BMELV

Partner 3: Germany, Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) and the Federal Research Centre for Fisheries

The Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV) has general political responsibility for matters of food, agriculture, and consumer protection at the federal level in Germany. The Ministry, through the “Fisheries, EU enlargement and International Trade Relations” Directorate, has overall policy responsibility for fisheries management in Germany and is the responsible Ministry for fisheries matters in the context of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Within the framework of the CFP, the Ministry’s objectives are the conservation and restoration of biologically sound fish stocks and a sustainable fishery in accordance with the protection of the marine environment , including the conservation of cetaceans.

The Ministry is the public body responsible for financing fisheries research, and spends approximately € 13M annually on it, which is managed through its Federal Research Centre for Fisheries. Areas covered are:

• Research on reproductive processes and fecundity of fish stocks (e.g. cod)
• Research on the selectivity of fishing gear
• Research on stock dynamics of coastal brown shrimp stocks
• Research on stock distribution and dynamics in the open sea (herring, blue whiting, redfish)
• Research on distribution and stock separation of horse mackerel
• Research on hydroacoustic methods
• Research on genetic identification of stocks
• Research on environmental effects on fish (radionucluids, chlorinated hydrocarbons etc.)
• Research on fish quality and food safety

Research areas are agreed in consultation between the Ministry and the Federal Research Centre for Fisheries. Once the overall framework for research has been agreed, the Federal Research Centre manages the programme with an annual budget allocated to it by the Ministry.

Within the Ministry, the fisheries division, “Conservation and Management of Living Marine Resources, EC Fisheries Regulations and Marine Environmental Protection” (Referat 622) is responsible for dealing with both fisheries science in general, and fisheries science policy. As such, it supervises the research planning and the research activities of the Federal Research Centre for Fisheries, and interfaces with other relevant bodies in Germany, the European Commission and third countries.

Dr. Hermann Pott is staff member of BMELV’s division n° 622 and has worked in fisheries for more than eight years, and is particularly involved in the EU fisheries data collection programme. He will be the interface for the German participant. Outside of fisheries he worked in the European Commission DG XII (Research and Technological Development) between1995 – 1998 as a detached national expert in research management and administration.

Role:

• Leader of Work Package 3
• Leader of Work Package 5