About the partnership Objectives

The objectives of the NSC Fisheries Partnership are:

• to improve the exchange of views between fishers and fishery scientists,
• to promote co-operation between fishers and scientists from different countries around the North Sea,
• to further develop scientific advice on the state of North Sea fish stocks, making better use of information contributed by fishers,
• to evaluate the benefits and costs of different fisheries management measures,
• to involve progressively other stakeholders in discussions of the management of the fisheries, including fishery managers, fish merchants and processors and conservation groups,
• to work for the implementation of more effective and more sustainable fishery management measures, taking full account of biological, social and economic factors.

The Partnership will initially concentrate on improving advice on the state of the fish stocks, aiming at a more inclusive and transparent approach which fully utilises all the information available, including that held by fishers.

The Partnership will evaluate different management measures, and develop a consensus between different stakeholders on what needs to be done to achieve more sustainable management of the fisheries.

The Partnership will consult widely within fishing communities on fisheries management issues. It will then enter into dialogue on these issues with the European Commission and national governments, which have ultimate responsibility for management of the North Sea Fisheries.