Summary of the impact

Between 1987 and 2011, the Fish group at Imperial College London assisted the Falkland Islands Government by providing fisheries management advice as well as delivering seasonal licencing and fee analyses which determined the number and type of fishing licences allocated to commercial vessels operating in Falkland waters. The work of the Fish group had unprecedented economic, commercial and environmental impacts on the Falkland Islands, where between 50% and 75% of the annual revenue required to fund all infrastructure, research and development in the Islands is generated by the £20M income from the sale of commercial fishing licences. In 2006, the Falkland Islands changed from a seasonal fishing licensing system to a rights-based management system of Individual Transferrable Quotas (ITQs) for fishing companies. The move to ITQs, which was recommended by the Fish Group, generated revenue of £9.5 million in 2010 and the system will remain in place until 2031. During a transition period between 2008 and 2011, the Fish Group supported the planned hand-over of licencing and fee responsibilities to the Falkland Island Fisheries Department which continues to use the bio-economic and stock assessment models developed by the Fish Group at Imperial for the sustainable management of marine resources.

Summary of the impact

Since 2008, the School of Environment & Life Sciences at the University of Salford has expanded its research in the field of population and conservation genetics, focusing on the application of molecular genetics and evolutionary theory on supporting the management of exploited living resources and conservation of endangered species and ecosystems.
Molecular Ecology and Conservation demonstrates the following impact:

• Improving mechanisms for seafood authenticity and traceability, the identification of stocks and providing advice on their management;
• Supporting the conservation of endangered boreal species and endangered amphibians:

Increasing consumer awareness of the environmental implications of food choices, improving consumer confidence and food management policy, supporting environmental management and biodiversity, and guiding international conservation policy and management processes.

Summary of the impact

Bangor Research since 1998 has pioneered, through experimental, comparative and modelling studies and industry collaborations, quantification of the wider ecosystem effects of fishing, specifically on seabed habitats. Novel findings gave policy and economic benefits to the fishing industry and led to the sustainable, continued profitable development of the UK's largest blue mussel fishery and Isle of Man scallop fishery, with a combined value of £22M. It directly led to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification of these fisheries and underpinned certification of dozens of other demersal fisheries. Additionally, the research has influenced UK retailer policies on sustainable fish sourcing, providing direct environmental and commercial benefits and improving public knowledge and sustainable consumption.

Summary of the impact

Application of Bangor's DNA forensic research has had major impacts on the management and control of illegal wildlife trade. After initial work providing evidence for criminal prosecutions with wider deterrent effects on wildlife crime, Bangor-led research went on to apply these techniques to trace fish (products) to their source populations to ban illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing practices. Since 2009, this work has improved stock management by the UK government and European Commission, directly affected the Common Fisheries Policy reform and has been implemented by the Marine Stewardship Council as a verification tool for correct labelling of products.

Summary of the impact

Salmon maturation prior to harvest constitutes an environmental, welfare and production bottleneck for the salmon aquaculture industry. Our research has reduced the number of fish that mature during the grow-out phase so they do not reallocate energy to develop gonads and display secondary sexual characteristics that reduce yield, harvest quality and increase disease susceptibility that can result in downgrading at processing and lost profitability. In addition, reproductively competent fish that escape from on-growing cages may breed with wild stocks, leading to potential introgression. This has a major impact on public perception of farmed salmon and it limits the expansion of the industry. The IoA Reproduction team has undertaken a comprehensive body of work since 1993 to address this critical production bottleneck through an array of management strategies. This work culminated in the REF period by the demonstration that salmon puberty can be reduced to <3% by the use of standardised lighting regimes (2008) followed by the first commercial production of sterile salmon (2012-13).

Summary of the impact

Research at the University of Southampton into the behaviour of fish at dams has led to the improved design and positioning of screens to prevent economically important and endangered fish from being killed in turbines, as well as enabling them to pass barriers more successfully through improved fish passes. The research has informed practical changes to river infrastructure in the UK, Sweden, the USA, and China. It also led to development of methodologies for river restoration and planning which have aided the implementation of new conservation legislation, and quantification of the environmental impacts of beaver dams on fisheries.

Summary of the impact

Appropriate land policy is vital to ensure sustainable food supplies, economic development and environmental protection. Research by the Centre for Rural Policy Research (CRPR) has developed the policy and management implications of the ecosystems services approach to valuing and protecting the environment, which stresses integrated and equitable management of land, water and living resources. The research has contributed to major shifts in policy and practice by national government bodies and changes in the attitudes and behaviour of farming communities. The main impacts have been:

• Contributing to the Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs' (Defra) development of national guidelines embedding the ecosystems services approach in policy and helping make the case for the first ever UK National Ecosystems Assessment;
• Informing the Commission for Rural Communities' major review of rural uplands policy and changing policy through the review to improve environmental stewardship in upland farming;
• Improving Defra and Natural England's agri-environmental policies to better communicate the scientific rationale of policies to farmers through training and advice to bring about more pro-environmental attitudes and farming practices.

Summary of the impact

Over the past two decades, researchers at the Institute for the Environment (hereafter, the Institute) at Brunel University have generated substantive evidence supporting the case for regulation of discharges of pharmaceuticals into rivers and estuaries throughout Europe and for improved sewage treatment, with significant implications for water quality, aquatic life and public confidence. Their research has led to improved sewage treatment in some countries and to changes in the European Water Framework Directive (WFD; the primary legislation for protecting and conserving European water bodies), such that regulatory limits for environmental concentrations of the contraceptive pill hormones, ethinylestradiol and oestradiol, are now included in River Basin Management Plans for 2015. In 2011, a Queen's Anniversary Trust Prize was awarded to Brunel University in recognition of the Institute's considerable success in translating this research into European policy, also influencing countries outside Europe.

Summary of the impact

In 2008-2009 the UK was subject to legal infraction proceedings at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) for allegedly failing to implement the European Union's Urban Waste-water Treatment Directive (UWWTD). Research by the Institute of Estuarine and Coastal Studies, Hull (IECS) for the Environment Agency (EA)/Defra provided evidence to the UK Government for its defence against these allegations. The research consisted of:

- literature/data reviews and collection and analysis of critical evidence from the Humber.

- co-ordinating workshops and convening an expert panel of sufficient authoritative academic opinion to counteract the European Court of Justice allegations.

In December 2009 the European Court of Justice ruled in favour of the UK. Our research therefore helped to save very significant, unnecessary capital investment in nutrient removal technology for sewage treatment nationally and in the Yorkshire and Humber region especially. The UK government thus avoided the possibility of major European Commission fines of up to €703,000 per day, or €256m per annum, for infraction of the Urban Water-water Treatment Directive [1].

Summary of the impact

Research on the environmental safety and toxicity of nanomaterials in fishes has had a global impact across both government and industry contributing to:

(i) Consensus building on biological effects allowing regulatory agencies/governments to make proper decisions on the hazard of nanomaterials to farmed fish and wildlife.

(ii) Critical evaluation of the internationally agreed process of toxicity testing to determine whether the current legislative test methods are fit for purpose and acceptable to the aquaculture industry.

(iii) Identification of national/international research priorities and policies via work with the OECD and the US Government.

(iv) Influencing government policy to support training and information for industry.