Post by ICES - International Council for the Exploration of the Sea

Strengthening understanding between science and policy This week, ICES met with a Flemish delegation which included a team from the Flemish Ministry of Fisheries (Belgium), Eliah Peeters, Annie Cool and Carmen De Rudder, the Director of the Belgian Fisheries Producers’ Organisation Emiel Brouckaert, the CEO of the Flemish Agency for Agriculture and Fisheries Patricia D., the Scientific director of Fisheries and Aquatic Production at ILVO (Instituut voor Landbouw, Visserij- en Voedingsonderzoek) Hans Polet, and representatives of Flanders in the Nordic countries Geraldine Reymenants and Lotte Ysenbrandt, to exchange views on how marine science supports effective fisheries management. We discussed • How independent scientific advice is developed • Opportunities and challenges in fisheries • The use of new data and emerging techniques • The possibility of piloting an integrated industry data-collection framework across ICES member countries • Views of Belgian fishers Open, constructive dialogue like this helps ensure that science, data, and policy remain closely connected to support sustainable fisheries across Europe and ICES Member Countries.