Line of action:

Status:

Execution date:

General Objective:

Creation and application of a new tool to support governance in the management of fisheries resources and the marine environment of the Northwest Cantabrian National Fishing Ground.

Specific objectives:

1. To constitute a Joint Committee representing the stakeholders on which the governance of the fisheries resources management system rests.
2. Develop a system of sustainability indicators (institutional, social, economic and environmental) agreed upon by the Joint Committee associated with the selected fisheries.
3. Obtaining the sustainability indices of the fleet associated with the study fisheries.
4. Use of the sustainability indices obtained as a tool for decision-making.

The SOSCANO project has chosen as pilot fisheries the fleets dedicated to the capture of sea bass (without TAC) and ray (with TAC) due to their economic and social importance. The list of all the vessels of the Cantabrian and Northwest National Fishing Ground has been obtained – 1,093 vessels catch rays and 1,280 sea bass. Based on the amount of catch, 40 vessels were selected for the minor gear of the ray and sea bass fisheries and 15 for bottom trawling of the ray fishery.

With the existing bibliographic information, the previous studies carried out, the experience of the technicians in charge and taking into account the characteristics of the fisheries under study, the technical team prepared a proposal for a matrix with fifteen sustainability indicators. In addition to the available data, interviews were conducted with the shipowners of the production units that make up the sample. As a result, a management tool for fisheries management has been created based on technical knowledge about their economic, social and environmental impact.

Likewise, a Northwest Cantabrian Joint Committee has been created, made up of 14 representatives of the interested organizations, five of which are representatives of the fisheries administration, five of the bass and ray fisheries, two of the scientific community and two of environmental/development NGOs, with the aim of improving the participation and representation of the actors in the decision-making of fishing activity. This committee showed a high commitment and interest in continuing to operate in order to comply with article 140 of regulation (EU) 1303/2013, which establishes the obligation to maintain the joint operating committee for three years following the execution of the project.