At Sea Simulation of the Operational and Economic Impacts of the Landing Obligation on Irish Demersal Fisheries

The Landing Obligation for demersal species will commence in 2016 in EU waters. The implementation of this regulation may impact fleet profitability by both increasing costs and reducing revenues. This study field tested operational and economic impacts of the LO in two demersal trawl fisheries in the Celtic Sea. Tactical alterations such as changes in fishing grounds assisted in reducing catches of undersize fish in a mixed demersal fishery but may also have led to reductions in catches of marketable fish and profitability. Utilisation of more selective gear greatly reduced catches of juvenile fish and prolonged fishing effort before choking occurred in a Nephrops fishery. Choke species are likely, however, to remain problematic in this fishery in other areas, and when catches of below minimum conservation reference size Nephrops are relatively high. Demonstration of major increases in economic returns under a likely quota uplift scenario in the Nephrops fishery highlights the importance of such measures in maintaining ongoing fleet economic viability in the face of major challenges posed by the LO.