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Project
Shaping Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management
Shaping Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management
The wish for an ecosystem based fisheries managment is omnipresent. However, potential approaches still lack implementation in Europe. In the project SEAwise we want to change this.
Background and Objective
Fisheries provide sustenance, employment, economic and social activity in coastal areas and beyond, throughout Europe. Increasing these benefits while reducing ecosystem impacts, in an era of environmental change and increased competition for marine space, presents a key challenge to European Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM).
The SEAwise overall objective is to provide a fully operational approach for European Ecosystem Based Fisheries Managment based on persistent networks and co-designed innovation. EBFM implementation faces four major challenges in Europe and will be adressed by SEAwise:
1. Identify widelyaccepted key ecosystem priorities. There are countless ways that the ecosystem can impact fisheries and vice versa; correctly predicting and managing all of these is unlikely to be compatible with practical management. This makes prioritisation among these a key issue and SEAwise addresses this through applying social and ecological risk assessment methodology in collaboration with stakeholders.
2. Address gaps in the available knowledge. The knowledge available for EBFM includes both scientific knowledge as well as traditional, experience-based, citizen, NGO and fisher-collected knowledge. All this knowledge should be integrated to design an operational and pragmatic EBFM implementation for Europe. SEAwise will address the knowledge gap challenge, using co-design approaches to management scheme development to involve and integrate experience-based knowledge from all parties and comprehensive systematic reviews of the literature, past and present projects and readily available data.
3. Lack of tailored, accurate and adaptive predictive models. Members of the SEAwise consortium offer a rich resource of modelling tools, data, quantitative and qualitative analytical tools, and experience in provision of advice. The project will make use of what is already available, further develop this to fill knowledge gaps and link complimentary models and account for uncertainty.
4. Little attempt to develop advice together with management representatives to make it appropriate to their needs in practical decision making. Recognising that the true experts on the usefulness of advice are the recipients, SEAwise will implement a network of scientists, stakeholders and decision makers to map the variety of end-users’ needs with respect to both content and accessibility.
Approach
SEAwise overcomes the four major challenges by addressing four specific objectives using state of the art risk assessment methodology:
1) Build a network of stakeholders, advisory bodies, decision makers and scientists to co-design key priorities and approaches to EBFM and to ensure SEAwise’s continued impact long after the project period.
2) Assemble a new knowledge base on European fisheries interactions with social and ecological systems that integrates scientist and stakeholder experience based knowledge.
3) Develop predictive models of fisheries interactions with social and ecological systems to evaluate, select and implement EBFM strategies across Europe accounting for changes in the environment and use of marine space.
4) Provide ready-for-uptake advice for EBFM for Mediterranean, western and northern European waters.
Results
All results (reports, online courses, EBFM tool) have been published on the project website: SEAwise Results
Links and Downloads
SEAwise project website: SEAwise
Publications
- 0
Beukhof ED, Uhlmann SS, van der Reijden K, Anastasopoulou A, Altuna-Etxabe M, Astarloa A, Basurko OC, Binch L, Bluemel JK, Carbonara P, Dinesen GE, Eigaard OR, Festjens F, Girardin R, Halouani G, Kempf A, MacMillan I, Papadopoulou N, Potier M, Romagnoni G, et al (2026) From bycatch to litter : a systematic map of the ecological impacts of fishing in European seas. Rev Fish Biol Fisheries 36(1):9, DOI:10.1007/s11160-025-10013-4
