Abstract
Human pressures on marine ecosystems significantly increased during last decades. Among the intense anthropic activities, industrial fisheries have caused the alteration of habitats, the reduction of biodiversity and the main fish stocks. The aim of this research, carried out in the Adriatic Sea, was to test a repeatable Marine Spatial Planning framework aimed at enhancing fisheries sustainability through the application of Decision Support Tools and the composition of a catalog of possible measures. The use of these tools proved very useful to identify possible criticalities and facilitate an effective exchange with fisheries stakeholders, local authorities, and fishermen, whose involvement was an indispensable step in the process. Tool-based analyses allowed to assess the spatial footprint of a range of anthropogenic pressures from human activities (e.g., fisheries, maritime traffic, and aquaculture). Within this multi-pressure scenario, special attention was paid to fishing-related disturbances and potential conflicts across different fishing métier and with other sectors. Specifically, results highlighted the spatial features of the major fishing pressures (e.g., abrasion from trawling) affecting essential fish habitats, marine mammals and turtles in the study area. A portfolio of possible management measures is identified for the study area. It provides clear evidence that, in order to mitigate emerging conflicts and cumulative impacts, it is necessary to combine and integrate different types of measures: spatial measures modulated over time, monitoring and control, actions to fill knowledge gaps, concertation—involvement—co-management actions, improvement of governance systems, actions to support innovation in the sector, etc. Given the complex set of measures discussed, this work can provide a useful contribution to the management of fisheries both at local and regional level, fostering the transition to sustainable fisheries.
Highlights
automatic identification system (AIS) allowed capturing large trawler’s activities (170 fishing vessels, trawling at least once in 2015 within the compartment of Chioggia), while fishing activity with passive gears was underrepresented. This is because this fishery, based on the use of set nets and traps, is mostly carried out with small fishing vessels not adopting AIS
With regards to vessels equipped with AIS, bottom trawlers were dominant in the studied area, followed by beam and pelagic trawlers (79, 50 and 48 trawlers, respectively)
This study explored the potential opportunities and difficulties of applying the consolidated framework of ecosystem based maritime spatial planning (EBMSP) [14], focusing on the fishing sector in a context of multiple sea uses, such as that of the Chioggia compartment
Summary
The Mediterranean Sea has been a vital source of food for human communities for centuries. The seas have experienced a significant increase in seafood demand at global scale, while the technological progress have enabled rapid industrialization of the fishing sector [1], leading to the overexploitation of fish stocks and long-term changes in coastal and marine ecosystems [2,3]. Fishing is one of the main sources of ecological disturbance [4] in the marine environment. Intensity, historical, and current persistence make it one of the most relevant causes
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