Portsmouth University funded to support fishing industry sustainability

By Tom Kilkelly

3 August 2023

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Fishing Nets in Portsmouth Harbour. Antoine Lamielle, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

The University of Portsmouth has been awarded over £500,000 in funding, announced through the Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships (FISP) scheme, to help the UK and the local region’s fishing industry to be more sustainable and productive.

This funding comes as part of the wider UK Seafood Fund scheme, a £100 million effort that was set up to support the long term future and sustainability of the UK fisheries and seafood sector.

Portsmouth University's project, which is in partnership with Angling Spirit, Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority and Navico Ltd, aims to improve and share knowledge of fisheries and aquaculture though data collection and research to support sustainable fisheries management.

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Taking place over 22 months, the £569,361 project will collect biology, ecology, habitat and genetic data from five species of fish caught by citizen scientists: sea bass, black sea bream, skates and rays, tope and smooth hound.

Data will be collected in the annual Sea Angling Classic competition in the Solent. Tests will then be performed to develop a standardised, cost-effective and self-sustaining citizen science data collection method that can be delivered at any UK sea angling event.

Researchers hope that the project will aid them in generating long-term data enabling them to manage these five data-poor species/groups for more robust fisheries management plans and conservation.

Dr Ian Hendy, Senior Lecturer in Marine Restoration and Conservation and project lead at the University of Portsmouth, said: “For many UK target species, ecological and biological data to make evidence-based decisions are limited leading to unsustainable catches. Collecting these data requires significant investment with one increasingly popular approach to use members of the public.

“Sea fishing is a globally popular activity so recreational anglers are a substantial group of highly motivated and engaged potential citizen scientists. From the data they provide, we hope to be able to build an evidence-based action plan, developed in collaboration with the fishing sector and other stakeholders, to deliver a thriving, sustainable fishing industry and healthy marine environment for generations to come.”

By Tom Kilkelly

Tom Kilkelly started working as a freelance journalist for The Business Magazine following his graduation from UCL in 2022.

During his studies Tom became very interested in the works of Irish authors including Samuel Beckett and Flann O'Brien (Brian O'Nolan).

His current role as a freelance business reporter is his first exposure to the world of business journalism. Working at TBM has given Tom the chance to really get to grips with the goings-on in the business hive that is the South East.