Post on 22-Dec-2015
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
Policy making on basis of knowledge – the challenge for
research integration
FAME workshop on Social and Natural Scientific aAdvice in Marine Renewable Resources
6 June 2007, Esbejrg
Poul DegnbolScientific adviser
DG Fisheries and Maritime AffairsEuropean Commission
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
Trailer
• Policy drivers and research – EU Common Fishery Policy case
• Example – management plans• Interdisciplinary research• Delivery of knowledge
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
Policy drivers– Common Fishery Policy case
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
The Common Fisheries Policy• A common policy for the management
of fisheries and aquaculture, foreseen in the Treaties
• Rationale: fish are a natural and mobile resource which is a common property
• First measures in 1970, CFP established 1983, reformed ~ every 10 years, most recently 2002
• The CFP is a heavily science-based policy area
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
The four policy areas of the CFP• Conservation and limitation of the environmental
impact of fishing• to protect fish resources by regulating the amount of
fish taken from the sea, by allowing young fish to reproduce, and by ensuring that measures are respected.
• Structures and fleet management• to help the fishing and aquaculture industries adapt
their equipment and organisations to the constraints imposed by scarce resources and the market; measures aimed at creating a balance between fishing effort and available fish resources are also in place;
• Markets• to maintain a common organisation of the market in fish
products and to match supply and demand for the benefit of both producers and consumers;
• Relations with the outside world• to set up fisheries partnerships agreements and to
negotiate at the international level within regional and international fisheries organisations for common conservation measures in deep-sea fisheries.
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
CFP objectives• 1. The Common Fisheries Policy shall ensure exploitation of
living aquatic resources that provides sustainable economic, environmental and social conditions.• For this purpose, the Community shall apply the precautionary approach in
taking measures designed to protect and conserve living aquatic resources, to provide for their sustainable exploitation and to minimise the impact of fishing activities on marine eco-systems. It shall aim at a progressive implementation of an eco-system-based approach to fisheries management.
• It shall aim to contribute to efficient fishing activities within an economically viable and competitive fisheries and aquaculture industry, providing a fair standard of living for those who depend on fishing activities and taking into account the interests of consumers.
• 2. The Common Fisheries Policy shall be guided by the following principles of good governance:• (a) clear definition of responsibilities at the Community, national and local
levels;• (b) a decision-making process based on sound scientific advice which
delivers timely results;• (c) broad involvement of stakeholders at all stages of the policy from
conception to implementation;• (d) consistence with other Community policies, in particular with
environmental, social, regional, development, health and consumer protection policies.
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
The research based advisory process
Council
ICESInternational Council for
Exploration of the Sea
STECFScientific, Technical and Economic Committee for
Fisheries
European Commission
European Parlament
Research Institutes
Policy decisions
Propo
sals
Data collectionResearch
Advice
Requests for advice
DataAnalysisResearch
results
“The CFP shall be guided by …a decision-making process based on sound scientific advice which delivers timely results”
FP7 DCR
Stakeholder groupsACFARACs
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
Policy directions• EC policies
• CFP objectives• Maritime Policy• Marine Strategy
• International agreements• UNCLOS – UN fish stocks agreement
• International soft law• FAO code of conduct for responsible fisheries• World Summit on Sustainable Development
• International agreements and soft law with important fisheries implications• Convention on Biological Diversity
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
Policy issues• Precautionary approach (UN stocks
agreement and CFP)• Ecosystem approach (WSSD and CFP)
• Consider both fisheries impact on ecosystem and ecosystem impacts on fisheries
• Restore/maintain stocks at MSY (WSSD)• Inclusion of societal impact considerations
(general EC policy)• Good governance (CFP)
• Change from short term decisions to long term management plans
• Transparency• Consultation and participation
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
Example: Management plans
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
Example – North Sea cod recovery plan• From 1991 the biological advice was
that seen in isolation cod should not be caught or a zero TAC
• TACs were set – to protect industry and to enable mixed fisheries to continue
• Indications of extensive black landings and high-grading as a response to reduced TACs
• The fishing mortality remained high – even increased – and the stock continued going down
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
Cod in the North Sea
Catch (Tonnes)
0
100000
200000
300000
400000
500000
600000
700000
1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
SSB
0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005
Fbar(2 - 4)
0.000
0.200
0.400
0.600
0.800
1.000
1.200
1.400
1.600
1.800
2.000
1955 1965 1975 1985 1995 2005
Recruitment
Parent stock
Yield
Fishing mortality
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
EU Cod recovery plan 2004• 2. The TACs shall not exceed a level of catches which a
scientific evaluation, carried out by the STECF in the light of the most recent report of the ICES, has indicated will result in an increase of 30 % in the quantities of mature fish in the sea at the end of the year of their application, compared to the quantities estimated to have been in the sea at the start of that year.
