Fisheries policy is increasingly influenced by civil society organizations. The newest example of this is the formulation of the landing obligation, a regulation that should reduce the contested practice of discarding unwanted fish. In this paper the implementation process of the landing obligation in four European countries is compared. From this comparison it becomes clear that fishers are working on diminishing discards. However it also shows that for the legitimacy, and the effectiveness of policy it is not only vital to increase the influence of civil society actors, but also the participation of resource users. Their views, knowledge, and cooperation are vital for a successful implementation of the regulation. Otherwise, resistance become too high, and regulation becomes more symbolic than a tool for change.

Marine activities have been increasingly competing for space and reducing areas for fishing. The use of spatially explicit tools can assist the decision making process on defining the optimal location of closures for fishing due to these emerging activities.This paper presents the Spatial Integrated bio-economic Model for FISHeries (SIMFISH). In this model fishers behaviour is simulated based on optimal effort allocation. The added value of this model compared to other existing spatial management tools lies in the presence of (i) short and long term fishers behaviour (ii) spatial explicit stock and fleet dynamics and (iii) relatively low data requirements.As an illustration, SIMFISH is applied in this paper to estimate the impact of area closures in the North Sea. Overall area closures have a negative impact on the profitability of the fleets. This would be worsened with higher fuel prices and decreased stock productivity. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Key findings: The FISHRENT model is a major step forward in bio-economic model-ling, combining features that have not been fully integrated in earlier models: 1- Incorporation of any number of species (or stock) and/or fleets 2- Integration of simulation and optimisation over a period of 25 years 3- Integration of effort and TAC-driven management policies 4- Three independent relations for stock growth, production and investments. The feedbacks within the model allow for a dynamic simulation. The main application of the model is scenario analysis of policy options. Complementary findings: The model formulates a complete set of mathematical relations, but it also con-tains a number of important assumptions, which remain to be tested empirically. Therefore the model presents a challenging agenda for empirical research, which should lead to further qualitative and quantitative improvements of the in-dividual mathematical equations and parameter values. Method: This model was developed during the EU-funded project 'Remuneration of spawning stock biomass'. Its aim was to generate consistent sets of scenarios for an assessment of potential resource rents in different EU fisheries. The model comprises six modules, each focussing on a different aspect of the functioning of the fisheries system: biology (stocks), economy (costs, earnings and profits), policy (TACs, effort and access fees), behaviour (investments), prices (fish and fuel) and an interface linking the modules together. Input, calculation and output are clearly separated. The model produces a standard set of graphics, which provide a quick insight into the results of any model run. All output of the model runs can be exported to database software for further analysis. The model has been built in Excel, which makes it accessible for most us-ers. It has been used in new applications and even translated to other software. The model is continually further developed.

In het hier gepresenteerde onderzoek is een database ontwikkeld met de ruimtelijke verspreidingspatronen van visserijinzet, vangsten en vangstwaardes van de Nederlandse en buitenlandse visserijen in het Nederlandse deel van de Noordzee. Op basis van deze database zijn verspreidingskaarten gemaakt. Daarnaast zijn schattingen gemaakt van de waarde van verschillende visserijen in gebieden die door Nederland zijn aangewezen als Natura 2000-gebieden.

Alternative management scenarios were evaluated in a simulation framework that mimicked the recent exploitation of sole and plaice in the North Sea. A large proportion of plaice is taken as bycatch of the beam trawl fleet targeting sole, yet current management of the two stocks assumes no interaction in their exploitation. The evaluation criteria included biological and economic sustainability, and stability in the management measures. The fishery was assumed to respond to management restrictions by dropping the least profitable trips. We investigated two contrasting management strategies, single-species total allowable catches, and effort regulation. Under the assumptions made, the latter strategy performed better. The results suggest that, given assessment error and bias, a strategy that accounts for the mixed nature of a fishery and that occasionally results in perceived underexploitation may work best. Stability in fishing mortality reinforces itself, through lower assessment bias, and management corrections become less frequent. The common assumption in many stock assessments in EC waters that fishing mortality in the most recent year should resemble the value obtained in previous years ("shrinkage") had a negative effect on the stability of control measures.