On 3 August 2016 the European Commission has proposed a multi-annual plan for demersal fish stocks in the North Sea, aiming to ensure that stocks are fished at sustainable levels. The demersal sector in the North Sea represents more than 70% of the whole fishing sector and corresponds to more than 850 million euros in landed value.
Yesterday, 9 June 2016, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus E.Shestakov, made a very important annoucement during the 21st North Atlantic Fisheries Conference: to create a joint ocean science agenda for the North Atlantic.
The production of maps of natural zones and human activity, together with stock assessment, can enable ecosystem degradation analysis. Services related to investment analysis and the identification of strategic locations in aquaculture can represent a competitive advantage for the aquafarming sector.
The status of stocks is an essential indicator for management and policy activities aiming at the implementation of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries.