The Scottish government, the Scottish Pelagic Fishermen’s Association (SPFA) and UHI Shetland have concluded an MoU and data sharing agreement to coordinate the Scottish Pelagic Industry Science Data Collection Programme (SPISDCP).
‘This agreement is a very important milestone for the sampling programme because it formalises the commitments involved in the project and provides a sound base for developing future collaborative work,’ said SPFA chief scientific officer Dr Steven Mackinson.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and data sharing agreement is between Scottish Government Ministers acting through the Marine Directorate, SPFA and UHI.
‘The SPISDCP demonstrates the contribution which industry can make to science and the value of collaborative industry-science working, and this agreement further strengthens the work being undertaken and its future development,’ commented UHI Shetland pelagic fisheries scientist Dr Katie Brigden.
SPISDCP is a project set up to collect data for the provision of information on commercial pelagic catches for the purposes of stock assessment and research to improve understanding of pelagic fisheries and stocks.
The MoU provides a framework for the three parties to work collaboratively on all aspects of the design, planning, implementation and reporting of SPISDCP, and scientific publications arising from this work. The MoU and Data Sharing agreement will run until the end of 2030 when they will be reviewed.
‘This agreement ensures a reliable long‑term supply of high‑quality industry data to support the sustainable management of Scotland’s pelagic fisheries,’ said Matthew Gubbins, Senior Delivery Lead for Sea Fisheries at the Marine Directorate of the Scottish Government.
‘It underscores our commitment to working with industry partners as we continue to gather robust data to support evidence‑based management.’
