Rijnsdorp, A.D.

Stamoulis, A.

Torreele, E.

Vassilopoulou, V.

Open Marine Archive

The problem(s) 
• (Over)Fishing results to the reduction of target resources and 
generates discards due to high-grading (ecosystem). 
• Major economic costs, loss of  income and jobs (society). 
• Fisheries mismanagement and the need to move from the 
conventional single species management to an ecosystem-based 
approach (policy). 
• Fisheries policy is most effective when adaptive  management 
processes are adopted, considering stakeholders’ perspectives 
which ensures higher compliance (governance). 
Aim 
To support fisheries management in EU waters by using 
ecosystem-based indicators. 
More information:  +32(0)59/569834    Antonios.Stamoulis@ilvo.vlaanderen.be 
1 Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, Animal Sciences Fisheries (ILVO),  
Ankerstraat 1, B-8400 Ostend, Belgium 
Assessing the Impact of Fisheries on Demersal Resources using 
Ecosystem-based Indicators. 
Antonios Stamoulis1,2,3, Vassiliki Vassilopoulou3, Els Torreele1 and Adriaan D Rijnsdorp2,4 
1Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Animal Sciences Unit – Fisheries 
Ankerstraat 1, 8400 Ostend, Belgium  
Email: antonios.stamoulis@ilvo.vlaanderen.be  
2Aquaculture and Fisheries Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AK Wageningen, The Netherlands 
3Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Agios Kosmas Helleniko, 16777, Athens, Greece  
4Wageningen IMARES, Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Studies, PO Box 68, 1970 AB IJmuiden, The Netherlands 
Study areas: Two Marine ecosystems – Two Fishery systems: 
1. North Sea (ICES IVb & IVc) 
2. Eastern Mediterranean/Aegean Sea (GFCM GSA 22) 
Description of ecosystems 
 
 
 
Description of conservation aspects 
 
 
 
Description of fishery per ecosystem 
 
 
Identification of groups of fishery-related 
stakeholders 
 
Side - Tasks 
Using Pressure, State and Response 
Indicators to explore Ecosystem, Socio-
Economic and Governance issues related 
to demersal fisheries in two study areas • Data availability 
• Relevancy, robustness 
• Sensitivity, responsiveness 
 
Criteria 
• Indicators are tools that assist management. 
• They can be single numerical metrics or  
combination of metrics, based on data 
collected and processed for a clearly defined  
analytical or policy purpose. 
• Suites of selected indicators will be applied to  
the two areas. 
• Power analysis will help identifying indicators 
needing shorter time series to respond. 
 
 
 
BeamTrawler (© KVG) 
Discards (© KVG) 
Bottom Trawler 
Final Product:  
a suite of indicators for both ecosystems 
What about Indicators? 
• A formal analysis framework will test which  
indicators catch real tradeoffs between  
ecological, socioeconomic and governance 
issues. 
• Selected groups of stakeholders will score  
giving a higher weight to those considered as 
more relevant and meaningful according to  
their needs. 
 
 
 
PUT INTO 
 
Suite of 
indicators  
CONSULT RESULT 
Indicators & management scenarios’ evaluation 
© Hans Hillewaert) 
Selection of Indicators 


Assessing the impact of fisheries on demersal resources using ecosystem-based indicators

Assessing the impact of fisheries on demersal resources using 
ecosystem-based indicators. 
Stamoulis Antonios1,2,3, Adriaan D. Rijnsdorp2,4, Vassiliki Vassilopoulou3 and Els Torreele1 
1 Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (ILVO), Animal Sciences Unit – Fisheries, 
Ankerstraat 1, B-8400 Ostend, Belgium 
Email: antonios.stamoulis@ilvo.vlaanderen.be  
2 Aquaculture and Fisheries Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen,  
the Netherlands 
3 Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Agios Kosmas Helleniko, 16777, Athens, Greece 
4 Wageningen IMARES, Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Studies, PO Box 68, 1970 AB 
IJmuiden, the Netherlands 
 
Fishing has been pointed as one of the oldest and main anthropogenic pressures, having an impact 
on marine ecosystems. Fishing generates by-catch, discards and high grading, the latter being a 
routine practice in European waters. Existing management systems have been proven to be 
ineffective to tackle most of the underlying issues. There is a high degree of public awareness about 
the risks and consequences of overfishing and the need to manage technological innovations and 
economic incentives wisely in often sensitive ecosystems.  
 
Fisheries management, mainly focused on single species, is shifting to an ecosystem approach to 
management (EAM)with the objective to sustain both healthy ecosystems and the fisheries they 
support. Sustainable fisheries are faced with socio-economic difficulties such as excess capital, fast 
technological progress, labour force redundancy and conflicts between groups of fishermen. In 
multi-stakeholder settings, different perceptions about spatiotemporal patterns in fish stocks and 
related activities are important but problematic as they elicit controversies and unbalanced disputes. 
 
Our study will focus on the demersal (living on or near the sea-bottom) fisheries in twoEuropean 
marine regions with different ecosystem characteristics, the North Sea and the North-eastern 
Mediterranean. A generic set of SMART (Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-bound) 
indicators relevant to the EAM will be selected and quantified in the two study areas to assess the 
pressure exerted on fishery resources, their state, the socio-economics of the fisheries, as well as the 
governance of the respective fishery systems. Hence, the effectiveness of existing management 
regimeswill be evaluated and possible recommendations will be provided to stimulate action in 
improving pursuance of sustainability objectives. 
 
The main target is to develop a generic set of relevant and meaningful indicators that may be 
applicable to different ecosystems as advisory tools contributing to sustainable fisheries 
management.New knowledge produced through this PhD project will constitute value added output 
in line with needs arising by high-level policies’ (Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Common 
Fisheries Policy) objectives. 
 
References 
Bethan C., C.R. Smart, F.C. Neale, J.P. Hawkins, S. Newman, A.C. Milman and C.M. Roberts. 2011. 
Fisheries mismanagement, published online 21 October 2011, 
doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2011.09.032. 
European Commission 2008. Communication from the commission to the council and the European 
parliament. The role of the CFP in implementing an ecosystem approach to marine 
management. Available online from: 
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2008:0187:FIN:EN:PDF. 
FAO. 1999. Report of the meeting of FAO and non-FAO regional fishery bodies or arrangements. 
Rome, 11-12 February 1999. FAO Fisheries Report 597. Rome, FAO. 53p. 
FAO. 2003. Garcia S.M., A. Zerbi, C. Aliaume, T. Do Chi, and G. Lasserre. 2003. The ecosystem 
approach to fisheries – Issues, terminology, principles, institutional foundations, 
implementation and outlook. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper 443. 71 pp. 
Franquesa R. 2001. Methodology and use of socio-economic indicators for managing fisheries. 
OECD Fishing Committee, AGR/FI(2001)12/Part 1. 
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Jackson J.B.C., M.X. Kirby, W.H. Berger, K.A. Bjorndal, L.W. Botsford, B.J. Bourque, R.H. Bradbury, 
R.G. Cooke, J. Erlandson, J.A. Estes, T.P. Hughes, S.M. Kidwell, C.B. Lange, H.S. Lenihan, J.M. 
Pandolfi, C.H. Peterson, R.S.Steneck, M.J. Tegner and  R.R. Warner. 2001. Historical overfishing 
and the recent collapse of coastal ecosystems. Science 293(5530):629-637. 
Rijnsdorp A.D., N. Daan, W. Dekker, J.-J. Poos and W.L.T. Van Densen.  2007. Sustainable use of 
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Assessing the impact of fisheries on demersal resources using ecosystem-based indicators

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