FISHINTEL
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Fisheries Innovation for sustainable SHared INTerchannEL resources) |
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The FISH INTEL project, through a partnership of 12 organizations from France, England, and Belgium, aims to identify and protect the habitats used by a selection of key fish species in the English Channel region. By deploying an acoustic telemetry network, the project will track the movements of tagged fish within their ecosystem and identify the critical habitats that enable them to fulfill their ecological functions (growth, reproduction, feeding, and migration).
The project will thus help provide individual movement data to assess the impact of fishing and other human activities—such as the development of marine renewable energy and aquaculture—in the English Channel. This new knowledge will enable regional authorities to implement ecosystem-based fisheries management programs to improve water quality and conditions at pilot sites in the region, as well as to ensure the sustainability of activities such as fishing, industrial development projects—including, for example, the establishment of offshore wind farms—and marine aggregate extraction.
The FISH INTEL project, with a budget of €4 million—€2.8 million of which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Interreg France (Channel) England Program—will focus on a series of seven sites located along the coasts of southern England, northern France, and Belgium. At these sites, the project will monitor the following marine species—sea bass, pollock, spiny lobster, and bluefin tuna—which are commercially important to the region. The data obtained on their movements and the habitats they frequent will then be shared with key project stakeholders and managers to initiate the implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management at the pilot sites.
The project is organized into three work packages:
· Work Package 1 – Fish tracking and habitat characterization: This work package involves deploying an acoustic telemetry network, tagging the various target species, and characterizing the habitats at the seven pilot sites.
· Work Package 2 – Analysis of individual movement data to determine the essential habitats of fish. This work package involves analyzing the collected data using appropriate statistical tools and extracting new insights into the ecology of the monitored species.
· Work Package 3 - Society, Ecosystem Services, and Governance: This work package involves gathering stakeholders’ empirical knowledge to guide the deployment of the acoustic network, collaborating on the tagging of target species, and working to ensure acceptance of the acoustic network and its use to support the implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management.
Partners
1. Université de Plymouth (UoP) ;
2. Institut français de recherche pour l'exploitation de la mer (Ifremer) ;
3. Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (VLIZ).
4. France Energies Marines (FEM) ;
5. Université de Bretagne Occidentale (UBO) ;
6. Université d'Exeter (UoE) ;
7. Isles of Scilly Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) ;
8. Centre des sciences de l'environnement, des pêches et de l'aquaculture (CEFAS) ;
9. Marine Conservation Society (MCS) ;
10. Comité départemental des pêches et des élevages marins du Finistère (CDPMEM29) ;
11. Comité régional des pêches maritimes et des élevages marins de Normandie (CRPMEM50) ;
Ligue pour la protection des oiseaux/Sept Iles (LPO)
People involved
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CAROFF Nicolas, Email : nicolas.caroff@ifremer.fr |
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DROGOU Mickaël, Chercheur(e) Email : mickael.drogou@ifremer.fr |
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GARREN François, Chercheur(e) Email : francois.garren@ifremer.fr |
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LAURANS Martial, Chercheur(e) Email : martial.laurans@ifremer.fr |
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LAZARD Coline, Phone : 02 98 22 43 46 Email : coline.lazard@ifremer.fr |
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LE ROY Didier, Phone : 02.98.22.47.99 Email : didier.le.roy@ifremer.fr |
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LE RU Loïc, Email : loic.le.ru@ifremer.fr |
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MARHIC Cindy, Phone : 0298224321 Email : cindy.marhic@ifremer.fr |
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MOREAU Tanguy, Ingénieur CDD Phone : 06 42 56 03 12 Email : tanguy.moreau@ifremer.fr |
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WOILLEZ Mathieu, Phone : 02 29 00 85 65 Email : mathieu.woillez@ifremer.fr |
Funding and Support
The FISH INTEL project has a total budget of €4.1million, of which €2.8million is funded by the European Regional Development Fund via the Interreg France (Channel) England (FCE) Programme.
Interreg France (Channel) England (FCE) is an EU programme set up to foster economic development in the south of the UK and north of France by funding innovative projects which have a sustainable and economic benefit.
It focuses on a range of specific objectives including supporting innovation, improving the attractiveness of the FCE area and developing low carbon technologies.