The 4th Scottish Inshore Fisheries Conference, held in Inverness over 27th-28th April attracted more than 40 delegates in person, boosted by a further 100+ remote attendees via the live-streaming of the plenary sessions. Further interest was generated through Twitter which saw 50 people send 100 tweets regarding the conference reaching 60,305 accounts. This involvement is particularly heartening from an industry that is dictated by the weather and work commitments and demonstrates a real need for such a forum to facilitate the discussion of issues of concern to the inshore fishing industry.
LEFT: Cabinet Secretary Fergus Ewing MSP was a keynote speaker at the conference. Following his presentation he spoke about Scottish inshore fisheries and their future post-Brexit. RIGHT: Only a few weeks into the job, the new Director of Marine Scotland Graham Black made time to attend the 4th Scottish Inshore Fisheries Conference. After hearing about the MASTS-led SIFIDS project he spoke to Kelvin Boot.
The SIFIDS Project was front and centre during the conference with a 2 hour ‘Introduction to Industry‘ session opening proceedings on the afternoon of the 27th. The SIFIDS session were attended by approximately 80 people and questioning was vigorous. An audio recording of each presentation with follow-on Q&A and PDFs of the accompanying speakers presentations can be accessed via the links below;
Welcome and general introduction to the project by Dr Mark James followed by a brief overview of the policy relevance of the SIFIDS Project by Jim Watson (Head of Inshore Fisheries and Coastal Communities, Marine Scotland). To view the presentation click here.
The future of inshore fisheries data collection?
Review and Optimisation of Shellfish Data Collection Strategies for Scottish Inshore Waters (WP1) – How can we optimise the sampling of shellfish needed to support stock assessments – and do this in a more cost effective and timely manner? – Presented by Dr Beth Mouat, NAFC Marine Centre. To view the presentation click here.
Development and Pilot Deployment of an Autonomous Fisheries Data Harvesting System and Investigation into the Availability and Adaptability of Novel Technological Approaches to Data Collection (WP2A & WP2B) – Investigating and developing the potential to use new and novel technology to reduce the reporting burden on fishermen while enhancing inshore fisheries data collection. – Presented by Grant Course, SeaScope Fisheries Research. To view the presentation click here.
Development of a Novel, Automated Mechanism for the Collection of Scallop Stock Data (WP3) – Exploring the potential of using novel more cost-effective approaches for the automation of scallop stock assessment surveys.. – Presented by Dr Richard Bates, University of St Andrews. To view the presentation click here.
New ways of using inshore fisheries data
Capture and Incorporation of Experiential Fisheries Data (WP5) – A significant potential fisheries information resource exists in the form of the experiences and local knowledge held by inshore fishermen. How can we capture relevant information from the industry and use it to inform fisheries management and marine planning? – Presented by Dr Mark James, University of St Andrews. To view the presentation click here.
Identifying Fishing Activities and Their Associated Drivers (WP8) – How can we use technology and state of the art statistical modelling techniques to provide information on fishing activity that will be of benefit to individual fishing businesses, as well as those involved in fisheries management and marine planning? – Presented by Dr Tania Mendo, University of St Andrews. To view the presentation click here.
The broader picture, valuing inshore fisheries and guiding future investment
Assessment of Socio-Economic and Cultural Characteristics of the Scottish Inshore Fishery (WP4) – Understanding and quantifying the social, cultural and economic value of the inshore fishing industry in Scotland. Using this information to inform policy and investment. – Presented by Andrew Parker, Imani Development. To view the presentation click here.
Engagement with Inshore Sector to Promote and Inform (WP7) – The Project Facilitators will introduce themselves and explain how they will engage with the inshore sector to recruit vessels for survey work and keep fishermen up to date with developments throughout the project. – Presented by Kyla Orr and Kathryn Logan, SIFIDS Project Facilitators. To view the presentation click here.