Transparency in the provision of evidence for fisheries and ecosystem management and policy development in the Central Arctic Ocean.

1. Accountability in knowledge production:
ensuring transparency & traceability of the
evidence base for fisheries management.
Mark Dickey-Collas,
Chair of ICES Advisory Committee
@ICES_ASC
www.ices.dk

2. Advice recipients & partners
>1,600 active scientists
20 member countries
150+ expert groups
129 years of data sets
Strategic partnerships
ICES - an international network of researchers

3. Our advice
Requesters
Fisheries & ecosystem:
Barents Sea
NEAFC area of CAO
Iceland
West Greenland
Seal management
>1.8 million tonnes fish catches
within an ecosystem approach

4. Ecosystem overviews
• Key pressures
• Trends
• State
with partners:
https://www.ices.dk/community/advisory-process/Pages/Ecosystem-overviews.aspx

5. Knowledge
Acquisition
Knowledge
Roles
Request &
Delivery
Knowledge
Quality
Communication & Frameworks
But how do you ensure a transparent, traceable &
inclusive process for fisheries & ecosystem knowledge?

6. Knowledge & methods are managed so findable,
accessible, interoperable & repeatable.
Multinational, open access by default:
• Survey databases
• Catch databases (rights based access)
• Methods & model input storage
• Output & stock information database
• Version control and storage of advice
Heading towards data management accreditation.
Web service oriented.
Regularly review data policy.

7. Key stage …
Building knowledge
Ecosystems, fishers, fleets
& science keep changing

8. Able to enquire through web services
Survey
databases
(catch)
Guidelines &
protocols
Mapping &
estimation scripts,
& inputs
Advice
GIS
outputs
Results
check & export

9. Technology is not the complete answer
Analytical approaches need more evidence & input
Example: North East Atlantic mackerel
Large uncertainty
Assessment influenced by model assumptions
2017 stock size estimated 3.0 million tonnes (2018)
2017 stock size estimated 4.4 million tonnes (2019)
estimatedstocksize
ICES advice over the years

10. Knowledge from many sources
• Fisheries science comes from an extremely numerical place
• It has a long history of working with fishing industry
ICES is moving into new territory, with new partners
• Combining quantitative & qualitative information
• Considering narratives, experience, traditional knowledge
• Providing evidence to explore social norms & values

11. Inclusive and functional
• Most of the process is open to interested parties
• All “requesters of advice” have access to complete process
• Researchers must be nominated to stock assessment
working groups
• All workshops, science groups & advice drafting groups
open/observers
Protections in place: observer policy, code of conduct,
conflict of interest, guidelines for groups.

12. Summary
• Community of researchers - long experience of providing knowledge for management
• Systems in place to ensure transparency & traceability of evidence base
• Embedding ecosystem approach in fisheries advice
• Working with regional partners (PICES & PAME) on ecosystem overviews
• Committed to explore methods incorporating traditional knowledge & include
indigenous stakeholders
• Prioritising mechanisms for knowledge flow & access