Browsing by Author "Vitale, Sergio"
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- Fishers’ perceptions of the European Union discards ban: perspective from south European fisheriesPublication . Maynou, Francesc; Gil, Maria del Mar; Vitale, Sergio; Giusto, Giovan Battista; Foutsi, Antigoni; Oliveira, M.R.; Rainha, Rita; Erzini, Karim; Gonçalves, Jorge Manuel Santos; Bentes, Luis; Viva, Claudio; Sartor, Paolo; Carlo, Francesco De; Rossetti, Ilaria; Christou, Maria; Stergiou, Konstantinos; Maravelias, Christos D.; Damalas, DimitriosThe estimated impact of the EU Landing Obligation was investigated, which bans discards of regulated species, in South European fisheries through stakeholders' perceptions with the intention to identify implementation shortcomings and practicalities that might lead to obstacles to enforcement. Structured interviews were conducted with 173 fishers in 4 countries practicing 4 generic fisheries (as typified by the dominant fishing gear) asking a total of 26 questions. Results show that fishers estimate that the full implementation of the discards ban will result in longer sorting times. Added to the limited space on board, especially in the more productive trawl and purse seine vessels, this may lead to practical difficulties in relation to compliance. Most of the respondents estimate that there are no realistic possibilities of utilizing the formerly discarded fish in the short term, because of the lack of adequate infrastructure on land Furthermore, the possible utilization types foreseen in the regulation will not help offset the costs of bringing former discards to land. The outcomes of this study have confirmed the implementation difficulties of the landing obligation, especially when the fishing industry cannot expect any medium to long-term benefits.
- Identifying persistent hot spot areas of undersized fish and crustaceans in southern european waters: implication for fishery management under the discard ban regulationPublication . Milisenda, Giacomo; Garofalo, Germana; Fiorentino, Fabio; Colloca, Francesco; Maynou, Francesc; Ligas, Alessandro; Musumeci, Claudia; Bentes, Luis; Gonçalves, Jorge Manuel Santos; Erzini, Karim; Russo, Tommaso; D’Andrea, Lorenzo; Vitale, SergioThe recent establishment of the "landing obligation" under the reformed EU Common Fishery Policy has the twofold objective of reducing the excessive practice of discarding unwanted catch at sea and encouraging more selective and sustainable fisheries. Within this context, the awareness of the spatial distribution of potential unwanted catches is important for devising management measures aimed to decrease discards. This study analyzed the distribution of Hot Spot density areas of demersal fish and crustaceans below the Minimum Conservation Reference Size (MCRS) in four different southern European seas: continental Portuguese coast, Catalan Sea, South of Sicily, Liguria and northern Tyrrhenian Seas using both bottom trawl survey data and information on the spatial distribution of commercial fisheries. Critical areas for discarding were identified as zones where the highest densities of individuals below MCRS were consistently recorded throughout a series of years. Results clearly showed a patchy distribution of undersized individuals in each investigated area, highlighting the overlap between high density patches of both discards and fishing effort. The present findings provide a relevant knowledge for supporting the application of spatial-based management actions, such as the designation of Fisheries Restricted Areas (FRAs), in order to minimize the by-catch of undersized specimens and improve the sustainability of demersal fisheries
- Marine spatial closures as a supplementary tool to reduce discards in bottom trawl fisheries: examples from southern European watersPublication . Despoti, Smaragda; Milisenda, Giacomo; Ligas, Alessandro; Bentes, Luis; Maynou, Francesc; Vitale, Sergio; Garofalo, Germana; Sbrana, Mario; Erzini, Karim; Tserpes, George; Tsagarakis, Konstantinos; Maina, Irida; Pyrounaki, Maria-Myrto; Papadopoulou, Nadia; Machias, Athanassios; Colloca, Francesco; Fiorentino, Fabio; Stergiou, Konstantinos, I; Giannoulaki, MariannaDiscards is an important issue in fisheries around the world. the spatial management of discards has attracted interest as a potential tool for minimizing the unwanted catch. the aim of the present work was to identify areas with high quantities of bottom trawl discarded catch regarding species subjected to MCRS, in six areas of southern European waters (southern Portuguese waters, Catalan Sea, Ligurian and northern Tyrrhenian Seas, Strait of Sicily, eastern Ionian Sea, and Aegean Sea). Analyses were based on two types of data: (a) the undersized catch of species subjected to MCRS from bottom trawl surveys and (b) the actual discarded catch (including undersized and non-undersized individuals) of species subjected to MCRS from commercial bottom trawling. Geostatistical analysis techniques were applied to the first type of data and Generalized Additive Models using environmental variables were applied to the second one. Subsequently, areas that persistently presented high quantities of discarded catch (i.e., "iDC grounds") or undersized catch (i.e., "iUC grounds") were identified and mapped. the "iDC grounds"/"iUC grounds" were located either over the slope or within the continental shelf and over marine plateaus, largely depending on the main target species of each fishery. Next, the overlap of "iDC grounds"/"iUC grounds" with the existing Fisheries Restricted Areas (FRAs) and the proposed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) was estimated aiming to explore how spatial closures could contribute to the reduction of bottom trawl discarded catch/undersized catch. Certain spatial closures were more effective in the Central Mediterranean and others to the Eastern Mediterranean. the overlapping of existing FRAs with "iDC grounds"/`iUC grounds" did not exceed 24 % in any study area, whereas proposed MPAs, like the CIESM Marine Peace Parks, reached up to 90 % for the same study area.
- Vulnerability of demersal fish assemblages to trawling activities: a traits-based indexPublication . de Juan, Silvia; Hinz, Hilmar; Sartor, Paolo; Vitale, Sergio; Bentes, Luis; Bellido, Jose M.; Musumeci, Claudia; Massi, Daniela; Gancitano, Vita; Demestre, MontserratReducing the impact on vulnerable species through changes in fishing practices, such as the spatial or temporal avoidance of certain areas, is key to increase the ecological sustainability of fisheries. However, it is often hampered by the availability of sufficiently detailed data and robust indicators. Existing trawl surveys are a cost-effective data source to assess the vulnerability of fishing areas based on the quantities of vulnerable species caught. We developed a biological traits-based approach to the vulnerability of demersal assemblages using commercial trawl catch data. An expert-based approach identified a set of biological traits that are expected to condition the species' response to trawling impact and are combined to produce the vulnerability index ranked into four levels (low, moderate, high, and very high vulnerability). The approach was tested in four southern European fishing grounds showing evidence of over-exploitation, through catches being dominated by species of relatively low vulnerability to fishing impacts. The general distribution of species' biomass amongst vulnerability groups was highly homogenous across case studies, despite local differences in fishing fleet structure, target species and fishing depths. Within all areas the species with moderate vulnerability dominated and, in most instances, species of "very high" vulnerability were not recorded. Nevertheless, differences emerged when comparing the proportions of highly vulnerable species in the catches. Variability in vulnerability level of the catch was also observed at small spatial scales, which was principally explained by differences in habitat type and depth and, secondarily, by fishing effort. In fine mud in the shallower areas there was a higher presence of low vulnerable fauna. Furthermore, vulnerable organisms decreased in their presence in sandier substrates on the continental shelf. The spatial heterogeneity in assemblage vulnerability composition encourages the potential for adoption of this index in the spatial management of fishing grounds aiming at ensuring a sustainable exploitation by mitigating trawl impacts on the most vulnerable components of the demersal assemblages.