Abstract
Minimizing unwanted catches is a major milestone for achieving sustainable fisheries. In the framework of the Common Fisheries Policy, a landing obligation is being established progressively in European waters (Article 15, EU Regulation 1380/2013). Supplementary management measures have been proposed to support and enhance the effectiveness of this new regime. In this context, the effect of the landing obligation on a demersal mixed fishery (coastal and trawl fleet) in the Aegean Sea (NE Mediterranean Sea) was assessed in terms of both biological and economic sustainability. Our results show that the landing obligation alone does not ensure sustainable fisheries. Management action should be directed to the introduction of additional measures. Evidence suggests that improving selectivity and protecting the nursery grounds are possible solutions to decrease discards and ensure sustainable fisheries in the long term. The landing obligation can have a role in incentivizing the adoption of these management measures that ensure lower fishing mortality on juvenile fish.
Highlights
The practice of discarding unwanted catch back to the sea is highly criticized by stakeholders involved in fisheries governance, which is per se a complex decision making environment, and many attempts have been made worldwide to tackle the problem (Hall and Mainprize 2005, Pérez-Roda et al 2019)
Our results show that the landing obligation alone does not ensure sustainable fisheries
The landing obligation can have a role in incentivizing the adoption of these management measures that ensure lower fishing mortality on juvenile fish
Summary
The practice of discarding unwanted catch back to the sea is highly criticized by stakeholders involved in fisheries governance, which is per se a complex decision making environment, and many attempts have been made worldwide to tackle the problem (Hall and Mainprize 2005, Pérez-Roda et al 2019). Estimates of discards are 9.1 million t per year for the period 2010-2014 (Pérez-Roda et al 2019), high uncertainty in global discard data over time has been detected (Zeller and Pauly 2005). A recent approach based on reconstructed time series has shown a decrease in discard rates due to the likely adoption of more selective gears and the rising market value for fishmeal (Zeller et al 2018). From 1 January 2019, a discard ban [Article 15 of EC 1380/2013, the so-called “landing obligation” (LO)] obliges fishers of all fleets to reduce discarding and follow specific management guidelines for catches of species which are subject to minimum conservation reference sizes, as defined in Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1967/2006 in the Mediterranean, and to total catch limits generally in Atlantic fisheries. Several consequences may arise in European fisheries, including shifts in the ecosystem functioning and alterations to the socioeconomic status of the fishing communities (Guillen et al 2018)
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