also the potential economic and social consequences of recovery plans application.
Applied recovery plans in Europe primarily clusters of management measures designed to bring about the recovery of particular species. UNCOVER's research on governance concluded that they also acted as focal points for collective action around reforming fisheries management at various scale levels. A general stakeholders' consensus on the recovery plans for single species was already achieved. However, this was not the case for mixed fisheries recovery plans, since the resulting regulatory discards were confronted by the fishermen as an unacceptable practice imposed by the sector management. UNCOVER concluded that plans design could help to develop institutions for the ecosystems approach to fisheries management, as well as to pitch management in appropriate scales. Another priority was to develop more responsive and flexible management systems.
UNCOVER took into consideration socioeconomic factors related to recovery plans application. An important parameter for successful implementation was the short-term cost for fishers. In case costs were too high, the involved parts did not comply with the expected pace. UNCOVER concluded that overlapping restrictions were more effective in terms of compliance compared to a single regulation. However, overlaps were not welcome by managers as they judged them as provoking frustration and confusion. Active support for recovery plans by fishing fleets and communities was a critically important socioeconomic factor, even though it often needed to be underpinned by science and government. Moreover, the social analysis revealed that a combination of the fleet ability to diversity and an active fisheries' oriented civil society had the highest potential for innovative engagement in fisheries management.
Successful recovery plans did not only consist of innovative scientific knowledge implementation. The whole process ought to be developed regarding stating clear objectives, participation and commitment of the stakeholders, control and compliance of the plan. UNCOVER aimed to evaluate existent recovery strategies and develop novel ones. Thus, implementation requirements were assessed and feasible management objectives were defined. Appropriate inspection and monitoring schemes were necessary for assessing implementation and compliance and the collected data should be quality assured.
UNCOVER emphasised that it was essential to set realistic long-term objectives and strategies to achieve successful LTMPs and recovery plans. The project concluded that such plans could increase their potential for success through the inclusion of the following components:
1. consideration of stock-regulating environmental processes;
2. incorporation of fisheries effects on stock structure and reproductive potential;
3. consideration of changes in habitat dynamics due to global change;
4. incorporation of biological multispecies interactions;
5. incorporation of technical multispecies interactions and mixed-fisheries issues;
6. integration of economically optimised harvesting;
7. exploration of the socioeconomic implications and political constraints from the implementation of existing and alternative recovery plans;
8. investigations on the acceptance of the plans by stakeholders and on specifically incentives for compliance by the fishery;
9. agreements with and among stakeholders .
Overall, UNCOVER provided imperative policy support and contributed to the development of sustainable, ecosystem-based management approaches in the fishing sector.
