Bruges Metropolitan Area
Modern fisheries management is based on sound information on fish stocks and their function in the ecosystem, a thorough knowledge of the efficiency and impacts of fishing methods and insight into the socio-economic aspects of fisheries. ILVO provides governments with this information. ILVO supports and advises the fisheries sector and fisheries trade in their pursuit of sustainable fishing. As scientific director of the research domain "Fisheries and Aquatic Production" of ILVO, my main task is the management of the team. This comprises the formulation of the research vision and strategy, screening of financing sources, writing project proposals, coordination of research projects, ensure the visibility and good reputation of the research group, coaching personnel and provide a high quality reporting to financers. What do we do ? • Assessment of fish stocks • Research into the dynamics of marine ecosystems • Assess the consequences of management measures for fish and fisheries • Study how fishing gear functions • Design fishing gear, build scale models and full scale optimised gears. • Study the side effects of fishing • Study and demonstrate alternative fishing gears • We are building expertise in fisheries economics, fleet dynamics and adaptation strategy. The backbone of our group is a strong sea-going team and equipment to measure and observe at sea. My expertise: Fishing gear, environmental impact, alternative fishing methods, fisheries data, fisheries management
As scientific director of the marine research section of ILVO, my main task is the management of the team. This comprises the formulation of the research vision and strategy, screening of financing sources, writing project proposals, coordination of research projects, ensure the visibility and good reputation of the research group, coaching personnel and provide a high quality reporting to financers. The research topics are fish stock assessment, ecosystem approach to fisheries management, fishing gear research, ecosystem impact of fisheries, fleet dynamics and adaptation strategies. Recently my focus goes to the flaws in the fisheries management system in the EU and into the formulation of a viable alternative.
Major Duties: Scientific Director of ILVO Marine - Oversees ILVO’s marine research programs and strategy. - Manages interdisciplinary teams working on sustainable fisheries and marine ecosystem health. Policy Support and Scientific Advice - Provides scientific advice to regional, national, and European policymakers. - Challenges the functioning of the CFP (Common Fisheries Policy) and the quality of the scientific data collection. - Promotes alternative ways of managing fisheries and collecting data based on openness, collaboration, real time data collection and quasi real time advice. Project Supervision and Coordination - Leads and supervises major national and European research projects. - Develops and coordinates decision support tools for fisheries policy and management. Development of Sustainability Tools - Responsible for the scientific development and implementation of tools used to assess sustainability in the fishing industry. Promoting Research Collaboration - Actively strengthens collaborations with other marine institutions such as VLIZ. - Encourages integrated, ecosystem-based research approaches.
In this function, that I carried out until 2012, I partly carried out scientific work including setting up projects, experimental work at sea and data analysis. Besides this I led the team, coached the people and organised the project work.