Understanding and reducing bycatch of protected species

Proposals should work in one or more European regional seas and/or in other marine areas where EU fleet operates and should:

• Evaluate bycatch risk on a sea basin and/or local level (in particular for marine mammals, sea turtles, seabirds, and sensitive or endangered fish species such as e.g. elasmobranchs and sturgeons) by identifying the fishing activity of high-risk gear and comparing it with the spatial distribution/abundance of affected species, producing bycatch risk maps for all relevant species/gear interactions. Gather data and improve knowledge on the conservation status of bycaught species.
• Develop or improve tools for monitoring of bycatch, including long-term observation and surveying programmes, e.g. through extending the use of remote electronic monitoring and artificial intelligence-based image recognition, enabling Member States to identify and implement adequate conservation measures as required by EU legislation.
• Close the knowledge gaps on the locations, precise extent (number of individuals, season and locations) and reasons for bycatch (relevant metiers and fisheries), focusing on species threatened by extinction or in a bad conservation status.
• Assess the effectiveness of existing bycatch mitigation methods (such as spatio-temporal closures or gear modifications) as well as of bycatch handling and safe release guidelines, and address their shortcomings, including through the development and testing of new approaches, focusing on high risk fisheries and most threatened species and areas.
• Engage relevant stakeholders and environmental and fishing authorities and operators in the research projects promoting co-design in the development and testing of new approaches.

This topic is expected to contribute to the conservation of whales, whose role in carbon sequestration in the ocean is now thought to be important, therefore this topic will indirectly contribute to carbon sequestration.

Proposals should earmark the necessary resources for cooperation and networking activities. Proposals should build on existing relevant projects, including funded under Horizon 2020 and LIFE programme, as well as relevant work done by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and in Member States. They should also collaborate with Horizon Europe projects selected under topics on cumulative impact of stressors (i.e. HORIZON-CL6-2021-BIODIV-01-04: Assess and predict integrated impacts of cumulative direct and indirect stressors on coastal and marine biodiversity, ecosystems and their services) and marine/coastal observation & mapping (i.e. HORIZON-CL6-2022-BIODIV-01-01: Observing and mapping biodiversity and ecosystems, with particular focus on coastal and marine ecosystems). Additionally, they should collaborate with projects that will be funded under the Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030.

Concrete efforts shall be made to ensure that the data produced in the context of projects are FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable), particularly in the context of real-time data feeds, exploring workflows that can provide “FAIR-by-design” data, i.e. data that is FAIR from its generation.

International cooperation is encouraged, in particular with non-associated third countries participating in regional fisheries management organisations of EU interest.

The possible participation of the JRC in the project would consist in providing and analysing fisheries data as Member States upload some of the collected data to JRC databases.