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- Seasonal variation in seabird abundance and bycatch at artisanal bottom-set net fisheries in the southern Iberian Atlantic coastPublication . Pereira, Jorge M.; Ramos, Jaime A.; Almeida, Ana; Marçalo, Ana; Carvalho, Flávia; Fagundes, Isabel; Gonçalves, Jorge Manuel Santos; Frade, Magda; Oliveira, Nuno; Nascimento, Tânia; Paiva, Vitor H.Bycatch is a major cause of seabird mortality, yet most studies focus on industrial fisheries, with limited knowledge on artisanal fisheries. This study investigates the seasonal abundance of seabirds off the southern-eastern coast of mainland Portugal, their attendance at artisanal bottom-set net fisheries, and observed bycatch, using onboard observations and fishermen interviews. From March 2020 to November 2022, 24,643 seabirds were observed attending fishing vessels in 183 daily fishing trips (98.4 % of 186 trips), spanning 20 species across 7 families, with 25 seabirds recorded as bycatch. Lesser black-backed and Yellow-legged gulls (Larus fuscus and Larus michahellis) were the most abundant species, followed by Audouin's gulls (Ichthyaetus audouinii), Great shearwaters (Ardenna gravis), and Northern gannets (Morus bassanus). During summer, the abundance of Yellow-legged and Audouin's gulls (local breeders) and Lesser black-backed gulls (non-breeding species) increased with fishery catch per unit effort. Great shearwaters were more affected by gear type, exhibiting higher attendance and bycatch in trammel nets during autumn. 65 % of Great shearwater bycatch occurred during a single fishing event, probably from fishermen cleaning nets and discarding fish and viscera during net setting. Fishermen interviews identified Northern gannets and Great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo) as the most frequently bycaught species, particularly in winter when onboard observations were limited. These findings underscore the impact of artisanal fisheries on seabird populations and highlight the importance of combining onboard data with fishermen interviews to improve bycatch estimates and inform conservation efforts. Our study also suggests that fishermen behaviour during fishery operations significantly influence seabird bycatch.
- Engaging and legitimizing communities: co-designing a community-based marine protected areaPublication . Rangel, Mafalda; Horta e Costa, Barbara; Guimarães, Mª Helena; Ressurreição, Adriana; Monteiro, Pedro; Oliveira, Frederico; Bentes, Luis; Sales Henriques, Nuno; Sousa, Inês; Ferreira Alexandre, Teresa Sofia; Pontes, João; Afonso, Carlos; Belackova, Adela; Marçalo, Ana; Cardoso-Andrade, Mariana; Cortês, António; Correia, António José; Lobo, Vanda; Gonçalves, Emanuel J.; Cunha, Tiago Pitta e; Gonçalves, Jorge Manuel SantosMarine Protected Areas are increasingly used as tools to preserve marine habitats and biodiversity worldwide. Nonetheless, creating MPAs in densely populated multi-use coastal areas comes with intrinsic conflict potential, since protection and economic development are not always hand-in-hand and local users might disagree with the designation of such conservation tools. The use of inclusive and transparent participatory processes to co-design such MPAs can be seen as a way of protecting biodiversity while acknowledging the needs of local users and building conservation tools that fit both purposes. Here we describe a participatory process developed to codesign a Marine Protected Area of Community Interest in a biodiversity, fishing and tourism hotspot in the Algarve (southern Portugal) where the majority of involved stakeholders (96 %) endorsed the final MPA proposal. The methodology and tools used are described in detail, lessons learned are critically analysed and a roadmap to be used in other realities is provided. Evidences collected show that the approach developed allows conservation and economic activities to share the same ground and advocate for the same goals in preserving coastal marine habitats.