Whatever the type of fisheries management process or the scale over which it operates, key pieces of information are routinely required by fisheries managers - some of which is scientific in nature.
Marine Scotland Science provides a supporting role to the various stakeholders by delivering scientific information and advice on the states of stocks of fish and sustainable exploitation.
Freshwater Science and Advice
A programme of stock monitoring and research in Scotland's fresh waters provides information on the abundance and health mainly on the migratory salmonid species. Research includes conducting biological studies of the early life stages of salmonids, and interactions between species and the impacts of a variety of predatory birds and mammals on the survival of young fish.
Monitoring focuses particularly on the production of young fish and the rates of returning fish to river systems. These data are provided to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea ( ICES), and to the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation ( NASCO) where they are collated with similar material from other regions to develop international measures aimed at protecting stocks.
Marine Scotland Science advises others in Marine Scotland on freshwater and migratory fish matters using the information gathered from its research and monitoring programmes. The Freshwater Laboratory works in collaborations with a variety of local management bodies to ensure that fisheries management is based on sound science, and to develop 'best practice'. These bodies include:
Assessment and Advisory Processes
Data are collated and used for a variety of purposes, the main one being assessment of the states of fish and shellfish stocks. Marine Scotland Science contributes fully to the ICES programme of assessments of the main international stocks of demersal fish, pelagic fish and Nephrops.
More or less each year, European scientists meet to evaluate states of stocks and provide advice on catch options or other management measures. Biological data are combined with commercial landings data and used in numerical models to calculate the size of each stock, the numbers of juveniles joining the stock and the rates at which fish are being removed by fishing. This information is also used to provide estimates of what the future catch might be, given certain levels of fishing and how the latter might need to be adjusted in order to maintain sustainable stock sizes.
This process is fundamental to the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) setting process used by the EU, and to the development of other management measures which are coming forward in the wake of the failure of TACs adequately to control fishing mortality rate. Assessments are also conducted on a less frequent basis for a number of shellfish stocks managed nationally.
Marine Scotland Science also holds regular briefing sessions with Industry to advise them of developments in the science. In recent years there have been numerous examples of closer cooperation with industry in the gathering of data - the most notable being the Industry/Science Partnership in 2001-02, Volume 1 and Volume 2..
A considerable amount of work is undertaken on fishing gears and the capture process which informs managers at all levels of the efficacy of technical conservation measures (TCM) such as mesh sizes, square mesh panels and minimum landing sizes. Of particular importance in recent years has been the need to address the conservation of young fish and ways to avoid the capture of vulnerable fish stocks in mixed fishery situations. A current research project is examining opportunities for separation of species in catches through technical and other means.
Wider Issues
Marine Scotland Science staff work in partnership with the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency ( SEPA), to develop and implement the Water Framework Directive in Scotland. Scientists also works in collaboration with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and local Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) management bodies in the assessment of Special Areas of Conservation for salmon, lampreys and a variety of marine species and habitats such as maerl beds. One of the major challenges for the next few years will be the development of methods for implementing an ecosystem approach to fisheries management.