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This report considers the role that fishing and aquaculture play in maintaining and enhancing shellfish ecosystem services and delivering public goods and benefits. The relevance of this to future marine policy development is also considered.

A review and assessment of fishing gear design.

This report describes an assessment of the ecological effects of commercial fishing in waters off Southwest England (ICES Divisions VII e,f,g & h).

During the past decade, total squid landings from the NE Atlantic ranged from 10,000– 18,000 t. The bulk of European catches were landed by French, Portuguese, Spanish and UK fleets. Loligo forbesi is the most frequently caught species in UK waters, and forms the basis of significant by-catch fisheries, with annual landings as high as 3,500 t. A significant proportion (5–70%) of the total Scottish squid landings are caught in the Moray Firth, where a seasonal, directed fishery operates during summer-autumn. The size of the fleet directly involved in this fishery has ranged from 20–65 vessels in recent years. Many of the fishing crews target squid for several weeks, when large numbers of small squid recruit to the fishery.

The Shellfish Stakeholder Working Group (SSWG) commissioned Seafish to undertake a review of the application of the Official Control Regulations that apply to live bivalve production in EU Member States, with a focus on the microbial requirements.

Report on the Current State of Driftnet Fisheries in the UK.

Review of king scallop dredge designs and impacts, legislation and potential conflicts with offshore wind farms.

Report on research commissioned by Seafish to inform its planned development of a training and guidance programme to support aquaculture

This report reviews the impacts of underwater noise, vibration, and electro-magnetic fields generated by marine renewable energy devices on the behaviour, development and physiology of UK commercial crustacean species.

The aim of the project was to demonstrate an alternative fishing method commonly known as Outrigger trawling. This involved replacing the heavy beam trawls which are normally towed by the vessel with two demersal trawls, each trawl spread with its own set of trawl doors and towed from the derricks. This change alone will have a significant impact on bottom and gear drag. The steady increase in fuel prices was another driver for the fleet to look at alternatives to beam trawling. By adopting the outrigger fishing method vessels can reduce their fuel consumption enabling increased profitability and a reduction in environmental impact.