The UK Fisheries Economic Network (UKFEN) was set up by Seafish in 2011 as an informal network for economists and analysts working in connection with the UK fishing and seafood industries.
At the end of March UKFEN hosted a workshop which brought together economists and industry representatives to develop best practice guidelines on how to assess economic impacts of closed areas such as MPAs and windfarms.
A draft of the guidelines will shortly be available and UKFEN is urging members of industry to submit comments on the draft guidelines to Seafish by the deadline on 9 July. It is hoped that this collaborative process will lead to a comprehensive set of agreed guidelines on economic impact assessments that is robust and endorsed by the industry organisations whose members who are directly affected by the closure of fishing grounds.
Hazel Curtis, chief economist at Seafish explains: “A key aim of producing these guidelines is that less time can be spent discussing the methods and findings of impact assessments, with more time available for deciding how to mitigate and effectively address impacts. UKFEN members are keen to ensure that we can devise an approach that is well supported and understood by industry and by our peers and we hope for a good level of feedback to incorporate into the final guidance.”
From 11 June the draft guidelines will be available to view here and all feedback is welcome.
