The general objective of the impact-II project is to estimate direct and indirect effects of different types of fisheries on the ecosystem of the North Sea and the Irish Sea. This will be done by collecting data from literature, and by doing field and laboratory research. The information is essential for future management of fisheries, if a balanced choice between nature preservation and economic benefits is to be made. The whole proposal consists of four separate projects which all will provide essential information to be integrated in a final report and management recommendations: in project 1, published and unpublished historical and present data on catch and discard composition will be collected and analysed with the aim to reconstruct possible trends in catch and discard composition throughout this century. Quantification and comparison of the direct effects of different type of trawl fisheries on benthic fauna in the southern and central North Sea is the aim of project 2. In project 3, the effects of fishing disturbance will be estimated by comparing apparently fished and un-fished sites. Project 4 aims to study the effects of organic materials discarded by demersal fisheries on the benthic ecosystem.
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