Comparison of beam trawl catch, by-catch and discard in fishing and non-fishing areas – a case study from the northern Adriatic Sea

Beam trawl fishery is highly important in the Croatian part of the northern Adriatic wherein 116 vessels have a licence for this type of fishing gear. A sharp decrease in the beam trawl catch observed since 2015 has raised concern about not only socio-economic issues but also ecological issues and the effect that beam trawl fisheries have had on exploited stocks. Besides the effect that beam trawl fisheries can have on targeted economically important species, intensive dredging can cause long-term changes in the benthic community. Therefore, this study aimed to detect the effect that this type of fishing gear has on target and by-catch species. Furthermore, survey data were compared with the official beam trawl fishery data gathered through Vessel Monitoring System data together with fishermen’s logbooks. Our research targeted two adjacent areas: an area where beam trawl fishing is allowed and an area where it is forbidden. The results demonstrate that the commercially important catch represented a minor share of the total beam trawl catch in both survey areas, while discard made up more than 93% of the total catch. The main beam trawl commercially important species in the Croatian part of the northern Adriatic Sea was Pecten jacobaeus, followed by Solea solea and Ostrea edulis. Our results suggest that beam trawl fisheries mostly affect target bivalve species and some non-commercial benthic species (e.g. sponges). The differences recorded between areas could suggest that beam trawl fisheries cause changes mostly in the P. jacobaeus population.

New record of the monotypic shrimp genus Procletes (Decapoda:Pandalidae) from the West coast of India

Introduction: Significant work has been done on the diversity and distribution of pandalid shrimps in Indian waters but reports did not include the presence of this species. Objective: To list the marine shrimps of Gujarat. Methods: Samples were collected from trawl catch. Results: Procletes levicarina is reported for first time from the coastal area of Gujarat, including a detailed morphological description and photographs. This species is previously reported from the east coast of India. Conclusion: Procletes levicarina occurs in the west coast of India.

Bottom trawl catch comparison in the Mediterranean Sea: Flexible Turtle Excluder Device (TED)vstraditional gear

The Mediterranean Sea is a hotspot of biodiversity, but the high fishing pressure results in high bycatch rates of protected (sea turtles and cetaceans) and top predator species (sharks). The reduction of bycatch is challenging for fishery scientists, as conservation of these species has become a priority. Among the animals threatened by fishing activities, the loggerhead (Caretta caretta) represents a charismatic species considered as “vulnerable” at the global scale by IUCN.In the Mediterranean Sea, trawl nets show the highest probabilities of bycatch of protected species, with high rates of mortality. A new flexible Turtle Excluder Device (TED) has been tested for the first time on a commercial scale in the Mediterranean Sea to assess its effectiveness in reducing bycatch. The results did not show any significant (α = 0.05) loss in terms of commercial weight, but a significant reduction of debris in the codend of the nets mounting the TED respect to traditional nets. The catch comparison of the main commercial species showed similar rates without any significant loss of sizes, with the only exception of anglerfishes (Lophiusspp.) that showed a loss of the largest individuals by TED. In terms of bycatch, the traditional nets captured mostly rays and sharks, while no turtles were captured, at all. In this regard, the authors were informed by other vessels operating in the same areas at the time of the trials about some accidental catches of loggerhead turtles. Our results demonstrated that the flexible TED represents a practical and effective solution to reduce the bycatch of endangered species in coastal Mediterranean demersal multispecies fisheries, as demonstrated experimentally also in other areas of the world. The measures involving technical modifications of fishing gears require significant investments but are technically feasible and could guarantee the success of the conservation.

Economic Outcomes for Harvesters under the West Coast Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program: Have Goals and Objectives Been Met?

The West Coast Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program was designedto achieve multiple economic goals and objectives, including increasingnet benefits, profitability, flexibility, and utilization of harvest allocations.In this article, we leverage seven years of comprehensive costand earnings data to evaluate progress towards these goals with afocus on harvesters. Our assessment shows that five years post-implementation,net benefits to the nation have doubled, and indicators ofproductivity and profitability have increased. The fleet that targetsPacific whiting has seen the largest gains, due in part to increases intotal allowable catch and the elimination of the race-to-fish. However,increased revenues have not been realized to the degree that wasexpected for harvesters targeting non-whiting groundfish, partly dueto lower than predicted consolidation and relatively low quota utilization.Economic outcomes indicate that tradeoffs exist between certainobjectives of the program, specifically between achieving full utilizationand flexibility for harvesters. Results are discussed in the contextof the design and evaluation of catch share programs for diverse, multispeciesfisheries.

Outcomes of the West Coast Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program: The First Five Years

Introduction to the Special Issue of Coastal Management Journal.