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

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

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

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

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

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= caught or cultured in environmentally friendly way Biology of the species Fishing method Growth rate, number of recruits, vulnerable habitat, sensitivity to overfishing, natural fluctuations, etc. Management Karl VG Catch area Sole in the Irish Sea Sole in the North Sea Protected areas, quota management, bycatch reducing measures, discard ban, etc. What is sustainable fish?

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Also take into account social and economic aspects of the fishery! Safety, wages, rentability, financial stability, workload, etc. What is sustainable fish?

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

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

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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 o MSC is too costly and not feasible for a large part of the fleet. o The system should be able to assess sustainability and make it visible to buyers. The VALDUVIS Project is born! July 2012 September 2014

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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Future 2015 Two trajectories EFF Axis 3 VALDUVIS II 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

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