Identifying Métiers Using Landings Profiles: An Octopus-Driven Multi-Gear Coastal Fleet

Monika J Szynaka,Aida Campos,Jorge M S Gonçalves,Karim Erzini

doi:10.3390/jmse9091022

Monika J Szynaka, Aida Campos + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse9091022

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Abstract

The multi-gear coastal vessels in the Algarve (South Portugal) own licenses for various fishing gears. However, it is generally uncertain what gears they use, which is problematic as each individual gear is responsible for unique impacts on the resources and the environment. In this study, landing profiles identified for the multi-gear coastal fleet (2012–2016) were used as support in defining potential métiers using k-mean clustering analysis (CLARA) along with information from past studies on métiers. The results showed that more than 50% of the vessels were engaged in the octopus fishery year-round, using traps, while a small percentage (~13%) were entirely dedicated to clam dredging. In general, gillnets (21%) were used to target monkfish, hake and bastard soles, while trammel nets (6%) were used to target cuttlefish, with some vessels alternating the fishing gears (either seasonally or annually) according to target species. The method for the initial characterization of this fleet’s métiers and its efficiency with limited data is discussed, as well as the utility of this segmentation in support of management advice.

Highlights

The current European Common Fisheries Policy, which became effective fromJanuary 2014, focuses on long-term sustainability
A single vessel accounted for most of the data inputs during several years, whereas other vessels only occasionally recorded the information from their landings, with as little as seven landings registered by one vessel
We focused on the identification of métiers in the multi-species, multi-gear coastal fisheries of the south of Portugal

Summary

Introduction

The current European Common Fisheries Policy, which became effective fromJanuary 2014, focuses on long-term sustainability. The study of mixed-species fisheries’ métiers is especially important for management when there are temporal changes in landing composition and abundances of commercial species due to environmental and fisheries-related factors [2] The latter requires accurate tracking of stock fluctuations and reported landings and can lead to the well-known problem of “choke” species, when quotas for some species are exhausted quicker than for others, resulting in an increase in discards and incentivizing underreporting [3,4]. The number of vessels and trips sampled by the National Biological Sampling Plan is very low, resulting in poor knowledge of the fleet dynamics, namely the existence of métiers and the fishing gear used. For this fleet, fisheries-dependent data are an important, alternative source of information in support of fisheries management. With logbooks available only for a limited number of vessels, most of the information on the stocks comes from landings and respective sales at auction

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