- 1
Bastardie F, Astarloa A, Binch L, Bitetto I, Damalas D, Depestele J, Hernvann P-Y, Lehuta S, Letschert J, Maina I, Mahevas S, Papantoniou G, Püts M, Romagnoni G, Spedicato MT, Sys K, Tsikopoulou I, Van Hoey G, Zupa W, Rindorf A (2025) Anticipating how spatial fishing restrictions in EU waters perform to protect marine species, habitats, and dependent fisheries. Front Mar Sci 12:1629180, DOI:10.3389/fmars.2025.1629180
- 2
Mildenberger TK, Berg CW, Kempf A, Rindorf A, MacCall AD, Taylor MH (2025) Estimating time-varying productivity and reference points : a case of North Sea demersal fish stocks. Fish Fisheries 26(5):745-771, DOI:10.1111/faf.12910
- 3
Kühn B, Cayetano A, Fincham JI, Moustahfid H, Sokolova M, Trifonova N, Watson JT, Fernandes-Salvador JA, Uusitalo L (2025) Machine learning applications for fisheries - At scales from genomics to ecosystems. Rev Fish Sci Aquacult 33(2):334-357, DOI:10.1080/23308249.2024.2423189
- 4
Bitetto I, Altuna-Etxabe M, Andres M, Carbonara P, Chiarini M, Depestele J, Garcia D, Ibaibarriaga L, Kempf A, Lembo G, Letschert J, Kühn B, Sanchez-Marono S, Spedicato MT, Sys K, Taylor MH, Zupa W, Rindorf A (2025) SEAwise Report on Carbon footprint, economic and social impacts of revised management strategies in a changing climate based on information from full MSEs : Deliverable 2.4. Version 2.0. Technical University of Denmark, 35 p, DOI:10.11583/DTU.29194667
- 5
Travers-Trolet M, Altuna-Etxabe M, Andres M, Bitetto I, Garcia D, Giannoulaki M, Heath M, Kühn B, Lehuta S, Papantoniou G, Romagnoni G, Sanchez-Marono S, Sgardeli V, Spedicato MT, Tsagarakis K, Tsoukali S, Vassilopoulou V, Rindorf A (2025) SEAwise Report on status of ecological indicators in multispecies-multifleet management evaluations under changes in fish productivity adapted according to input from review workshops : Deliverable 6.3. Version 1.0. Technical University of Denmark, 62 p, DOI:10.11583/DTU.29412629
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Piet G, van Wijk D, Bitetto I, Brown E, Chin K, Depestele J, Giannoulaki M, Ibaibarriaga L, Jurrius L, Kempf A, Kühn B, Liontakis A, Letschert J, Taylor MH, Ojaveer H, Papantoniou G, Rindorf A, Sgardeli V, Spedicato MT, Sys K, et al (2025) SEAwise report on the design of an effective ecosystem-based fisheries management : Deliverable 6.10. Version 2.0. Technical University of Denmark, 62 p, DOI:10.11583/DTU.30244396
- 7
Bitetto I, Garcia D, Altuna-Etxabe M, Andres M, Carbonara P, Depestele J, Giannoulaki M, Kempf A, Kühn B, Lembo G, Letschert J, Liontakis A, Sanchez-Marono S, Sgardeli V, Spedicato MT, Sys K, Taylor MH, Tsoukali S, Vassilopoulou V, Zupa W, Rindorf A (2025) SEAwise report on the impact of socioeconomic effects of fisheries management adapted according to input from review workshops : Deliverable 6.6. Version 1.0. Technical University of Denmark, 49 p, DOI:10.11583/DTU.29412521
- 8
Garcia D, Altuna-Etxabe M, Andres M, Binch L, Bitetto I, Carbonara P, Depestele J, Giannoulaki M, Heath M, Hernvann P-Y, Ibaibarriaga L, Kempf A, Kühn B, Laffargue P, Lehuta S, Letschert J, Liontakis A, Mahevas S, Melià P, Taylor MH, et al (2025) SEAwise Report on the impacts of fisheries on stocks and landings under SEAwise EBFM : Deliverable 6.12. Version 2.0. Technical University of Denmark, 83 p, DOI:10.11583/DTU.29108039
- 9
Damalas D, Astarloa Diaz A, Bastardie F, Batts L, Binch L, Bitetto I, Bluemel J, Depestele J, Hernvann P-Y, Kavadas S, Lehuta S, Letschert J, Mahevas S, Maina I, Papadopoulou NK, Papantoniou G, Poos JJ, Püts M, Romagnoni G, Smith CJ, et al (2025) SEAwise synthesis of predicted impacts of changes in habitat and spatial management measures suggested in SEAwise for online tool : Deliverable 5.8. Version 1.0. Technical University of Denmark, 37 p, DOI:10.11583/DTU.29246228
- 10
Bitetto I, Altuna M, Andres M, Asif F, Batts L, Caro M, Depestele J, Frangoudes K, Garcia D, Halkos G, Hamon K, Hegland TJ, Kempf A, Koundouri P, Kraan M, Kühn B, Landis C, Le Grand C, Letschert J, Taylor MH, et al (2025) Synthetic summary report on social and economic aspects of fishing for online tool : Deliverable 2.11. Version 1.1. Technical University of Denmark, 40 p, DOI:10.11583/DTU.30017581
