-We analyzed the small-scale fishery in the port of Vilanova i la Geltrú (NW Mediterranean) to assess the fishing practices in this fishery and produce economic indicators of its status. We defined the fishing tactics (or métiers) of this fishery with a multivariate analysis approach for evaluating the main fishery resources and fishing gears employed. Our results show that netters in this fishery practice 7 types of fishing tactics. Five of these fishing tactics, in terms of target species, gear and seasonality, are also used in other small-scale Mediterranean fisheries. The main types of fishing gear (trammel nets, gillnets) and target species (Sepia officinalis, Solea vulgaris, Mullus surmuletus and Merluccius merluccius), and a well defined seasonality, are also observed in other studies of Mediterranean small-scale fisheries. We show that the seasonal rotation of fishing tactics is determined by the availability of different fish species rather than market price. Identifying the fishing tactics, which in the Mediterranean are relatively limited in number, of small-scale fisheries provides information for developing monitoring and management strategies for these fisheries. We also assessed the economic performance of the small-scale fishery in Vilanova i la Geltrú and its conflicts with other uses of the coastal zone. We conclude that small-scale fisheries are an economically viable activity although seriously threatened by concurrent uses of the coastal zone (conflict with other extractive activities; competition for space with tourism and leisure activities; pollution). The integrated management of the uses of the coastal zone is necessary in order to sustain small-scale fisheries, which have become less important in economic terms, but which are an important social component of local coastal communities and are a source of high quality seafood with a low ecological impact.

The bathymetric distribution of Merluccius merluccius was studied as a function of length, age and maturity of specimens caught by commercial trawl and longline in different seasons. Males matured first at 28·8 cm (3 years old), and females at 38·0 cm (3·5 years old). Reproductive activity was noted practically throughout the year with its most pronounced spawning peak in the autumn. Most fish <37-40 cm were males and >46 cm were females. Specimens occurred between 50 and 750 m depth, although density was low at >400 m. Adults were found at all depth strata studied. Recruits and juveniles were limited to inshore waters <400 m, most were found between 100 and 200 m. Spring and summer were the preferred seasons for recruitment; although for both seasons there was some interannual variation. Adult distribution also varied, according to the season. Young adults were spread over the entire depth range, with the biggest ones concentrated at the edge of the shelf (150-350 m), especially in autumn and winter. The main spawning peak coincided with this concentration of adults suggesting that spawning occurred in autumn/winter at the edge of the shelf. 1998 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles

SUMMARY:The theoretical aspects and the associated software of a bioeconomic model for Mediterranean fisheries are presented. The first objective of the model is to reproduce the bioeconomic conditions in which the fisheries occur. The model is, perforce, multispecies and multigear. The main management procedure is effort limitation. The model also incorporates the usual fishermen strategy of increasing efficiency to obtain increased fishing mortality while maintaining the nominal effort. This is modelled by means of a function relating the efficiency (or technological progress) with the capital invested in the fishery and time. A second objective is to simulate alternative management strategies. The model allows the operation of technical and economic management measures in the presence of different kind of events. Both deterministic and stochastic simulations can be performed. An application of this tool to the hake fishery off Catalonia is presented, considering the other species caught and the different gears used. Several alternative management measures are tested and their consequences for the stock and economy of fishermen are analysed.