Abstract
The Northern Adriatic Sea (NAS) is one of the most overexploited marine ecosystems in Europe. Given the gaps in scientific knowledge regarding the NAS, this study sought Fishers’ Ecological Knowledge (FEK) to determine NAS’ historical baselines for conservation. By interviewing 53 fishers in three ports of northern Italy, estimates of the catch rates of four commercial demersal species were generated over a 60-year period, and perceptions of target and non-target species’ diversity and benthic diversity were analysed in three groups of fishers (i.e. novices, experienced and veterans). Results showed a significant decline in perceived abundance of sole (Solea solea), common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) and mantis shrimp (Squilla mantis), and evidence was found of a Shifting Baseline Syndrome (SBS) among novices. Given FEK’s ability to complement scientific knowledge, fishers’ participation in marine management policies and intergenerational communication should be enhanced, to improve the status of marine ecosystems and hinder SBS.
Highlights
Located in the Mediterranean Sea, the Northern Adriatic Sea (NAS) is characterised by shallow depths, sandy-muddy bottoms, strong vertical stratification and highly variable sea surface temperatures, withElectronic supplementary material The online version of this article contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.peaks of 5 °C in winter and 27 °C in summer (Russo and Artegiani 1996)
Americana and rapido were the main trawling gears used by the respondents, few of whom worked in the pelagic sector
The long-term trends inferred in this study, measuring the CPUE of cuttlefish, sole, mantis shrimp and red mullet, might provide a more accurate view of species’ abundance than the currently available official fisheries’ data (Huntington 2000)
Summary
The region has, by far, the highest annual production of demersal species (around 44,000 tons) in the Mediterranean (Mannini and Sabatella 2015; STECF 2016) and the highest number of trawlers (1043) of any European country (Colloca et al 2017). The NAS presents the lowest probability of being sustainably fished (Colloca et al 2017), and more than 90% of its marine resources are depleted (Lotze et al 2011). Analytical stock assessments of some of the most common commercial stocks fished by Northern Adriatic bottom-trawlers have been conducted, but these estimate population dynamics only as far back as the mid 2000s (STECF 2019). The rapido has exerted substantial pressure on the seabed and benthic macrofauna (Giani et al 2012), by scraping the seafloor, disrupting bed-
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
