Background information

‘PROFET POLICY’ will focus on policy-relevant issues and will facilitate the flow of information from European RTD projects to a wide-range of stakeholders. The information will be distributed via a website that will also publish summaries (Technical Leaflets) of the appropriate EU-funded research projects. In addition, the project will organise 9 workshops in different countries throughout Europe, providing an important forum for the exchange of views of National and European policy makers and stakeholders. Their active participation in these events will provide the Commission with clear recommendations for scientific support to policy.

The modernisation of fisheries, including aquaculture-based production systems, has become a key element within the sustainable management of Europe’s natural resources, an approach that is required because some exploited stocks are at historically low levels in European waters. To recover such stocks and to promote sustainable fisheries, the need for improved scientific advice on the medium- and long-term effects of different management tools has been clearly identified. New management methods are needed to identify and resolve deficiencies through the improved understanding of key biological processes and parameters, fleet behaviour and socio-economic implications.

For the aquaculture sector, some aspects of the profession have also become important concerns due to interactions with the environment and quality and health aspects. At the moment, innovative European research continues to develop, the Fish Health legislation is under review, while environmental laws (including the Water Framework Directive) inevitably have direct and indirect effects on European aquaculture, coastal and inland.

Not only are the fisheries and aquaculture sectors aware that modernisation is needed, but also that society at large is raising important questions that concern the acceptability of the activities of both sectors – for example, over-fishing and discards for fisheries, while by-products, waste discharge and fish welfare are key subjects for aquaculture.

While representative organisations and their members regularly discuss such issues, it is not often clear that the details of policy and the mechanisms of decision-making are fully understood by professional stakeholders. Conversely, policy-makers need to be fully informed of the effects of policy on the professional sectors addressed.

‘PROFET POLICY’ will thus provide an opportunity for interested stakeholders to become better informed on European policies that affect their sector and the project will provide the Commission with clear recommendations for scientific support to such policies.
‘PROFET POLICY’ will achieve this by building a platform for the communication and dissemination of the results of EU-funded research projects, in fisheries and aquaculture, of the 5th and 6th Framework Research Programmes.

Much of the information generated by ‘PROFET POLICY’ will be distributed via a website publishing the summaries of the EU-funded research projects as Technical Leaflets. This format will also be used to update stakeholders on European policy and legislative developments.
Besides this, the project will also organise 9 workshops throughout Europe on a thematic and regional basis, covering fisheries and aquaculture. Core elements of the workshops will be the presentation of the status and discussion of the RTD needs of each sector so as to recommend clear guidelines and topics for future European Union Research Programmes. These workshops will thus provide a forum for the exchange of views of National and European policy makers and stakeholders.

The goal of the project will result into 4 key objectives:

1. To source and summarise, in simple language, research results in fisheries and aquaculture from the 5th and 6th Framework Programmes, focusing on relevance to policy.
2. To improve the flow of information of research results funded by the Fifth and Sixth Framework Programmes to stakeholders, focusing on relevance to policy application and development – using web-based information supply, compendia and workshops (See objective 3).
3. To provide dedicated forums for the exchange of views of National and European policy makers and stakeholders through the organisation of trans-national workshops covering the sectors of fisheries and aquaculture, incorporating the dissemination of research results.
4. To identify research needs to support policy definition within the sectors, and as a support to the Common Fisheries Policy.

The project combines the results and experience of 2 successful EU projects – ‘PROFET’ (www.aquamedia.org/news/RTD/profet_en.asp ) and ‘AquaFlow’ (www.aquaflow.org ). Although these projects were dedicated to the aquaculture sector, their experience provides the backbone of ‘PROFET POLICY’.