RAMP method video developed by ILVO

ILVO (Belgium Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research) has developed RAMP methods for three species of flatfish (plaice, sole, and dab) in European fisheries.

The first video sets the scene and explains the potential relevance of this method in relation to the recently reformed European Common Fisheries Policy.

The second video explains and demonstrates reflex tests in more detail and may guide other investigators in defining and recognizing reflex actions.

An excerpt from the video text explains, “A staggering amount of commercially-caught fish is being thrown overboard. Some say that all of those discarded fish are either dead before they hit the water or they die soon after, victims of predation or injury. But others argue that some of those species are strong enough to survive after being discarded and live long enough to reproduce. The European Common Fisheries Policy was recently reformed and will now phase in a ban on discarding, meaning that fishers will have to land everything they catch. The idea behind the ban is to stimulate more selective fishing techniques, because it will be in the fisher’s interest to only catch the most valuable fish. However, by landing everything, this ban risks killing more fish than before. If a juvenile fish lives long enough after being discarded to spawn new fish, it should be given that opportunity. For this reason, the discard policy provides an important exception: if a certain species can be scientifically proven to have a high chance of survival, fish of that species should be thrown back after catch. Researchers at the Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research (or ILVO) in Ostend, Belgium are testing the most commercially important species of flatfish - plaice, sole and dab – for their likelihood of survival.”