• 3. The Council shall not adopt a TAC whose capture is predicted by the STECF, in the light of the most recent report of the ICES, to generate in its year of application a fishing mortality rate greater than the following values:• Cod in the Kattegat 0,60• Cod in the North Sea, Skagerrak and eastern Channel 0,65• Cod to the west of Scotland 0,60• Cod in the Irish Sea 0,72
• Question to research:• Which TAC will result in a 30% increase in SSB?• Which TAC will result in a specific F?
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
Cod recovery plan outcomes• BUT
• Due to implementation problems and fleet adaptations catches were not controlled by TAC’s
• Supplementary effort controls were introduced but were not sufficient to control catches T
• Therefore, actual catches (and even landings) became poorly known
• ICES and STECF could therefore not estimate the present stock size or F
• And quantitative advice on the TAC which would be compatible with a 30% increase or a specific F could not be given
• Good (but maybe not useful) answer from research advice: • we can’t give the number to implement your plan. (but the
plan is there)• Use effort management instead (but the CFP is based on
TAC’s)• Possible response: change the recovery plan
• so that it’s implementation is robust to lack of estimates of SSB or F
• Will generate questions for advice which can actually be answered
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
A chain is only as good as the weakest link• There are close linkages between
• The overall policy (the CFP)• The specific management instruments (the choice of
mix of TACs, days at sea, technical measures etc for a specific fishery)
• Implementation setup• The ability and incentives for the fleets to adapt• And the scientific advice required to support
decisions• The data required and the ability to produce
operational advice• The cost of producing the data and the advice• The institutional framework required to produce
the advice• The character and substance of the advice
• We must consider implications elsewhere in the system (including the research based advice) when we discuss policies and management measures
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
Cod recovery plan questions• Which TAC will result in a 30% increase in
SSB?• Which TAC will result in a specific F?• The linkage between a TAC and the resulting F or
SSB depends on• The biological dynamics of the fish population
• Starting population, recruitment, ecosystem environment
• All of which is only known with uncertainty• The adaptation of the fleet to management measures
• The character of the fishery• Incentives to comply or not• Knowledge and technological capacity for alternative
tactics• The control and enforcement regime
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
The fisheries management system
Monitoring,surveillance,control
Fishery
Managementmeasures
Management decision
Management decision system
Resource systemSocial system
Perceived system
Fishing decision and fishing
Adaptation system
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
Strategic decision system /Management strategy
Relevant KnowledgeImplementation
framework
ObjectivesPerformance criteria
Harvest control rule
If state=xx then do yy
Tactical decision system
Corrections to objectives(‘flexibility’)
Accept of knowledge
Management plan
Monitoring requirements
Sanctions
Society:Fleet adaptation
Nature:Variation within regimeRegime shifts
Fishery system
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
The normative string - Objectives and performance
• Achievement of explicit and implicit objectives• Sustainability
• Maintenance of reproductive capacity• Delivery of ecosystem services
• Societal benefits• High long term yields• Efficiency• Justice/Equity
• Performance criteria• Robustness• Cost efficiency• Transparency and legitimacy
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
The regulatory string – implementation means
• Implementation means – basic choice of main instruments• Output - TACs• Input – effort• Technical measures incl closed areas
• Allocation mechanisms – ownership and transferability
• The choice of implementation and allocation means defines distributions of societal benefits
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
The cognitive string – what is relevant, valid and sufficient knowledge?
