Preliminary data exploration by ICES working group on the Ecosystem Effects of Fishing Activities (WGECO) offers an initial attempt to explore how fishing protection zones could be designed in the future. Recently, concerns over European fisheries have often centred on the impact of fishing displacement due to increasing competition for marine space, driven by, for example, the expanding offshore renewable energy (ORE) industry and the push to expand marine protected areas (MPAs) under 30-by-30 targets.

To address these concerns, new spatial modelling and marine management approaches are needed to balance ecological health with the complex socio-economic needs of stakeholders, including fishers and the renewable energy sector.

Fishery Protection Zones

One potential mitigation would be the identification of the most important areas for fisheries in terms of catches, economic value, and social importance. This would provide a basis for any negotiations for protecting fishing grounds during the establishment of ORE sites or MPAs. This type of approach was recently suggested in the UK as “Fishery Protection Zones” and have also been termed as “Seafood production areas” (Fishing News, 2023).

Using spatial effort and catch data a method to define fishery protection zones (designated fishing zones) based on area of importance to the fishery was explored by the ICES working group. The preliminary model study was conducted to see to what extent quota-based management leads to increased fishing effort, as fishers collect quota in a smaller fishable area. Finally, an exploratory study was conducted into the degree to which ‘predation displacement’ occurs, when prey consumption by commercially exploited predatory fish is expected to shift when areas are closed to fishing.

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Recommended citation: ICES. 2024. Working Group on the Ecosystem Effects of Fishing Activities (WGECO). ICES Scientific Reports. 6:52. 50 pp. https://doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.26425102