FISH INTEL Interreg France (Channel) England

€4.1million project using cutting edge technology to enhance the habitats of key fish species
Fisheries Innovation for sustainable SHared INTerchannEL resources

Fisheries Innovation for sustainable SHared INTerchannEL resources

Our cross-Channel partnership uses innovative underwater acoustic tracking technology to identify the environmental conditions a range of important marine species need in order to thrive.
The €4.1million FISH INTEL project, supported by €2.8million from the European Regional Development Fund via the Interreg France (Channel) England programme, focuses on a series of sites along the coastlines of southern England, northern France and Belgium.
Through a combination of fish tracking and underwater video surveys, the project will help us understand more about fish movements and the habitats individual species prefer.
We will also contribute to a growing amount of data assessing the impact of fishing, climate change and other human activities – such as the development of offshore renewable energy sites and offshore mariculture – on the Channel/Manche region.
The FISH INTEL project involves research organisations across the UK, France and Belgium who work directly with fishers, regulators and industry representatives in the three countries, with the University of Plymouth being the lead partner.
Across seven sites, we will monitor marine species including European bass, Pollack, Crawfish and Bluefin tuna, which are considered commercially important for the region.
The resulting data about their movements, and the habitats they occupy, will then be shared with other key stakeholders, enforcement bodies and policy makers.
Ultimately, it is hoped the research will enable authorities across the region to implement Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) programmes with the aim of enhancing the condition and water quality in these habitats, as well as enabling activities – such as fishing, civil engineering projects and extract industries – to function in a sustainable way.
We also aim to bring about greater collaboration and communication between a range of different partners with a common interest in the Channel/Manche region.
Interreg VA France (Channel) England Programme
The FISH INTEL project has a total budget of €4.1million, of which €2.8million is funded by the European Regional Development Fund via the Interreg France (Channel) England (FCE) Programme.
Interreg France (Channel) England (FCE) is an EU programme set up to foster economic development in the south of the UK and north of France by funding innovative projects which have a sustainable and economic benefit.
It focuses on a range of specific objectives including supporting innovation, improving the attractiveness of the FCE area and developing low carbon technologies.
The British section of the project’s receiver network continues to be managed by the University of Plymouth as the Fish Intel Network .
FISH INTEL project sites marked on a web atlas

Video: Sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax. Credit: Olivia Langmead

University staff involved in the FISH INTEL project

European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax. Credit: Keith Hiscock
European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax. Credit: Keith Hiscock
Crawfish Palinurus elephas with acoustic tag
Crawfish Palinurus elephas with acoustic tag

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This work is part of the FISH INTEL project, led by the University and funded by the EU’s Interreg France (Channel) England programme.
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€4million project uses cutting edge technology to enhance the habitats of key fish species
Led by the University, FISH INTEL will aim to establish a comprehensive picture of fish movements and the habitats individual species prefer.
Man fishing in small boat above coral reef. 
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Marine Conservation Research Group