Feasibility and effects of spatiotemporal closures on Baltic and Eastern North Sea herring stocks

The project will aim at evaluating the feasibility and effects of potential time-area closures applied to Baltic and North Sea herring stocks. The specific objectives are: (1) defining the actual scope(s) of time-area closures potentially applied to Baltic and North Sea herrings in the current context, compiling data that enable simulating the effects of time closures, and building precise closure scenarios; (2) assessing the implementation of time-area closures targeting specific stock components in the Baltic, based on individual markers (genetic and otolith microchemistry); (3) implementing a spatially explicit management strategy evaluation to assess the effects of different closure scenarios and the associated uncertainties, (4) assess the socio-economic impacts of these effects, (5) synthetizing the outcomes of the different closures evaluated and provide recommendations.