Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development is one of the sustainable development goals (SDG 14) set by the United Nations, and has among its specific targets the achievement of sustainable fishing.

Fisheries sustainability must reconcile biodiversity conservation and socioeconomic viability, as the lack of a comprehensive management perspective threatens the long-term survival of targeted species and the profitability of the fishery. However, fisheries management design is made challenging by the complex spatiotemporal interactions between fish and fisheries.

SEAwise (Shaping ecosystem based fisheries management) is a research project funded by the EU under the H2020 Research and Innovation Programme addressing the challenge of increasing fisheries benefits while reducing impacts on ecosystems under global environmental change.

The project evaluates candidate fisheries management policies from a holistic, integrated perspective based on the concept of Social-Ecological Systems. SEAwise uses Ecosystem-Based Risk Assessment (EBRA), stakeholder co-design, systematic review of peer-reviewed literature and projects to ensure that results are useful to European decision makers.

In particular, The project focuses on the impact of fisheries management measures on Common Fisheries Policy related indicators, fisheries related ecological aspects of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, the European Biodiversity Strategy, and UN SDGs, including the need to reduce carbon emissions, reduce marine litter and increase coastal community cohesion.

In SEAwise, societal players work together during the entire research and innovation process to define priorities and act as a ‘reality check’ of the operationalization of policy objectives into indicators, including conflicts between policy objectives. They will also advise on the relevance of data, models and results following the principles of Responsible Research and Innovation.