Germany: Securing and developing coastal fishing in Lower Saxony

Project Background

Coastal fishing in Lower Saxony has a long history and tradition that goes back thousands of years. In our time, this fishery faces many challenges. The resources available to it are changing due to various influencing factors, the demands of the market are becoming stricter, other uses are increasingly encroaching on the territorial sea and affecting the fishing grounds of coastal fisheries. In addition, fisheries have to work with an increasingly dense network of regulations. At the same time, technical progress offers the opportunity to increase the efficiency of fishing, but this cannot always be implemented given the framework conditions in the Lower Saxony's fleet. The average age of cutters continues to rise, while their number is decreasing.

In view of these challenges, the Lower Saxony Ministry for Rural Areas, Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection commissioned a study from COFAD in 2004 that analysed Lower Saxony's coastal fisheries and their framework conditions with the aim of highlighting prospects for a sustainable, secure existence for coastal fisheries and identifying possible solutions and fields of action.

Objectives

After a detailed analysis of the situation of inshore fisheries, including its resources, legal situation, upstream and downstream economic sectors, other uses of the sea, etc., the main threats to inshore fisheries and existing development opportunities were identified. The analysis also formed the basis for measures to improve the situation of coastal fisheries for stakeholders in the affected areas.

In the current study, the fisheries study prepared by COFAD in 2004 ("Coastal fisheries in Lower Saxony, status and perspectives") was further developed and, among other things, concepts for securing fishing areas, increasing (regional) value creation and improving the legal status of fisheries were presented in order to create added value and strengthen fishing communities in local development and political decision-making. New issues (e.g. marine spatial planning and wind energy) that have been added since 2004 have been considered and incorporated. The study was carried out in coordination with recent proposals to include fisheries aspects in the amendment of the Regional Spatial Planning Programme for the German North Sea. The situation of coastal fisheries was also examined in international comparison. The development of concrete recommendations for action, both for fisheries and for policy, was another objective of the study.

Activities and/or Results

• Development of the concept and structuring of the work, development of a detailed structure for the study
• Coordination of the project approach and the schedule with the client
• Identification of relevant participants or interest groups ("stakeholders")
• Literature research, data acquisition
• Interviews, possibly focus group discussions
• Conducting a stakeholder workshop to discuss issues
• Evaluation and analysis of the collected information and data
• Completion of a draft report, including the formulation of preliminary options and recommendations for action
• Presentation and discussion of the draft with clients and stakeholders
• Revision of the draft, incorporation of possible change requests or other ideas/suggestions from the client and other parties involved
• Completion of the final report