The SUMARiS project aims to put together the necessary knowledge and evidence in order to implement a species specific cross-border management strategy for rays and skates fishery in the 2 seas area. Thus the project will allow the fisheries professional organisations to switch from limited local scale to a cross-border perspective which is more suitable for the management of a straddling marine biological resource. By gathering the existing data and completing it, the fisheries professional and scientific partners from the 3 participating countries (and observe one) will be able to adopt an evidence-based joint management strategy, protecting less-known species and allowing economic balance for sustainable fishery activities. The up-to-date knowledge about the rays and skates stocks will allow to monitor the exploited zones in an appropriate way. The survivability exemption and the ability to handle correctly rays on board will allow fishermen to release rays alive back at sea.

The main output of the project is a joint cross-border strategy for the management of rays and skates fisheries which will provide the professional organisations and fisheries authorities a clear framework for larger scale decision-making. The strategy will rely on a shared complete database providing the necessary evidence on the specific species of rays and skates as well as the results of the survival rate tests demonstrated through a validated approach. A training module and a guide will be produced in order to transfer the species-specific approach to the fishermen. These materials will enable the fishermen to better identify and register their rays and skates catches. Finally, all the outputs will benefit to the fishermen's economic activity in the long term, for one of the major fisheries of the area.

SUMARiS focuses on the marine biological resource of rays and skates which is straddling across the EU waters of several coastal countries in the Channel and the Southern North Sea. All fishermen from the 2 seas area are subject to the same legal framework of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP - 1380/2013). A shared vision for the management of fisheries in this highly exploited area is therefore of uttermost importance. The CFP higly support the regional and crossborder approach in its article 3 (1380/2013). A number of local initiatives on rays and skates were held through the European fisheries funds (FIFG, EFF, EMFF). However, due to differences in the methods and timeframes, they failed to impact local practices as well as the European management significantly. Thus, the INTERREG 2 seas program will offer the opportunity for the professional and scientific partners to put their efforts together to design and adopt a range of coherent common tools.