School of Biology, University of St Andrews

Category: CRMG updates (Page 1 of 3)

See what we’ve been up to!

CRMG members participate in Crab and Lobster Symposium

Last year Blue Marine Foundation hosted a one-day Crab and Lobster Symposium attended by a range of scientists, fisheries managers and reps from the catching sector.

Thirty short talks were presented including from CRMG members, covering a wide range of topics in five groups; there were also Q&As and a final open forum. CRMG members spoke about the innovative Western Isles pot limitation scheme, a collaboration between St Andrew’s University and the Western Isles Fishermen’s Association.

Read the article about the symposium here

Final report for MEFS project now available

The Loch Sunart to the Sound of Jura Marine Protected Area (LSSoJ MPA) covers a 741 km area on the west coast of Scotland and includes a complex bathymetric environment. It is characterised by steep-sided trench systems, reaching up to 290 m in depth.

The Movement Ecology of the Flapper Skate (MEFS) project started in 2018 and aimed to provide more advanced analysis of passive acoustic and archival data collected in 2016/2017, providing information on space use within the LSSoJ MPA and the level of connectivity of this site to other areas. As part of MEFS, a second acoustic array was deployed to provide longer term site monitoring.

This study investigated the fine-scale movements of flapper skate in different life-history categories (male, female, immature and mature individuals) within the LSSoJ MPA. Passive acoustic telemetry and archival (depth) data from the 2016/17 study were used to examine the movements of tagged individuals and the extent of residency around acoustic receivers. Capture-recapture data were
used to examine the evidence for site attachment over a longer timescale.

Access the project page here along with the final report.

Outer Hebrides fisheries management pilot with CRMG members reports successful first year

A locally-led fisheries management pilot for the Outer Hebrides is reporting positive impacts on fishing businesses and the environment in its first year, a new report reveals.

The Outer Hebrides Inshore Fisheries Pilot is co-managed by the Regional Inshore Fisheries Group (RIFG) and the Marine Scotland Directorate of the Scottish Government.  The Pilot limits the number of creels that commercial fishing vessels may deploy in the waters around the isles. The aim of this is to improve the management of shellfish stocks in area, enabling future generations to benefit from a resource that remains of vital importance to this island community.

The Pilot is also testing one possible approach to a low-cost vessel tracking solution for small inshore fishing vessels. This is being trialled aboard 40 vessels and builds on the Scottish Inshore Fisheries Integrated Data System (SIFIDS) project led by the University of St Andrews which involved many CRMG members and Scottish fisheries researchers.

Read the press release here

Access the one year report here

Now published “Piloting a Regional Scale Ocean Literacy Survey in Fife”

Peer reviewed paper “Piloting a Regional Scale Ocean Literacy Survey in Fife”

Ocean Literacy (OL) encapsulates the journey of improved awareness of marine and coastal issues, to the adoption of clear values and attitudes based on that knowledge, and intentional lifestyle and other personal choices at an individual and societal level. Understanding a community or group’s position in this transition enables institutions, such as universities, charities or civil society organisations, to target their public engagement efforts to make progress toward a healthier marine environment. To gather a baseline of OL in Fife, Scotland, an online survey was launched to residents of the Local Authority Area, between the 8th May and 30th June 2021. Responses indicated widespread uncertainty about solutions to marine and coastal problems, prompting the promotion of a solutions-based focus for public engagement efforts, particularly regarding local issues. While there was common agreement that the government, businesses and citizens could be doing more to advance the health of the marine environment and climate, only 55% of respondents had already made some changes to their lifestyles with the intention to continue at the point of survey. Some barriers evidently remain. Concern for the marine environment, climate and future generations largely govern the desire to alter behaviour to reap the desired benefits which include the enjoyment of nature, cultural heritage and aids to mental health. Taking a “nested approach” to OL surveying (regional surveys within a national framework) is likely to improve response rates and amplify the voices of rural and coastal communities. Furthermore, the OL surveying platform may opportunistically serve as a useful tool for investigating public priorities in the early stages of marine planning and policy development.