• The relevance of knowledge relates to objectives
• The validity of knowledge relates to acceptance by stakeholders
• Sufficiency of knowledge relates to the desired robustness of the management strategy
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
The cognitive string – learning institutions
• Uncertainty is here to stay!• Predict or learn by experience from implementation• Passive adaptivity: predict and correct through next years
prediction• Requires either that relevant reference points can be estimated
and that predictions make sense technically and operationally• Active adaptivity: explore a range of exploitation ranges and
adapt• Stocks for which data series short or only one state known: explore
production dynamics• Target reference points for stocks where biological interactions are
important or only low productivity seen• Regime shifts?• Stocks where we are uncertain about present state or stock
dynamics• Development of adaptive approaches
• Changes in types of knowledge used and the communication of knowledge
• Development of learning management institutions
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
Strategic decision system /Management strategy
Relevant KnowledgeImplementation
framework
ObjectivesPerformance criteria
Harvest control rule
If state=xx then do yy
Tactical decision system
Corrections to objectives(‘flexibility’)
Accept of knowledge
Management plan
Monitoring requirements
Sanctions
Society:Fleet adaptation
Nature:Variation within regimeRegime shifts
Fishery system
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
Future fisheries management science research
• Development of management strategies• Post- evaluation of management
strategies• Adaptation within strategies
• Re-evaluation of objectives trade off• Implementation adaptation• Learning and communication
• Fisheries systems performance• The details of management strategies
• Multi-objective development• Evaluation of implementation modalities -
instruments• Fleet adaptations• Knowledge interactions• Decision tactics (HCR etc)
Each of these areas require interdisciplinary research involving ecologists, fisheries biologists, economists and sociologists
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
Interdisciplinary research should be the norm rather than the exception
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
Interdisciplinary research
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
More than the sum of disciplines? • Interdisciplinary research is relevant for
research on the interactions between subjects studied by various disciplines
• Understanding interactions implies that the study of the interacting parts should be defined by their interaction - Contributions from each discipline in interdisciplinary research should be framed by the interactions
• Disciplinary integrity must be combined with openness to address interaction issues
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
The tunnel vision trap• The discipline frames the worldview
• Objectives:• Biological sustainability?• Efficiency?• Democracy and equity?
• Implementation• MPA’s ...• ITQ’s• Participation
• Knowledge requirement• More ecological research• More economic research• More social science research
• Leads to forming research questions which will be answered by this worldview
• Leads to selection of researchers with likeminded view
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
The methods trap• You look for areas where the methods you know may
be applied• You cooperate with what resonates with your
discourse• Selection of other disciplinary approaches on basis
of resonance with your own methods preferences leads to exclusion of subjects of study and perspectives
• The method defines what is relevant for study!
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
The method defines what is relevant to study and the research question
• It is nice to own a Rembrandt painting and a Stradivarious violin
• But to own an Rembrandt violin and a stradivarious painting?
• Maybe the sequence should be:• What is relevant to study, what is the policy
issue?• What is the research question?• What methods need we apply to address the
question?• What are the relevant disciplines?• How can they interact?
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
The existing knowledge trap• You study the issues you know about
– leads to selection of issues raised within your own discipline
• And exclusion of issues you don’t know about including issues raised in other disciplines
• Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence
• Who raises the interactions issues?
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
Interdisciplinary research requires• Openness
• To the relevance of research questions raised outside your discipline
• to other disciplinary discourses• to very different methodologies
• Risk taking• High risk research – unsure what the products will be• High risk for your career
• You may be considered less qualified in your own discipline
• You may publish less• You may find fewer fora to present your work• You may loose the next grant because the last
produced less than hoped for• A lot of devotion to interactions before and during
implementation
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
Knowledge and advice delivery
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
Delivery mechanisms
• In Europe the ’Vatican model’ was ruling untill recently – black smoke from a black box
• Now the ’good patriarch model’ is ruling – we know best but we are prepared to help you understand
• Proceed to ’Socratic model’ – facilitate exploration of options
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
Exploratory and interactive delivery• Fisheries management has multiple objectives
• Very often incompatible in the short term• Sometimes incompatible in the long term
• There are many possible combinations of management measures which will lead to different trade-off between these objectives
• Research based knowledge cannot make the choices but can illuminate the expected trade off between various objectives for various solutions
• Research based advice should therefore be delivered in an interactive exploratory process
• Not easy!• Do we have th right institutional setup for it?• Transaction costs?• Are the researchers and stakeholders up to it?
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
A couple of refs• Degnbol, P., and McCay, B. J. 2007.
Unintended and perverse consequences of ignoring linkages in fisheries systems – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 64.
• Degnbol,_P, H. Gislason, S. Hanna, S. Jentoft, J. R. Nielsen, S. Sverdrup-Jensen, D. C. Wilson, 2006. Painting the floor with a hammer: Technical fixes in fisheries management. Marine Policy 30 (2006) 534–543
European CommissionDG Fisheries and Maritime Affairs