Untitled - CNR

Fishery and Sea Resourcesability, in order to meet two conditions:the growing demand for low environmentalimpact-products and the improved energyefficiency of the production cycle [10]. Theproduction of the Italian fishing fleet was,in 2003 [11], 312.000 tons per year (C1.466 million Euros). Small-scale fisheriesaccounted for to 51.333 tons per yearwith an average price of production of toC 6.68/kg, i.e. the highest income-yieldingfishing system in Italy. Despite product’shigh quality, the small coastal fishing is undergoinga major crisis in the recent years,partly because of the policies aimed at toreducing fishing effort, as well as the increasedproduction costs (fuel consumptionper kilogram of catch). Seafood globallyoccupies a major share of the proteinsconsumed by the world population; then,the demand for fish products by highly industrializedcountries is growing steadily[12]. Within this context, the rules for theproduction and regulation of trade are playinga key role in many sectors of the fishingindustry [13]. The evolution of the Italianand European legislation increasinglyleading towards specific production standardsis pushing the fishing industries toimprove industrial eco-efficiency. Marketsfor marine environment-friendly productsare quantitatively increasing: as a result,further studies and tests on fishery productsLCA are needed. Today, commercialfishing is characterized by an almost predominantuse of diesel-cycle engines andmany studies on fishing trawlers have alreadydiscussed the impact of fuel priceson fisheries incomes (kg fuel/kg fish) [10].2 Materials and Methods2.1 Study areaThe study was conducted in the EgadiArchipelago, Sicily. The Egadi are a groupof three islands: Favignana (33 km 2 ),Marittimo (12 km 2 ) and Levanzo (10 km 2 )and some smaller islets and reefs includingthe island of Formica and the rock ofMaraone. The waters surrounding the islandsare part of a Marine Protected Areaestablished in 1991 and now managed bythe Trapani Coastal Guard (Figure 1). Seabottoms are characterized by sandy androcky substrates covered with extensive ofoceanic Posidonia meadow, hosting a widevariety of flora and fauna. Artisanal fisheriesis an important sector of local economyand it is practiced throughout theyears in the waters surrounding the islands[15]. The studies on the production cyclewere performed from March to May 2006close to the island of Favignana (Figure 1).2.2 LCA general aspectsThe analysis on the LCA management ischaracterized by a precise and detailedclassification of emissions, resource consumption,as well as the emission tradingbeing relevant at each stage of production[16]. This study is referred to as the ”fromcradle to grave” product analysis, includingraw materials, energy acquisition, materialsproduction, manufacture, use, recycling,final disposal, etc (Figure 2). The lifecycle, which includes the associated materialsand energy flows, is called productsystem [17]. Each LCA to be properly implementedshould identify in advance: anobjective, its scope and an associated functionalunit. In this study, the main points ofcriticism of small-scale fisheries are identi-1958