Read the article here

Report

Ocean Literacy (OL), or Ocean Citizenship, is the basis of a movement to sway positive, lasting change in communities that will benefit the sea, coast and climate. An ocean literate person is understanding of the ocean’s influence on their own lives, as well as the way that their behaviours influence the ocean and is knowledgeable concerning ocean threats. A degree of informed-ness (or ‘literacy’) is thought to inspire effective communication and allow for impactful decision-making regarding personal lifestyle and behaviours, which are subsequently beneficial to the marine and coastal environment. Not only that, a collective OL mindset may be translated into policy, informing marine spatial planning authorities of people’s expectations regarding their marine and coastal spaces.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.15664/10023.23981

Global Open Source Data Collection Systems Network for Small Scale Fisheries (GoSSF)

Small-scale fisheries (SSF) account for two-thirds of the wild-caught fish that people eat. This sector employs more than 100 million people and contributes to food and nutritional security for more than 2 billion. 

Managing SSF has historically been extremely complex, with numerous and diverse fisheries operating in informal economies from remote locations such as small island developing states (SIDS). SIDS are highly vulnerable to climate change due to their reliance on SSF but lack the tools to effectively collect and analyse data to make informed decisions. Using low-cost electronics, sensors, open-source software, and expertise in fisheries, the University of St Andrews has developed technologies, processes and systems designed to collect data from SSF. Artificial intelligence (AI) is used to predict and map fishing intensity using data from high-resolution vessel tracking, gear deployment tags and catch monitoring via a customizable mobile app. 

In collaboration with WorldFish and the Government of the Republic of Palau, a two-day workshop was held in Koror, Palau on small-scale fisheries data collection systems and processes. Several topics were presented including an overview of the technology available and open-source systems, approaches to interpreting track data and a discussion on the benefits, opportunities, and challenges of fisheries digitalization. 

With support from Cyantech Biosolutions, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Palau International Coral Reef Center (PICRC), four fishing vessels and a local marine protected area ranger have now been fitted with tracking systems for the first time in Palau. The potential to track vessels and match this with information on what is being caught has the potential to transform the way fisheries are managed. 

Read more about the project here

Gear Use And Recovery In The Scottish Inshore Creel Fishery- A Survey

You are invited to participate in a research project which aims to gather information on the use, recovery, and disposal of fishing gear within Scotland’s inshore creel fishery. The aim is to gain further insights based on your own experiences at sea and views on this. The survey is being conducted by the University of St Andrews and is completely anonymous. It takes approximately five minutes to complete and the information you choose to share will be treated confidentially and used solely for academic purposes.

If you are a commercial creel fisher and would like to take part, please follow the link below. Thank you

https://standrews.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eaOwAZEggYk31CS

More information can be found here as well.

If you would prefer to talk to us or would like any more information, please contact em323@st-andrews.ac.uk

News Article: CABFishMan consortium releases new review of small-scale fisheries

Published on the 25th October 2021, the project CABFishMan received a write-up in the online Fishing Daily News regarding their latest comprehensive review of existing methods for data collection in Northeast Atlantic small-scale fisheries (SSF).

‘The review is especially relevant as it provides geo-referenced data on fishing effort and catches in the area, information which is crucial for establishing a collaborative co-management framework in the Atlantic region’ explained Murillas.

Read the news article here

Coast to Ocean: A Fife-Eye View

This project is part of the wider Fife Sustainable Natural and Cultural Coastal Zone project in partnership with the People Ocean Planet Initiative and seeks to determine the relationship that Fife communities have with the sea and coast. To do this, we are surveying communities within the Fife Local Authority to understand your knowledge of and attitudes towards the sea, threats to it and, in turn, the solutions. This will provide a baseline of information that we can build upon, reflecting how Fife communities interact with and perceive the sea and coast. This enables us to identify what people are passionate about and what issues may require further engagement to support positive change for our marine area and the communities that benefit from it.

If you are a Fife resident * and would like to take part in the survey, please follow the link below. If you would prefer to talk to us, please get in touch with the Coastal Resource Management Group at crmg@st-andrews.ac.uk 

Participants will be entered into a prize draw to the value of £50.

Survey link here!

