Proceedings of the EIFAAC workshop on citizen science in fisheries

Abstract

The EIFAAC workshop on citizen science in fisheries was held virtually on 29 February 2024. It was organized by the EIFAAC Secretariat and Inland Fisheries Ireland. The workshop was attendedby 79 participants from 21 countries. Five invited speakers presented their citizen science research findings and recommendations. Research findings demonstrated: 1) the role of citizen science in developing environmental stewardship among anglers, 2) the benefits of and challenges with using citizen science outcomes for decision making processes in fisheries management, 3) lessons learnt from data collection through recreational fishing apps in Denmark, Ireland and the United States of America, and 4) innovative application of citizen science data when combining fishing app data with data and information from other sources. The workshop participants proposed further research to increase the usefulness of citizen science for decision making, management and conservation in fisheries.