“I spy with my little eye…a floundering flatfish”: can self-sampling by fishers facilitate the implementation of the discard ban?

With the reformed Common Fisheries Policy more than ever before it is important to know what commercial fishers catch at-sea, as opposed to what is landed ashore. Assessments of the condition of captured fish will be equally important for granting exemptions from the landing obligation or discard ban on the basis of ‘high survival’. To meet these data needs, fisheries-dependent observations are needed on large spatial and temporal scales. Traditional techniques of observer monitoring may not suffice and the utility of alternatives such as self-sampling and electronic monitoring need to be explored. Practicality of collection and validation of data are key challenges. Using a case study where the ability of different observers to accurately score presence/absence of neuro-muscular reflex impairment and physical injury was compared, we illustrate how to control bias and improve data reliability. The Reflex Action Mortality Predictor (RAMP) method is a proven concept that has been validated in predicting vitality and mortality in a variety of taxa. It may be a promising technique to reliably predict survival of discarded fish without actually tracing its fate. For making predictions about survival on a fleet-wide scale, considerable numbers of fish caught across the full spectrum of possible fishing conditions, will need to be assessed. Integrating self-sampling, observer and electronic monitoring techniques in the collection of such and other data, and tying their quality to an incentive-based system of levies or auction sales may be the way forward for a ‘future fleet’.