*Please note that all participants must be resident in Fife Local Authority Area on a permanent or temporary basis and be aged 16 or over.

Engaging the Fishing Industry in Marine Environmental Survey and Monitoring

Surveys using local information from fishers have been used to better understand marine life in and around Scotland’s network of Marine Protected Areas.

CRMG member, James Thorburn, worked with Marine Scotland Science members on the EMFF funded project to provide opportunities for the fishing industry to engage and collaborate with the scientific community, Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies and Government departments in Scotland, to carry out evidence gathering and marine monitoring to help deliver national and international requirements in relation to the protection and restoration of marine biodiversity (with a particular focus on Marine Protected Areas – MPAs).

The project supported three main survey types, those being drop-down video (DDV) monitoring, juvenile fish surveys and investigations into the movement ecology of flapper skate (Dipturus intermedius) within and adjacent to Marine Protected areas.

Eight DDV surveys were completed throughout 2018/19. The equipment was deployed from a fishing vessel and this sampling effort resulted in 130 hours of video footage, and 16,676 photographs.

Access the report here

A number of flapper skate (Dipturus intermedius), once common around the coast but now extinct in many areas, were also found in the Loch Sunart to the Sound of Jura MPA (designated for their protection in 2014). The project looked to track their movements and get a better understanding of how they use different habitats and also to see if the MPA is an important breeding ground.

Through the use of acoustic tags and acoustic receiver units deployed at locations within the MPA, it was possible to track the movement of skate within the MPA and to log the presence of the skate as they swam past.

Citation: G Pasco, B James, L Burke, C Johnston, K Orr, J Clarke, J Thorburn, P Boulcott, F Kent, L Kamphausen and R Sinclair (2021). Engaging the Fishing Industry in Marine Environmental Survey and Monitoring. Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science Vol 12 No 3, 68pp. DOI: 10.7489/12365-1

doi: 10.7489/12365-1

New PhD student joins CRMG

Project Title

Understanding the scale, impact and potential mitigation of marine animal entanglement in the Scottish static gear fishery.

Entanglement

Marine animal entanglement in fishing gear is a global concern, considered by many to be the most significant marine mammal welfare issue of our time. In Scottish waters concerns regarding entanglement have been raised by the inshore creel sector, and the available data indicates that the frequency, rate and range of species impacted has been increasing in recent years. Entanglements have conservation, welfare, economic and human safety implications, however a thorough scientific understanding of the issue is data deficient. For example the amount of creel gear being deployed, and the association between fishing effort and the incidence, seasonality, severity or outcome of entanglements is unclear. Recent work has highlighted industry willingness to address this issue, and meaningful engagement with fishers will be essential to this project.

The project will take a transdisciplinary approach to explore theoretical and applied approaches to mitigating entanglement risk, by building on data and methodologies developed through two innovative programmes of research:- the Scottish Inshore Fisheries Integrated Data System project (SIFIDS) and the Scottish Entanglement Alliance (SEA). The main aims of the project are to:

  • Infer the location, intensity and variability of static gear fishing activity including the number of creels and amount of rope being deployed.
  • Conduct a series of surveys to measure Fishers’ perceptions, attitudes and motivations around entanglement, and understand the motives and barriers to fisher engagement with this topic.
  • Develop behaviourally-informed, evidence-based interventions to promote Fishers’ reporting of entanglement events involving cetaceans, elasmobranchs and marine turtles, and support declaration of gear loss locations and quantities.
  • Develop feasible, practical, industry-led data collection and mitigation strategies to reduce entanglement hazards whilst maintaining the economic sustainability of the fishery.

Supervisors

Dr Mark James (University of St Andrews), Dr Dave Comerford (Stirling University), Dr Andrew Brownlow (SRUC), Dr Kirstie Dearing (NatureScot), Dr Simon Northridge (University of St Andrews), Dr Tania Mendo (University of St Andrews), Prof. George Gunn (SRUC).

Funding

This project is funded through the SUPER Doctoral training partnership, in collaboration with St Andrews University, Stirling University, NatureScot and SRUC.  

Contact

Email: em323@st-andrews.ac.uk

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