- 11
Carpi P, Savina-Rolland M, Trochta J, Bartolino V, Berger A, Bitetto I, Bui T-A, Carbonara C, Carmona I, Vaz AC, Chiarini M, Correa G, Curin-Osorio S, Cyr F, Depestele J, Brooks ME, Gamaza M, Giannoulaki M, Kühn B, Taylor MH, et al (2024) Joint ICES-SEAwise workshop to quality assure methods to incorporate environmental factors and quantifying ecological considerations in management strategy evaluation tools (WKEcoMSE). Copenhagen: ICES, v, 48 p, ICES Sci Rep 6(72), DOI:10.17895/ices.pub.26661457
- 12
Werner K-M, Haslob H, Reichel AF, Gimpel A, Stelzenmüller V (2024) Offshore wind farm foundations as artificial reefs: The devil is in the detail. Fish Res 272:106937, DOI:10.1016/j.fishres.2024.106937
- 13
Kempf A, Taylor MH, Kühn B, Brown E, Trijoulet V, Vinther M, Rindorf A, Girardin R, Savina-Rolland M, Lehuta S, Halouani G, Robert M, Woillez M, Mahevas S, Travers M, Andres M, Garcia D, Ibaibarriaga L, Sanchez-Marono S, Astarloa Diaz A, et al (2024) SEAwise report on consistency of existing targets and limits for indicators in an ecosystem context : Deliverable 6.7. Technical University of Denmark, 245 p, DOI:10.11583/DTU.25152662
- 14
Bastardie F, Batts L, Binch L, Bitetto I, Bluemel J, Damalas D, Depestele J, Astarloa Diaz A, Hernvann P-Y, Lehuta S, Letschert J, Kavadas S, Maina I, Papadopoulou NK, Papantoniou G, Poos JJ, Püts M, Romagnoni G, Smith CJ, Spedicato MT, et al (2024) SEAwise report on effects of spatial management measures suggested in SEAwise to safeguard species, habitats and choke species on fisheries selectivity and fuel cost : Deliverable 5.6. Technical University of Denmark, 126 p
- 15
Neuenfeldt S, Rindorf A, Ransijn J, Smout S, Northridge S, Kühn B, Taylor MH, Kempf A, Thorpe R, Spence M, Vinther M, Henriksen O, Potier M, Travers-Trolet M, Gatti P, Jacobsen NS (2024) SEAwise report on improved predictive models of natural mortality under different distributional scenarios and incorporating experimental results : Deliverable 3.7. Technical University of Denmark, 73 p, DOI:10.11583/DTU.26068735
- 16
Bartolino V, Spence M, Vinther M, Baudron A, Kempf A, Perez A, Griffiths C, Adams G, Delius G, Villanueva MC, Thomson M, Püts M, Thorpe R, Gaichas S, Lucey S, Soudijn F, Del Santo O'Neill T, Trijoulet V, McGregor V, Jacobsen NS (2024) Working Group on Multispecies Assessment Methods (WGSAM; outputs from 2023 meeting). Copenhagen: ICES, iii, 170 p, ICES Sci Rep 6(13), DOI:10.17895/ices.pub.25020968
- 17
Garcia D, Minto C, Jacobsen JA, Aristegui-Ezquibela M, Aune M, Buch TB, Bartolino V, Bergenius Nord M, Bogstad B, Boje J, Brooks ME, Brunel T, Butler W, Cardinale M, Cervino S, Chen C, Cousido Rocha M, Kempf A, Taylor MH, Haase S, et al (2024) Workshop on the calculation and evaluation of new reference points for category 1-2 stocks (WKNEWREF). Copenhagen: ICES, vi, 241 p, ICES Sci Rep 6(100), DOI:10.17895/ices.pub.27905664
- 18
Rindorf A, Scarcella G, Armelloni E, Bartolino V, Bellido JM, Bolund E, Campon-Linares V, Canal G, Coscia I, Duskey E, Fortibuoni T, Garnacho E, Goncalves P, Griffiths C, Howell D, Jacobsen NS, Junquera S, Kidd P, Kühn B, Probst WN, et al (2024) Workshop to compare the indicators for CFP and MSFD D3 management objectives through simulations (WKSIMULD3). Copenhagen: ICES, iv, 165 p, ICES Sci Rep 6(4), DOI:10.17895/ices.pub.25266475
- 19
Kühn B, Kempf A, Brunel T, Cole H, Mathis M, Sys K, Trijoulet V, Vermard Y, Taylor MH (2023) Adding to the mix - Challenges of mixed-fisheries management in the North Sea under climate change and technical interactions. Fish Manag Ecol 30(4):360-377, DOI:10.1111/fme.12629
- 20
Bastardie F, Spedicato MT, Bitetto I, Romagnoni G, Zupa W, Letschert J, Püts M, Damalas D, Kavadas S, Maina I, Tsagarakis K, Poos JJ, Papantoniou G, Depestele J, Batts L, Bluemel JK, Astarloa Diaz A, van de Wolfshaar K, Binch L, Rindorf A (2023) Deliverable 5.5 : SEAwise report on predicting effect of changes in ‘fishable’ areas on fish and fisheries ; Version 2.0. Technical University of Denmark, 130 p, DOI:10.11583/DTU.24331198
