Bay of Biscay Case Study

Led by The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)

Overview: The Bay of Biscay is a biodiverse and dynamic region where climate change is affecting demersal fisheries. The local bottom trawl fleet, which accounts for around 17% of Spanish landings, targets valuable species but operates in a rapidly changing environment.

Challenges: Climate change is altering fish distributions and ecosystem dynamics. The fishery faces high discard rates, bycatch, and fragmented data, making effective management more difficult.

Solutions: Develop AI-assisted decision-support tools using dynamic maps to predict fish abundance, bycatch, and discards under future climate scenarios. Use ecosystem models to guide adaptation strategies and explore sustainable uses of emerging species.

Picture credtis: CSIC

Species

Hake, megrim, blue whiting, horse mackerel, anglerfish

Fleet

Demersal trawlers

Solutions

AI-based dynamic maps to reduce bycatch and discards and support sustainable use of emerging species

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