MaPTA Bass Fishery Management Plan Pilot

This report outlines the findings of a participatory workshop co-led by the Plymouth Fishing and Seafood Association and the ROCC project held in October 2024. The workshop engaged commercial bass fishermen using different gear types (hook and line, fixed nets, and trawls). The workshop used MaPTA to assess:

• Participants perceptions of the current status of the bass stock, ecosystem features, and stakeholder wellbeing
• Trade-offs of removing the bass authorization system and 5% trawl bycatch limit
• Alternative management measures and their acceptability

The aim of the workshops was to review the potential costs and benefits of the interventions and understand why they are deemed acceptable or not.

Following this workshop, MaPTA will be used in other FMP pilots to further examine the social and environmental trade-offs emerging from management decisions.

Read the report here.