Report of the 2019 symposium on responsible fishing technology for healthy ecosystems and a clean environment

Report of the 2019 symposium on responsible fishing technology for healthy ecosystems and a clean environment Synopsis

This report summarizes the four-day symposium organized as part of the 2019 annual meeting of the ICES-FAO Working Group on Fishing Technology and Fish Behaviour (WGFTFB). The symposium focused on: (i) abandoned, lost and otherwise discarded fishing gear, as well as measures to prevent it and mitigate its impact; (ii) interactions of protected species in capture fisheries; (iii) light, fish behaviour and fishing; (iv) technology and management to reduce bycatch and discards; (v) selectivity of fishing gear; means and methods; (vi) new technologies for fisheries research and education; (vii) energy, technology, analysis and simulation; and (viii) Chinese fisheries-status, challenges and future.The symposium provided an opportunity for fishing technologists and other experts from ICES member countries to exchange knowledge and ideas with contemporaries from around the world, especially from non-member countries in Asia and Latin America. Many new research findings and examples from field tests of gear were presented, including ways to systematically collect and recycle used fishing gear, options to reduce bycatch in trawl fisheries through modifications to the gear, fuel efficiency gains in fisheries through lighter gear, technologies to monitor fish behaviour with underwater cameras on fishing gear, and many other innovations. The 2019 meeting, hosted by FAO in close collaboration with the Shanghai Ocean University, was attended by more than 120 fishing technologists, scientists and other stakeholders, representing 23 countries from Europe, North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia.

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