The KB WOT Fisheries Programme carried out in 2015

The KB WOT Fisheries programme is established to maintain and develop the expertise needed to carry out the statutory obligations of the Netherlands in fisheries monitoring and advice. It is also a flexible program which responds to changes over time in WOT requirements, fisheries management and policy needs. While maintaining the core expertise and flexibility, the KB WOT programme also strives to be innovative and participate in the development of fisheries science. The programme operates within the context of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and the EU Maritime Policy. The KB WOT fisheries programme is established annually and positioned around a number of themes. In 2015 14 projects were originally awarded. However, one project could not meet all the original objectives and with the remaining budget a 15th project was started on the tool development for fish ageing and maturity staging. These 15 projects were successfully completed. The programme focused on the research into the impact of fisheries on the seafloor, development of tools for electronic monitoring, data storage and dissemination and method development for assessment of marine resources. As always the core element of the KB WOT Fisheries was maintaining and developing key expertise for the WOT programme. A large part of the budget was therefore used for projects that standardise fish ageing, provide quality control of discard, ichthyoplankton and shellfish monitoring and development of fisheries acoustics techniques and expertise. These topics are vital for the quality of fish stock assessments and management. Of the 15 projects funded in 2015, seven were carried out in collaboration with institutes outside the Netherlands. As resources and expertise from these other countries contribute to the KB WOT Fisheries programme, these collaborations provided a large amount of added value to the programme. Another large part of the KB WOT resources is specifically dedicated to international collaboration and exchange of science. This ensures that Wageningen Marine Research researchers remain at the centre of scientific developments and international fisheries research. The programme was also very productive in terms of publications, presentations and developing new methods or tools for fisheries research. Over 15 international presentations were given at meetings, workshops and symposia, and 22 international and national reports written. 8 new methods or models were developed, 3 peer reviewed publications published and 5 scientific publications prepared.