Total budget: €4.1M (€2.8M ERDF)

Context

To address the challenges of fisheries management, industrial development and biodiversity conservation in the Channel, the Interreg FISH INTEL project aims to increase the proportion of coastal and transitional sites with good ecological status in the France (Channel) England area.  To achieve this objective, the FISHINTEL project uses cutting edge technology to identify and record the movements and favoured habitats of several important marine species, such as European bass, pollack, bluefin tuna and crawfish. These species will be monitored using a cross-Channel acoustic telemetry network deployed at seven pilot sites in France, England and Belgium as well as by underwater video recordings. The data collected with these innovative technologies will help to better assess the impact of fishing, climate change and other human activities in the Channel. This knowledge will support an ecosystem approach to marine resource management in the area to ensure the sustainability of activities such as fisheries and marine renewable energy development projects.

Objectives

• To deploy an acoustic telemetry network and monitor the movements and favoured habitats of important marine species at seven pilot sites in the Channel, including two ORE areas.
• To share the data obtained with key project stakeholders, managers and policy makers to facilitate the implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management programmes in the Channel.

Scientific and technic content

• Deployment of an acoustic telemetry network, tagging of different target species and habitat characterisation of seven pilot sites.
• Analysis of individual movement data and identification of critical fish habitats.
• Use of FISHINTEL data to operationalise the ecosystem approach to fisheries at local and regional scales

Partners and financing

This cross-Channel Interreg partnership is led by the University of Plymouth and brings together 12 organisations from the UK, France and Belgium.

The total budget for the project is €4.1 million, of which €2.8 million is funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Interreg France (Channel) England programme.

Interreg France (Channel) England (FCE) is an EU programme set up to foster economic development in the south of the UK and north of France by funding innovative projects which have a sustainable and economic benefit.

More information: www.channelmanche.com