New boost for ecosystem-based fisheries management

The oceans are under pressure, suffering from the impacts of human activities such as commercial fishing, climate change and other stressors such as eutrophication and oxygen depletion. These factors have brought fish stocks and the harbour porpoise population (Phocoena phocoena) in the Baltic Sea to the brink of collapse. GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (Bundesamt für Naturschutz, BfN) want to address these challenges as part of the cooperation agreement “AWZFISCH” (Ecosystem-based fisheries management in the German Exclusive Economic Zone). The BfN is providing GEOMAR with 2.4 million euros over a period of 5 years for research within the framework of the co-operation. AWZ, in German “Ausschließliche Wirtschaftszone”, stands for “Exclusive Economic Zone” and refers to the area outside territorial waters and up to a distance of 200 nautical miles from the mainland - the area of responsibility of the BfN and the study area of the co-operation agreement.

Support for European solutions

“I hope that this project will finally lead to a European approach to stop the dramatic overfishing in our ocean,” says Professor Dr Katja Matthes, Director of GEOMAR. “Previous phases of the AWZFISCH project have already produced internationally recognised publications. I am delighted that we are now further strengthening our collaboration with the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation.”

The cooperation contributes to achieving internationally binding goals for the protection of marine biodiversity and the climate. Regionally developed solutions for ecosystem-based fisheries management will subsequently be introduced at national, EU level- as well as in international projects.

Improvement of ecosystem-based fisheries management

“Large, healthy fish stocks and sustainable, ecosystem-based fisheries management are fundamental provisions of the Common Fisheries Policy of the EU and therefore also of Germany. However, these provisions have not yet been implemented,” says Dr Rainer Froese, marine ecologist and fisheries scientist at GEOMAR. Froese played a key role in the development of the new co-operation agreement. Professor Thorsten Reusch, project leader, adds: “With the new agreement, we primarily want to create the basis for ecosystem-based management of fisheries in German marine areas, especially in and around existing protected areas.”

In ecosystem-based fisheries management, the entire marine ecosystem is taken into consideration. This means that not only the status of individual fish stocks is assessed, but also the interactions between species, their habitats and environmental factors such as climate change and water quality. Compliance with the recommendations could restore the stocks of commercially relevant fish species and populations of protected species, such as the endangered harbour porpoise.

Background: Project “AWZFISCH”

The project ‘Ecosystem-based fisheries management in the German Exclusive Economic Zone’ (AWZFISCH) is funded by a cooperation agreement between GEOMAR and the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN). As part of this cooperation agreement, GEOMAR