Incorporating landscape metrics into invertebrate fisheries management: case study of the gooseneck barnacle in Asturias (N. Spain)

Abstract

Abstract Landscape components can affect all the important biological processes of invertebrate populations, including their harvest quality, yet they are rarely considered in fisheries management frameworks. Here, we explore landscape, economic and ecologic variables to demonstrate that landscape metrics can be a valuable component in the management of sessile invertebrate fisheries. We developed a map-derived model that links landscape variables with the quality of a fishing resource, using five topographical variables—coastal convexity, orientation, complexity, exposure, and distance from the coast—all but the latter were tested at 23 different spatial scales. The model was ground-truthed using the case study of the gooseneck barnacle fishery in Asturias (N. Spain). Distance from the coast, coastal convexity on a scale of 25 km and exposure on a scale of 1 km appear to be driving the quality of the resource. Our model can predict high-quality gooseneck barnacle fishing zones with 72% accuracy. Moreover, we used a 10-year time-series of gooseneck barnacle landings and sales to analyse the impact of quality on the fishery. Fishers have a bias towards harvesting high-quality gooseneck barnacles, which are sold at higher market values. Thus, quality directly affects landings and sales. Our results highlight the interest of incorporating landscape metrics in fisheries management to generate and support spatially explicit conservation and exploitation policies.