Strengthening the regional capacity to support the sustainable management of the Black Sea fisheries

SRCSSMBSF

Priority 2:

Sharing resources and competencies for environmental protection and conservation

Measure 2.1:

Strengthening the joint knowledge and information base needed to address common challenges in the environmental protection of river and maritime systems

Project in brief

Beneficiary

Name of the IPA Financial Beneficiary

Partnership

• Institute of Fishing Resources, Varna, Bulgaria (IFR)
• Institute of Oceanography of the Bulgarian Academy of Science, Varna (IOBAS)
• Southern Research Institute of Sea Fisheries and Oceanography (YugNIRO), Kerch
• Central Fisheries Research Institute, Trabzon (CFRI)
• Black Sea Technical University, Marine Science Faculty, Trabzon (KTU-MSF)

Locations of the Action

• Romania, Constanta County, Constanta;
• Bulgaria, Varna region, Varna;
• Turkey, Trabzon region, Trabzon;
• Ukraine, Odessa region.

Overall objective

Specific objectives

• Harmonization of methods and tools to assess the present state of fish stocks by scientific surveys, holistic models;
• Alignment of the common methods for sampling, processing and interpretation data from fisheries and stock assessment using analytic models;
• Awareness of the fishery organizations and decision–makers from national fisheries regarding the need to use in the management strategies of the advice from research and joint-regional stock assessment.

Main activities 

• Exchange of good practices in the fields of methods and tools to assess the present state of fish stocks by scientific surveys, holistic models;
• Strengthening the joint knowledge and information base needed to alignment of the common methods for sampling, processing and interpretation data from fisheries and stock assessment using analytic models;
• Promote of stronger integration and development of research, awareness and scientific partnerships in the fields of monitoring, control, protection and management of the Black Sea ecosystem and its living resources;
• Project information and communications activities;
• Project management and coordination activities.

Estimated outputs and results 

• Meetings of specialists in assessment from the Black Sea coastal countries;
• Working visits and trainings of specialists;
• A best-practice guideline for stock assessment using scientific surveys realised in the national languages of partners and English (a guideline and standardized protocol which include the sampling gear (feature and handling), the design of the survey, the information collected, and the management of the data as far as the common standard analysis of the data);
• Manual of protocols on international methodology for sampling, samples processing, analysing and discussions of data and results, fishery statistics, stocks assessment by analytical models;
• Report on state of the Black Sea Fisheries;
• Management Plan for Black Sea Fisheries;
• Inventories of the national authorities, focal points, scientists and non-governmental organizations concerned with fisheries;
• Awareness materials.

Target groups

• Scientists which are working in the field in the institutions involved in this project: NIMRD Constanta, Romania; IFR Varna, Bulgaria; IOBAS Varna, Bulgaria; YugNIRO Kerch , Ukraine; CFRI Trabzon, Turkey; KTU-MSF Trabzon, Turkey. They have activities that include fundamental, applied and technological development research in the fields of oceanography, marine and coastal engineering, ecology and environmental protection, as well as of the management of living resources in the Black Sea and other ocean areas.
• Students from marine science of the universities in each country bordering the Black Sea (annually is training more than 100 students in marine biology).

Relevance of the Action for the targeted beneficiaries

        Is undertaken a range of activities to improve the flow of information between scientists, decision-makers and stakeholders having as results:

• A projection of the yield, total and spawning stock biomass and recruitment for specified scenarios of fishing mortalities;
• Improvement of management of the Black Sea fish stock exploitation based on harmonized methodologies of assessments based on agreed regional criteria;
• Assessments of the efficiency of fisheries management system and impact of the existing fisheries practices.

        Through its results, the project can:

• Facilitate the dimensioning of the fishing activity depending on the ecosystem's capacity of support;
• Support the establish of the total admissible catch depending on the stock status, permitting the efficient allocation of the fishing quotas and the corresponding dimensioning of the fishing effort;
• Support the achievement of the maximum sustainable yield (MSY) without threatening the environment and living marine resources;
• The project helps to the conservation of biodiversity, habitats and living marine resources, and proposes solutions for a management of regional fisheries based on the eco-systemic approach;
• Through advice on management strategies, assure the stable places of work both in the production of materials and fishing equipment, and also in processing and marketing;
• Contribute in the increasing of welfare of local communities, through the apparition of new places of work.

Final beneficiaries

• Scientists who are members of the Advisory Group on Environmental Aspects of Management of Fisheries and Other Living Resources (AG FOMLR );
• Scientists members of AG B (Advisory Group on Biodiversity) and Black Sea Subgroup for Fish Stock Assessment;
• Scientists members of SAC (Scientific Advisory Committee) - GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for Mediterranean);
• National authorities from Black Sea riparian countries in the fishery field, decision - makers in the fisheries management, fisheries organizations, fishery enterprises and fishermen from Black Sea coastal area.

Duration

Budget

        Total eligible cost of the Action

        Amount requested from the Joint Managing Authority

Contact person

• Dr. Eng. Simion NICOLAEV - Project coordinator, Director of the National Institute for Marine Research and Development “Grigore Antipa” Constanta, Romania (NIMRD);
• Dr. Eng. Gheorghe RADU - Project scientific coordinator, Senior Fisheries Scientist in the National Institute for Marine Research and Development “Grigore Antipa” Constanta, Romania (NIMRD)