Preprint volume - SIBM

Pre-print Volume –Posters
NECTON AND FISHERY COMMITEE
reliable information possible. If interviews are performed following a standardised
approach with well structured questionnaire, both qualitative information and
quantitative or semi-quantitative data could be obtained (Bergmann et al., 2004). The
main contents of the questionnaire concerned fishing practices and fishing grounds, as
well as characteristics of vessels and gears, main target species, catches and discards.
Specific questions dedicated to species of particular interest (marine mammals and
elasmobranches) have been included. The questionnaire was planned to collect
information for three main time periods: 1940’s - 1960’s, 1960’s - 1980’s, and 1980’s -
present.
Results and conclusions - 107 interviews have been carried out in the investigated
areas (Catalan Sea, Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Sea, Adriatic Sea and Ionian and Aegean
Sea). The aspect that more clearly emerged is the notable increase over time of all the
indicators of fishing capacity. The vessels used at present are notably different in size
and in technological equipment to those employed in the past. Technological
innovations have improved the fishing efficiency and the working standards. The high
frequency of problems with the gear and the large amount of time for maintenance and
preparation of the gear were other factors which decreased the fishing capacity in the
earlier period.
Another aspect emerging from the interviews is the reduction observed in the catches
over time of some faunistic groups, principally Elasmobranches. Another indicator of
changes occurred over time in the marine environment was the decrease of the benthic
species in the catch. Also for cetaceans, Monk seal and sea turtles, a general decrease,
even though in lesser extent, of incidental catches and sightings over time was noticed.
The questions about the quantitative estimation of the catch has undoubtedly been the
more difficult, in order to obtain realistic estimates. The perception about the amount
of the catch over time could be biased by several factors, as the different discard rate
throughout the years and the different gear selectivity. Probably the most important
factor that embedded such perception is the confounding of the evolution in fishing
power of the trawl vessels. The interviews performed through EVOMED project
constituted the first attempt to collect information in such a way on a wide
geographical scale in Mediterranean. It is natural that both the interview protocol and
the questionnaire structure require a revision to be improved in the future, to increase
the data standardisation and to obtain the more realistic possible results. However, the
collected results are an important starting point of information, with several interesting
aspects for many kinds of future applications.
References
BERGMANN M., HINZ H., BLYTH R., KAISER M.J., ROGERS S.I., ARMSTRONG M.J. (2004) -
Using knowledge from fishers and fisheries scientists to identify possible roundfish 'Essential
Fish Habitats'. Fish. Res., 66: 373–379.
FREIRE J., GARCÍA-ALLUT A. (1999) - Integration of fishers’ ecological knowledge in fisheries
biology and management. A proposal for the case of the artisanal coastal fisheries of Galicia
(NW Spain) ICES CM 1999/S: 07.
PAULY D. (1995) - Anecdotes and the shifting baseline syndrome of fisheries. Tree, 10 (10): 430.
41 st S.I.B.M. CONGRESS Rapallo (GE), 7-11 June 2010
323