The United Kingdom’s Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) has opened its new Fisheries International Centre of Excellence (ICoE) with the aim of becoming the go-to source of advice for successful fisheries management.
Newly appointed ICoE Fisheries Director Jim Ellis that the center’s mission is to provide essential fisheries expertise and capability for the U.K. government and help ensure that the country meets fisheries responsibilities as an independent coastal state.
“We aim to strengthen critical links between fisheries monitoring, data, resource assessment, and advice. Through the center, we will increase the scale and impact of Cefas’ fisheries science, providing a recognized target for investment and opportunities for focused career development in fisheries science,” he said.
According to Cefas, the main objectives of the center are to:
- Advance, apply, and share expertise in fisheries science and advice to further fisheries sustainability
- Showcase and strengthen Cefas’ end-to-end and quality-assured support for successful fisheries management
- Provide a focus for ongoing technical support and guidance to meet the needs of partner institutions and countries
It added that the following four key science pillars are core to the center’s work:
- The collection of high-quality data;
- Quality assurance and stewardship of both historic and contemporary data;
- Robust data analyses, including novel approaches to assessing and understanding the status of fish and shellfish stocks;
- Scientific outputs, which include contributions to ICES’ Working Groups, peer-reviewed publications and advice to governments and other relevant bodies.
“The Fisheries International Centre of Excellence is a reflection of the expertise, skill, and dedication of all the contributing staff. From collecting data at the fish market at the crack of dawn, or on a rolling vessel, right through to our senior colleagues providing advice in fisheries negotiations, we all have a role in maintaining the center’s excellence,” ICoE Fisheries Quality Lead Sally Songer said.
Cefas is an agency within the U.K. government’s Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra).
“As we enter the U.N. Decade of Ocean Science and this marine ‘Super Year,’ the need for excellent fisheries science and advice is more apparent than ever, both in the U.K. and overseas,” Defra Chief Fisheries Science Advisor Carl O’ Brien said. “The requirement for impartial, robust, evidence-based advice relating to both target and bycatch species is crucial as society seeks to ensure the sustainable management of our fishery resources, the livelihoods of our fishing and coastal communities, and the health and diversity of the life under water.”
The fisheries center is intended to complement Cefas’ three other ICoEs, spanning aquatic animal health, seafood safety, and climate change.
