Untitled - CNR

Fishery and Sea Resourcesto nest in the Mediterranean, especiallyon the beaches of the East side (Cyprus,Egypt, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon,Libya, Syria, Turkey and Tunisia, Figure1). Moreover, additional specimens migratefrom Atlantic population to MediterraneanSea through the strait of Gibraltarduring the first half of the year [4, 5], Figure1).Loggerhead life is characterized by threemain ecological phases: the pelagic phase,when loggerheads feed on pelagic preys;the demersal phase, when they swimclose to the bottom and feed on benthicspecies; and finally an intermediate neriticphase, when loggerheads shift frompelagic–oceanic to benthic–neritic foraginghabitats [6], Figure 1. The bathymetryand environmental characteristics of differentareas determine the distribution andabundance of marine turtles. Loggerheadsexhibit high fidelity to migratory routes,foraging areas and wintering sites, betweenand within years and after successivebreeding migrations [7], Figure 1.Therefore, different types of fishing gear(towed or passive, on the bottom or in thewater column) can produce different capturesand mortality rates [8] and may affectdifferent ecological phases (Figure 2).2 Assessment of loggerheadsea turtle bycatchMore than 60,000 turtles per year are estimatedto be accidentally caught in theMediterranean as a result of fishing practices[12]. Direct mortality rates is estimatedto be from 10% to 50% and even100% of individuals caught, depending onfishing gear, area, season etc. Moreover,the delayed mortality, when turtles are released,is mostly unknown. On the otherhand [13] highlights an even worse picturesuggesting that over 150,000 captures peryear may take place in the Mediterraneanby trawlers, longliners and set netters, withpossibly over 50,000 deaths per year by interactionalone.2.1 Drifting longlineDrifting longline targeting swordfish(Xiphias gladius), albacore (Thunnusalalunga) and bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus)is considered as the most dangerousfishing gear for marine turtles in theMediterranean Sea, in terms of catch peryear [8, 14, 1], Table 1. The incidental captureof loggerhead turtles in pelagic phasemainly extends from spring to late autumn,with most captures occurring during thesummer (Figure 1 and Figure 2).Casale [13] estimated that over 50,000specimens are probably caught withpelagic longlines with a mortality of 40%mainly in Spain, Morocco, Italy, Greece,Malta, Libya (Table 1). [15] consideredat least 60,000-80,000 captures per year inthe Mediterranean while [16] found an annualcatch of about 35,000 specimens onlyfor the Central-Western MediterraneanSea. Spain is the country with the highestnumber of turtle catch per year, especiallyaround the Balearic Islands (Table 1,Figure 2). The high concentration of seaturtles in the western basin is due to theMediterranean population but also to theentrance of specimens from the AtlanticOcean via Gibraltar (Figure 1). Moreover,results indicated that longline targetingswordfish is responsible for more abundantincidental catch than bluefin tuna andalbacore longlines [17].Italian waters are populated by turtlesmigrating from the Eastern to the West-1840