Work package 1:
Ecological, socioeconomic and technical characteristics of discarding fisheries
The aim of work package 1 is the characterisation and understanding of discarding in European fisheries in ecological, socioeconomic and technical terms. It consists of the desktop review and statistical analysis of existing data, to fulfil the following objectives:
Objectives
Characterisation of the study fisheries in terms of the type of unwanted catches: undersized individuals of commercial species; non-commercial organisms such as benthic invertebrates; sensitive high-trophic level species (elasmobranchs, sea turtles, sea birds). Determination of the fate of unwanted catches (commercialisation, discarding, and survival of discards) by type of organism and by case-study fishery.
Description of fishing strategies and fishermen’s socio-economic behaviour in relation to discarding practices, based on a detailed analysis of existing data bases as well as information gathered from interviews with industry during the project.
The characterisation of habitats where fisheries producing unwanted catches take place, by using existing habitat maps from member states and species (e.g. by means of Biological Traits Analysis of benthic organisms; analysis of life strategies of bycatch species).