Fish distribution and its role in fisheries management advice and marine spatial planning (113505)

FISHMAP seeks to holistically understand marine fish distribution and movements in the Northeast Atlantic and its role in fisheries management advice and marine spatial planning.

Conventional distribution models often analyse spatial dynamics on limited scales bound by the spatial extension of single survey and make simplifying assumptions regarding the proportionality of catch and effort. There is a pronounced need for flexible and robust distribution models that can provide insights into the fine-scale spatiotemporal dynamics of marine fish populations on large spatial scales. In particular given predicted climate change and the future plans for the establishment of offshore wind farms in the North Sea, knowledge of core distribution areas of the main target species of commercial fisheries as well as vulnerable and protected species, such as sharks and rays, and how their distributions change as a function of environmental factors is imperative to ensure productive fisheries and sustainable marine ecosystems for decades to come. Furthermore, while there exists a wealth of data and studies informative of the spatiotemporal dynamics of marine fish populations, they are often isolated, lacking a unified platform that interactively visualise spatial patterns and processes of marine fish populations and can be accessed by researchers, policymakers, fishers, and the public alike.

FISHMAP will pioneer state-of-the-art marine mapping tools, enabling detailed visualisation of spatial distributions of marine fish populations and migration patterns. 

Funding
This project is co-funded by the European Union through the Danish Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Programme (EMFAF).

Research area: Fisheries Management
Research area: Marine Living Resources
Research area: Ecosystem based Marine Management