This report reviews the impact of human activity on fish and fisheries in the North Sea. The North Sea is one of the world’s most important fishing grounds. In the central and northern parts there is a mixed demersal fishery that targets cod, haddock and whiting; plaice and sole are trawled in the southern and southeastern North Sea; there are extensive pelagic fisheries for herring and mackerel; crustaceans fisheries for Norway lobster, crab and scallop; and industrial fisheries for sandeel and Norway pout.
The recent Quality Status Report for the North Sea (OSPAR 2000) shows that commercial fishing itself has the highest impact on fish populations. The various impacts of the offshore oil and gas industry (e.g. seismic surveys, drilling discharges, produced water discharges…) are classified as intermediate in scale.
The biology of the commercially important fish and shellfish that occur in the offshore waters of the North Sea is discussed. Numerous maps, showing the location of spawning activity and the location of fishing effort, are included. This report is relevant to both SEA 2 and SEA 3 areas.
There is concern about the stocks of herring, cod, haddock, whiting, saithe, plaice and sole which are close to or outside Safe Biological Limits. Catch levels for many fish stocks are almost certainly not sustainable. Increasingly stringent fishery management actions are being taken by the European Commission to try to alleviate the problem of declining fish stocks. Such actions may lead to increasing conflict between the fishing and the offshore oil and gas industries, e.g. by displacing fishing activity away from traditional grounds towards oil and gas fields. However, well established means of liaison exist between the two industries.
This report was prepared by scientists from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) Lowestoft Laboratory with additional data supplied by the Fisheries Research Services Marine Laboratory in Aberdeen
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