Assessment of the Impacts of the Landing Obligation on Irish Vessels: Results of a Challenge Trial in 2015

Suggested Bibliographic Reference: Challenging New Frontiers in the Global Seafood Sector: Proceedings of the Eighteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, July 11-15, 2016. Compiled by Stefani J. Evers and Ann L. Shriver. International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade (IIFET), Corvallis, 2016.Proceedings of the Eighteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, held July 11-15, 2016 at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Center (AECC), Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.To examine the impact of the Landing Obligation (LO) on the Irish fishing industry and explore possible mitigation strategies, we carried out two trials on commercial fishing vessels in 2015. One vessel targeted Nephrops, the other mixed demersal whitefish in Irish waters. The study was in two phases. In month one, the vessel operated normally, but under LO conditions, and all catches were recorded. In month two the skippers were challenged to reduce levels of unwanted catch as much as practically possible. They could choose from existing technical measures (e.g. modified gears) and/or adjust their fishing behaviour and tactics. Cod and haddock were the principal choke species for both vessels. The Nephrops vessel could reduce cod catches and so mitigate the economic impact of the LO. The mixed demersal whitefish vessel was unable to avoid the choke species or to minimise the economic impact of the LO through tactical measures or by changes in location or timing of fishing. Technical measures are, in any case, of little use in reducing catches of haddock, a key choke species in this fishery. It was concluded that reducing quota imbalance between whitefish species especially haddock and whiting might assist the mixed demersal whitefish fisheries to remain commercially viable under full LO implementation, as well as to prevent more vessels joining the Nephrops fishery. An alternative fishery based quota management system which optimises quota allocations on the basis of the main species upon which vessels are reliant, would assist in this regard