EU Discard Reduction Manual

This webinar will be presented by Karly McIlwain, Engagement Manager; and Erik Lindebo PhD, Senior Consultant for Environmental Defense Fund EU Ocean Program. The webinar is cosponsored by the EBM Tools Network.

The European Union has recently introduced a new set of laws under its reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) that ban the discarding of unwanted and unmarketable fish and require that all catch be landed. CFP legislation also requires that all overfishing be ended by 2015 for the majority of fish stocks and by 2020 for overfishing to end completely.

In March, Environmental Defense Fund released the first ever user-friendly guide to help EU fishermen, fishery managers and Member State regulators find ways to successfully implement the landing obligation. In this Webinar, two of the Discard Reduction Manual’s key developers will discuss the management tools presented in the document and how they can best be practically applied on the water, drawing on success stories such as the UK North Sea and English Channel Discard Pilot Projects, which across the fleets reduced discarding to a rate of 0-6%.

Our Manual is not prescriptive, and we hope that the sharing of such ideas and experience in this Webinar will help them to evolve and grow. At the end of the presentation there will be an opportunity to ask in-depth questions, and during this time we welcome your feedback on the guide’s practical application.