- 21
Garcia D, Ibaibarriaga L, Kempf A, Taylor MH, Kühn B, Brown E, Trijoulet V, Vinther M, Girardin R, Savina-Rolland M, Lehuta S, Halouani G, Robert M, Woillez M, Mahevas S, Travers M, Andres M, Sanchez-Marono S, Bitetto I, Spedicato MT, et al (2023) SEAwise Report on the impacts of fisheries on stocks and landings under existing management plans : Deliverable 6.11. Technical University of Denmark, 26 p, DOI:10.11583/DTU.25624698
- 22
Kempf A, Spence M, Lehuta S, Trijoulet V, Bartolino V, Villanueva MC, Gaichas S (2023) Skill assessment of models relevant for the implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management. Fish Res 268:106845, DOI:10.1016/j.fishres.2023.106845
- 23
Sun M, Li Y, Suatoni L, Kempf A, Taylor MH, Fulton EA, Szuwalski C, Spedicato MT, Chen Y (2023) Status and management of mixed fisheries: a global synthesis. Rev Fish Sci Aquacult 31(4):458-482, DOI:10.1080/23308249.2023.2213769
- 24
Püts M, Kempf A, Möllmann C, Taylor MH (2023) Trade-offs between fisheries, offshore wind farms and marine protected areas in the southern North Sea - Winners, losers and effective spatial management. Mar Policy 152:105574, DOI:10.1016/j.marpol.2023.105574
- 25
Baudron A, Rindorf A, Spedicato MT, Bastardie F, Berg C, Berger A, Binch L, Bitetto I, Blanco C, Bluemel JK, Bolser D, Calderwood J, Carvalho N, Celie L, Chen C, Chust G, Kempf A, Kühn B, Probst WN, Taylor MH, et al (2023) Workshop 2 on fish distribution (WKFISHDISH2; outputs from 2022 meeting). Copenhagen: ICES, vii, 127 p, ICES Sci Rep 5(7), DOI:10.17895/ices.pub.21692246
- 26
Piet GJ, Rindorf A, Spedicato MT, Depestele J, Kempf A, Ibaibarriaga L, Kraan M, Brown E, Garcia D (2022) SEAwise Report on performance of existing management plans : Version 2.0, Deliverable 6.9. Technical University of Denmark, 56 p, DOI:10.11583/DTU.21687653
- 27
Rindorf A, van Deurs M, Howell D, Andonegi E, Berger A, Bogstad B, Cadigan N, Elvarsson BT, Hintzen NT, Savina-Rolland M, Taylor MH, Trijoulet V, Kooten T van, Zhang F, Collie J (2022) Strength and consistency of density dependence in marine fish productivity. Fish Fisheries 23(4):812-828, DOI:10.1111/faf.12650
- 28
Lordan C, Orio A, Kempf A, Pierucci A, Kuparinen A, Rindorf A, Peyronnet A, Wilson A, Moesgaard Albertsen C, Konrad C, Sparrevohn CR, Minto C, Howell D, Gilljam D, Miller D, Garcia D, Armelloni E, Abad E, Masnadi F, Taylor MH, et al (2022) Workshop on ICES reference points (WKREF2). Copenhagen: ICES, 96 p, ICES Sci Rep 4(68), DOI:10.17895/ices.pub.20557008
- 29
Taylor MH, Akimova A, Bracher A, Kempf A, Kühn B, Helaouet P (2021) Using dynamic ocean color provinces to elucidate drivers of North Sea hydrography and ecology. JGR Oceans 126(12):e2021JC017686, DOI:10.1029/2021JC017686
Involved Thünen-Partners
Involved external Thünen-Partners
- AZTI-Tecnalia (Marine and Food Technological Centre. The Marine Research Division) / Fundación AZTI
(Bilbao, Sukarrieta, Spanien) - Wageningen University & Research (WUR)
(Wageningen, Niederlande) - Danish Technical University (DTU)
(Kopenhagen, Hirtshals, Charlottenlund, Dänemark) -
Stichting Wageningen Research (WEcR)
(Wageningen, Niederlande) - CEFAS (Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science)
(Lowestoft, Großbritannien (inkl. Nordirland)) - Institut français de recherche pour l'exploitation de la mer (IFREMER)
(Brest, LHoumeau, Issy-les-Moulineaux, Nantes, Frankreich) - Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
(Kiel, Deutschland) - Marine Institute (MI)
(Galway, Irland) - Internationaler Rat für Meeresforschung (ICES)
(Kopenhagen, Dänemark) -
University of St Andrews
(St. Andrews, Großbritannien (inkl. Nordirland)) -
AGROCAMPUS OUEST - Institut supérieur des sciences agronomiques, agroalimentaires, horticoles et du paysage
(Rennes, Frankreich) - (Flanders Research) Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, (ILVO)
(Oostende, Belgien)
Funding Body
-
European Union (EU)
(international, öffentlich)
Duration
10.2021 - 9.2025
More Information
Project funding number: Grant Agreement number: 101000318 - SEAwise - H2020-BG-2018-2020 / H2020-BG-2020-2
Project status:
finished
