Building a knowledge base for management of a new fishery: Boarfish (Capros aper) in the Northeast Atlantic

- A new fishery for boarfish (Capros aper) has evolved in the Northeast Atlantic.
- Knowledge gaps were rapidly filled through science-industry collaborative efforts.
- A six-tiered management approach has been proposed, dependent on data availability.
- Scientific knowledge generation was prioritised by pelagic industry actors.
- Industry stakeholders take on important roles in fisheries science and management.

This paper examines recent collaborative efforts by fisheries scientists and representatives from the pelagic fishing industry in Europe to generate a knowledge base to support management of a new fishery for boarfish (Capros aper) in the Northeast Atlantic. The forms of knowledge used and produced in the collaborations were investigated by applying a conceptual framework developed to help understand the detailed dynamics of knowledge exchange in mixed-actor settings. The collaborative initiatives studied were informal and efficient, and they benefited from financial support and co-ordination efforts by the industry actors. Generation of scientific knowledge was given high priority. Tangible collaborative outputs produced between 2010 and 2013 included new scientific insights into boarfish maturity and aging, initiation of an annual boarfish-specific acoustic survey, data to underpin a stock assessment, and two management plan proposals. The study highlights the information requirements that apply for fish stocks managed under the European Common Fisheries Policy and illustrates that the fishing industry can fill important roles in collaborative processes that aim to generate new scientific knowledge to support fisheries management.