UK Seafood Fund – Fisheries Industry Science Partnerships (FISP) (Part B - Procurement)

The tenderer will provide research in order to collect data that improves the knowledge of UK fisheries and aquaculture and their interaction with the marine environment and other marine species to support sustainable fisheries management. The data to be collected and subsequent analysis will be proposed by the UK fishing/seafood industry in collaboration with an appropriate research organisation. Defra requires data to be collected in established ways, as set out in the appropriate MEDIN data collection standards (Marine Environmental Data and Information Network), openly published on the appropriate MEDIN data archive centre, and to publish a scientific report that sets out the data collected, the methodology used and analysis of that data. The increase in available data and the improvement of knowledge will benefit the UK Government and the UK seafood industry by providing a greater understanding of UK fish stocks and the interaction with other species and the marine environment, which can be used to support UK fisheries policy development and management. The tender is divided into three Lots as described below, Tenderers may bid for contracts under more than one of the Lots, as applicable. Lot 1 Fisheries Data Collection - Will address key knowledge gaps to develop assessment and management approaches, including on biological processes such as growth and maturity, ecological processes such as predator-prey relationships, habitat availability/change, mixed-usage water space and stock definition. Projects on data-limited stocks and species are particularly required. Lot 2 Mixed Fisheries and Selectivity - Will support developing and evaluating new measures that improve the protection of vulnerable stocks while maintaining viable fisheries. The Fishery Fund can support the development and implementation of a UK catch and discard policy, ensuring it is evidence-based and developed with input from the fishing industry. Lot 3 Environmental Impacts of Aquaculture - Focuses on two areas: 1) better understanding the ecosystem benefits of aquaculture 2) how the environmental impacts of existing systems can be minimised.