Hauling Up Solutions 2, to be held 22-24 March at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, is a dynamic workshop focused on exploring the role of alternative gears in reducing, and where possible, eliminating wildlife bycatch. The event will bring together stakeholders from industry, policy, science, conservation, seafood supply, engineering and gear design to develop clear recommendations for realistic and practical options for using alternative gears in UK fisheries.
Over the three days, presentations and discussions will be held on current bycatch mitigation measures, including a review of the current landscape for alternative gears, and the barriers and incentives associated with their uptake. The workshop will also feature an exhibition of gear, tech and research related to bycatch-mitigation, and a marine animal dissection event.
Through a highly interactive agenda, the workshop seeks to encourage collaboration and knowledge sharing with the aim of:
- Celebrating and reviewing existing bycatch reduction work underway in the UK.
- Better-understanding the state of play for the use of alternatives to net fishing gears across the world, including building awareness of benefits, challenges and knowledge-gaps.
- Encouraging new thinking to push the boundaries of current bycatch-reduction measures in UK fisheries, capturing both barriers and incentives.
- Developing clear, actionable recommendations for policy on the subject of alternative gears use, and realistic, practical options for its implementation in UK fisheries.
Fishermen and gear manufacturers are particularly encouraged to attend to provide their expertise and insight, and support the development of future recommendations – further details can be found here. To support attendance of industry members, a limited amount of funding is available for travel and accommodation.
For more details on how to access this funding, or for any other queries, please contact secretariat@cleancatchuk.com.