Foto from Jetze van Zwol | Posted on 17 november 2022 | This project is funded by
How many red mullet, red gurnard, and squid are swimming around? Although these are target species of flyshoot fishing, this question cannot yet be answered. Within the project ‘Knowledge Project VISwijzer and Flyshoot,’ a unique collaboration between three parties – Good Fish, Wageningen Marine Research, and the flyshoot fishermen of Cornelis Vrolijk/Jaczon – is conducting research on flyshoot fishing and its target species. One of the goals within this project is to pave the way for improved management and sustainability assessments of these three fish species through enhanced data collection.
In 2019, the collaboration began between the flyshoot fishermen of Cornelis Vrolijk/Jaczon, the scientific institute Wageningen Marine Research, and the environmental organization Good Fish. And that’s quite special! Fishermen often tend to be skeptical of environmental organizations. However, in this project, they are working together towards a common goal: contributing to the data collection of flyshoot fishing and its unmanaged target species within the EU-funded ‘Knowledge Project VISwijzer and Flyshootvis.’ In this project, the partners are working together to create support within the flyshoot fishing industry for data collection, thereby working towards improved stock assessments for red mullet, red gurnard, and squid. What does such a collaboration look like in practice? In this blog, we will delve into the contributions of each partner in the project.
Role of Cornelis Vrolijk/Jaczon
Cornelis Vrolijk/Jaczon is an international family-owned company engaged in fishing, aquaculture, processing, and trade of fish. In this project, they contribute by sharing historical catch data, filling out comprehensive observation forms about their catches during the project period, and having observers from Wageningen Marine Research on board to measure their catches. They possess a wealth of practical knowledge and, therefore, contribute to the development of a suitable data collection protocol. Flyshoot fishing cannot utilize the standard protocol used for other bottom fisheries. Therefore, Wageningen Marine Research is collaborating with Cornelis Vrolijk/Jaczon to create a protocol that is suitable for flyshoot fishing.
Role of Wageningen Marine Research
Wageningen Marine Research is a knowledge institute that employs fisheries biologists among other experts. They have substantial knowledge and experience in fisheries research. Within this project, they are responsible for collecting, processing, and analyzing the data necessary for better-informed sustainability assessments for red mullet, red gurnard, and squid. Additionally, experts from Wageningen Marine Research provide advice to Good Fish on improving the VISwijzer method and have developed a specialized protocol for data collection in flyshoot fishing.
Role of Good Fish
Based on the results provided by Wageningen Marine Research, Good Fish creates enhanced sustainability assessments for red mullet, red gurnard, and squid. However, the current assessment method of VISwijzer is most suitable for fisheries with clear target species and less suitable for assessing fish species from mixed fisheries. Therefore, within this project, Good Fish is developing a new assessment method that takes into account fish species from mixed fisheries. It’s essential to consider this because a GREEN-rated species might be in the same net as a RED-rated species. This method is currently under development but will be made public in the coming months with the opportunity for public input.
Knowledge Dissemination
The fish species caught in flyshoot fishing are relatively unknown in the Dutch market. Good Fish contributes to increasing knowledge in the Dutch market by sharing information about flyshoot fishing and its target species and providing insight into how the VISwijzer conducts sustainability assessments for these species. Additionally, an information package is being developed for fish retailers and the hospitality industry. More information about this project can be found on our Flyshoot project page.
Curious about the knowledge being gathered and how it is used within this project? Stay tuned for our next blog!
This project is funded by
