Spatial assessment of artisanal fisheries and their potential impact on the seabed: the Cap de Creus regional case study (northwestern Mediterranean Sea)

Abstract

Summary:The northwestern Mediterranean region faces two contrasting realities: intensive fishing activity and a rising awareness among citizens of the need to protect ecologically important areas. In NE Spain, a large portion of the Cap de Creus area will be declared a Natura 2000 offshore site, establishing a large Marine Protected Area. This study examines the spatial distribution of artisanal fisheries and their potential impact on key vulnerable ecosystem components (KVECs) in the region. Data collection is based on a questionnaire-based survey in the absence of better records. An integrative map showing potential cumulative impact values for the Cap de Creus region was developed, including fishing gear pressure on selected KVECs. The most potentially impacted areas were found along the coast and on canyon margins. Results showed that different types of fishing gears converge, implying a higher impact on certain benthic communities and KVECs, with the greatest spatial coverage in coralligenous areas, Posidonia beds and maërl beds. When fishing log book and vessel monitoring system data are not available, the use of fishermen surveys linked to geographical information system tools can provide fundamental information for further implementation of effective measures for ecosystem-based management aimed at improving conservation of marine benthic ecosystems.Keywords: benthic communities; fishery management; Mediterranean; marine protected area; GIS; métier.Evaluación espacial de la pesca artesanal y su impacto potencial sobre el fondo del mar: estudio regional del Cap de Creus (Mediterráneo noroccidental) Resumen: El Mediterráneo noroccidental se enfrenta con dos realidades contrastadas: una actividad pesquera intensa y una creciente conciencia entre los ciudadanos de proteger zonas de importancia ecológica. En el noroeste de España, una gran parte del área del Cap de Creus será designada como una región Red Natura 2000 Alta Mar estableciendo así una gran Área Marina Protegida. Este estudio examina la distribución espacial de la pesca artesanal y su impacto potencial sobre componentes claves del ecosistema en vulnerabilidad (KVEC, por sus siglas en inglés). Los datos usados en este análisis provienen de encuestas basadas en cuestionarios que representan la mejor información disponible. Se ha desarrollado un mapa integrativo mostrando los valores del impacto cumulativo potencial para el Cap de Creus, incluyendo la presión de artes de pesca en los KVECs seleccionados. Las áreas potencialmente más impactadas se encontraron a lo largo de la costa y en los márgenes del cañón submarino. Los resultados mostraron que los diferentes tipos de artes de pesca convergen, lo que implica un mayor impacto en ciertas comunidades bentónicas como las zonas coralígenas, las praderas de Posidonia y los fondos de maërl que son los componentes clave del ecosistema en vulnerabilidad con mayor cobertura espacial. Cuando los datos de la bitácora y del sistema de localización de buques no están disponibles, el uso de encuestas a pescadore...

Soft corals assemblages in deep environments of the Menorca Channel (Western Mediterranean Sea)

“…During the past decades Mediterranean continental shelves and slopes have been chronically impacted by bottom trawling, longline fishing and to a lesser extent artisanal fishing which is generally constrained to littoral and inner shelf environments (Smith et al, 2000;Maynou and Cartes, 2012;Mytilineou et al, 2014;Purroy et al, 2014;Enrichetti et al, 2019a). These fishing practices cause direct impacts on vulnerable marine ecosystems (VME) by removing, damaging or entangling habitatforming species (Maynou and Cartes, 2012;Mytilineou et al, 2014;Enrichetti et al, 2019a).…”

A network approach to by-catch in a multi-species Mediterranean small-scale fishery

“…Accordingly, in Module 3, there is predominance of benthic species type 1 (sessile regenerating invertebrates), most endemic or with limited ranges (e.g., Paramuricea clavata). These species can form extensive colonies originating structured, biogenic habitats, which provide substrata and refuge for a wide array of species (Orejas and Gili, 2009;Gili et al, 2011;Sardá et al, 2012;Purroy et al, 2014). This is common in biogenic habitats, which are considered important conservation targets (Kaiser et al, 2002) threatened by increasing fishing pressure that can negatively impact the complex structure and dynamics of the benthic ecosystems and associated fish species (Thrush et al, 1998;Tudela, 2000).…”

“…Moreover, the modularity analysis may admit the possibility that no compartmentalization exists (Newman, 2006). In multi-species fisheries, multivariate analysis as principal component analysis and cluster analysis has been frequently applied to identify relatively homogeneous groups in terms of catch composition, fishing area, and fishing gear used (He et al, 1997;Pelletier and Ferraris, 2000;Iriondo et al, 2010;Párraga et al, 2012;Ligrone et al, 2014;Moutupoulos et al, 2014). However, in those methods the number of groups is defined by the researcher based on personal expertise and knowledge of the fishery, and there is much more subjectivity in groups delimitation.…”

More than maps: Providing an alternative for fisheries and fishers in marine spatial planning.

“…-GPS (e.g., Valdés-Pizzini et al, 1997;Sidi Cheikh et al, 2009;Daw et al, 2011), -observations and counts made from a fixed point on land or through overhead flights (e.g., Léauté, 1998;Dalton et al, 2010), -individual or collective interviews, sometimes supported by participatory GIS (e.g., Close and Hall, 2006;Hall and Close, 2007;des Clers et al, 2008;St Martin and Hall-Arber, 2008b;De Freitas and Tagliani, 2009;Hall et al, 2009;Lieberknecht et al, 2011;Maes et al, 2012;Moreno-Báez, 2010;Pascual et al, 2013;Leite and Gasalla, 2013;Yates and Schoeman, 2013;Kafas et al, 2014a;Purroy et al, 2014;Léopold et al, 2014;Sullivan et al, 2015;Kafas et al, 2017) feasible combinations which are sometimes tested, namely by Daw et al (2011).…”