The VALDUVIS project The valorization of sustainably caught fish voorblad 24 November 2014 Presentation for students of the EMBC master program Oostende Arne Kinds Kim Sys

Presentation outline Who are we? What is sustainability? The need for VALDUVIS in Belgian fisheries What is VALDUVIS all about? Future

① Developing and testing innovative fishing methods Who are we? Section Technical Fisheries Research = ‘research in support of the fishing sector’ ① Developing and testing innovative fishing methods ILVO – Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research ~ CEFAS (UK), IMARES (NL), IFREMER (FR)

Who are we? = ‘research in support of the fishing sector’ ② Designing and testing more selective nets ① Developing and testing innovative fishing methods ILVO – Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research ~ CEFAS (UK), IMARES (NL), IFREMER (FR)

① Developing and testing innovative fishing methods Who are we? Section Technical Fisheries Research = ‘research in support of the fishing sector’ ① Developing and testing innovative fishing methods ③ Sustainability ILVO – Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research ~ CEFAS (UK), IMARES (NL), IFREMER (FR)

What is sustainable fish? = caught or cultured in environmentally friendly way Biology of the species Catch area Growth rate, number of recruits, vulnerable habitat, sensitivity to overfishing, natural fluctuations, etc. Sole in the Irish Sea Sole in the North Sea Fishing method Management "Everyone admits that if a great many persons hunt on the land or fish in a river, the forest is easily exhausted of wild animals and the river of fish, but such a contingency is impossible in the case of the sea.“ Hugo Grotius © Karl VG Protected areas, quota management, bycatch reducing measures, discard ban, etc.

What is sustainable fish? Also take into account social and economic aspects of the fishery! "Everyone admits that if a great many persons hunt on the land or fish in a river, the forest is easily exhausted of wild animals and the river of fish, but such a contingency is impossible in the case of the sea.“ Valduvis weg Hugo Grotius Safety, wages, rentability, financial stability, workload, etc.

Pressure 1 Pressure 2 Pressure 3 Pressure 4 Belgian fisheries under pressure Pressure 1 Ecological impact of the beam trawl and the reluctance to abandon this gear Pressure 2 Decline of fishing operations and processing plants Pressure 3 Demand for sustainably caught fish Pressure 4 Import of cheap fish

The Belgian context Demand for sustainably caught fish Decline of fishing operations and processing plants ① Very little fish that is considered sustainable (>80% beam trawl) ② No labeled Belgian fish Ecological impact of the beam trawl and the reluctance to abandon this gear Import of (cheap) fish with labels

The VALDUVIS Project is born! What do we need? ILVO was asked by the fish auctions and the producers organization to develop a scoring system for sustainability, tailored to the Belgian situation MSC is too costly and not feasible for a large part of the fleet. The system should be able to assess sustainability and make it visible to buyers. The VALDUVIS Project is born! July 2012 – September 2014

VALDUVIS in one sentence To assess and visualize sustainability and quality in the Belgian fisheries with the aim of valorizing sustainably and freshly caught fish

VALDUVIS Real-time scoring of fishing trips and species in a multispecies fishery

VALDUVIS in a nutshell Next step: automation of calculations STEP 1: trip data STEP 2: calculations STEP 3: visualization Methodology for calculations is described in fact sheets for each indicator Asset: uses existing data stream (verified by government) Next step: automation of calculations

Adaptations for a sustainable fishery VALDUVIS in a nutshell Scoring on different levels Vessel Fishing trip Fish box Bottom impact Fuel consumption Fish stock Adaptations for a sustainable fishery Fishing pressure Season Discards Vulnerability Economic indicators Social indicators

VALDUVIS in a nutshell The unit of assessment 4 levels Trip Vessel Segment Different levels of communicating sustainability: vessel, fleet segment, whole fleet Variation in trip parameters result in different sustainability scores Fleet

Project ‘Traceability’ Reliability of the tool Correct calculation of the scores ‘The right scores on the right fish’ throughout the chain Project ‘Traceability’ in cooperation with Vlaamse Visveiling N.V. When was it caught? How was it caught? By whom was it caught? RFID technology

Participatory processes VALDUVIS in a nutshell Participatory processes Multistakeholder process Discussion groups Stakeholders FEEDBACK & APPROVAL FEEDBACK & APPROVAL FEEDBACK & APPROVAL Time Science ANALYSIS ANALYSIS ANALYSIS Scientific study

How is VALDUVIS new? Uses existing data streams 3 pillars of sustainability Not only ecological sustainability Uses existing data streams Local scientific knowledge and data → cheaper and trustworthy Scientifically sound Tailored to small-scale fisheries Active stakeholder participation Supported by the sector Scores for each trip, and each box New information for the Belgian fleet!

② Learning tool for fishermen The 4 uses of VALDUVIS in practice ① Monitoring Time series of the sustainability of the entire fleet Certain policy choices could be based on this information ② Learning tool for fishermen Discussions about scores in focus groups ILVO guarantees guidance on how to improve scores ③ Information for third parties Retail, processing, certification bodies, etc. ④ Label

2015 Two trajectories Future EFF Axis 3 VALDUVIS II INTERREG Vb TASK 1: Pilot TASK 2: Study the potential for different end users TASK 3: Accreditation and use INTERREG Vb The use of VALDUVIS in the North Sea Region Call opens March 2015, ILVO is looking for partners

Want to know more? @VALDUVIS @North_Sea_Fish Arne Kinds © The Guardian Arne Kinds arne.kinds@ilvo.vlaanderen.be +32 59 56 98 26 voorblad Kim Sys kim.sys@ilvo.vlaanderen.be +32 59 56 98 54