New economic drivers and resilience for small-scale and sustainable niche fisheries, to compensate for the current loss of catches and funding in UK waters in the Southern North Sea (4C) and English Channel (7D) and access to (fishing) waters in the post-Brexit UK.

After decades of conservation measures (in the EU Common Fisheries Policy), the ‘najaars haring’ or Downs herring has recovered and has been fished sustainably (according to MSY criteria) for 2 decades. The species comes to spawn in the Southern North Sea and specifically along the Flemish Banks (VL-FR-VK) each year in autumn before returning to the common feeding grounds around Dogger Bank (Nov-Dec to Feb-March). It is a key species in the pelagic ('water column') ecosystem in the Belgian part of the North Sea. Historically, it was an important species and there has been a strong local culture, economic activity and capacity, which no longer exists today. It is also one of the species for which the BE quota remains largely unused, unlike in our neighbouring countries (UK, FR, NL, DK). VLIZ and ILVO reconstructed, in cooperation with knowledge partners (VUB, KU Leuven, UGent, MAS, NAVIGO a.o.), the historical context about the ecology, the fishing activities and the economic and social importance of this herring, as well as the historical role this and other species played in the evolution and identity of coastal cities in Flanders (Component1 (C1), part multidisciplinary knowledge building). ILVO and VLIZ manage the necessary fishery-technical and ecosystem knowledge (C2 component observation and forecasting capacity) to sustainably manage these target species. This multidisciplinary knowledge building is important for ecosystem management and fisheries policy and management (C3 modeling and models). ILVO hereby explores the possibility of developing (or restoring) a small-scale 'niche' seasonal fishery in the BNZ and nearby coastal waters (C4 fishery technical component), which can compensate for the loss of catches and economic value due to the Brexit. With guidance and support from ILVO, the partners involved aim for an integrated approach, with an eye for socio-economic feasibility, valorization & innovation, 'regional specificity', sustainability, short-chain, and culture and identity, link with blue tourism (a fish with a story) (Component 5: Advisory group on fisheries covenant)