17-18 November 2025
At the ICES – MISSION ATLANTIC Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) Symposium on 17-18 November 2025, the Marine Guardian WP5 Lead on Impact Maximisation, Caecilia Managò (ICES), represented the project with a poster showcasing the Key Exploitable Results – scalable fishing gear solutions – to reduce bycatch and supporting sustainable and economically viable fisheries in the Atlantic and Arctic basins.
Presentations on the Integrated Ecosystem Assessment (IEA) research findings illustrated in Sanky diagrams how different sectors generate pressures and how these affect ecological components. Across the Atlantic, from South Africa to Trinidade Island (Brazil) and at basin scale, bycatch was identified as a major pressure on marine ecosystems.
At the same time, advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) on Bycatch of endangered, threatened and protected (ETP) species highlights that bycatch mitigation is complex and requires tailored combinations of alternative gears, spatial measures (e.g. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)), and temporal measures such as seasonal closures).
The Marine Guardian project addresses this challenge by bringing forward innovative fishing gear designed to reduce incidental catches, protect sensitive species and habitats, and support economically viable fisheries. Among these solutions, devices like Smartrawl enable fishers to safely release non-target species before harm occurs, demonstrating how technology can translate scientific insights into practical, real-world results (Here is the overview of the MarineGuardian solutions).
In relation to MPAs, MarineGuardian collaborated with the BioProtect Project at the Symposium, playing a role-game facilitated by Sophie Jensen (Matís, BioProtect Coordinator). The game simulates stakeholder perspectives in MPA management, exploring trade-offs between conservation, fisheries, and community needs, showing how gear innovation, spatial planning, and temporal measures need to be addressed in an integrated way, to achieve effective and sustainable Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management.
Based on the research findings shown at the Symposium, the science-based advice by ICES, MarineGuardian developments for innovative fishing gear and BioProtect stakeholder perspectives, we can co-deliver measurable impact: reducing bycatch, protecting sensitive habitats, and supporting sustainable livelihoods in fisheries—critical steps toward the EU Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters’ Objectives.