The University of Portsmouth has been awarded over £560,000 to help the fishing industry be more sustainable and productive. The funding, a part of the Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships scheme, was set up to support the long-term future and sustainability of the UK fisheries and seafood sector.
In partnership with Angling Spirit, Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority and Navico Ltd, the project aims to improve and share knowledge of fisheries and aquaculture through data collection and research to support sustainable fisheries management.
The £569,361 project will collect biology, ecology, habitat and genetic data from five species of fish caught — black sea bream, sea bass, skates and rays, smoothhound and tope.
The 22-month-long project will use the newly established annual Sea Angling Classic competition in the Solent to collect the data, test and then develop a standardised, cost-effective and self-sustaining citizen science data collection method that can be delivered at any UK sea angling event. Researchers will gather geolocated images of each fish caught, perform targeted sampling (e.g. DNA swabs), track fish, and undertake sonar scans of the fished areas. The researchers hope to generate long-term data essential to manage these five data-poor species/groups for more robust fisheries management plans and conservation.
