Establishing stakeholder connections for management of the Irish orange roughy fishery

In 2000, an Irish fishery for orange roughy commenced in ICES Subarea VII. Landings peaked at >5000 t in 2002, but the fishery was largely closed from January 2005 because of concern about unsustainable fishing and the negative effects on deepwater sharks and coral. A multidimensional project was initiated in 2003 to investigate the fishery system and to develop a management plan. The project emphasized the establishment of productive relationships with stakeholders, particularly fishers. We describe and evaluate the process by which such linkages were developed successfully. Informal discussion with fishers produced experiential knowledge that described fishery development and fishing strategies, and informed subsequent scientific data collection. Strengthening relationships permitted access to commercial fishing trips and cooperation in research. An atmosphere developed in which management options could be debated in both wheelhouse and boardroom. Eventually, a formal research/stock assessment survey took place in which fishers, agencies, and deepwater coral ecologists cooperated.