Abstract
We investigate long-term changes in the Mediterranean marine resources driving the trawl fisheries by analysing fishers’ perceptions (Traditional Ecological Knowledge, TEK) throughout the Mediterranean Sea during the last 80 years. To this end, we conducted an extended set of interviews with experienced fishers that enabled us to classify species (or taxa) as ‘decreasing’ or ‘increasing’ both in terms of abundance, as well as average size in the catch. The aspect that most clearly emerged in all the investigated areas over time was the notable increase of fishing capacity indicators, such as engine power and fishing depth range. Atlantic mackerel, poor cod, scorpionfishes, striped seabream, and John Dory demonstrated a decreasing trend in the fishers’ perceived abundance, while Mediterranean parrotfish, common pandora, cuttlefish, blue and red shrimp, and mullets gave indications of an increasing temporal trend. Although, as a rule, trawler captains did not report any cataclysmic changes (e.g. extinctions), when they were invited to estimate total catches, a clear decreasing pattern emerged; this being a notable finding taking into account the steep escalation of fishing efficiency during the past century. The overall deteriorating status of stocks in most Mediterranean regions calls for responsible management and design of rebuilding plans. This should include historical information accounting for past exploitation patterns that could help defining a baseline of fish abundance prior to heavy industrial fisheries exploitation.
Highlights
The Mediterranean Sea and its environment are of great economic importance to the surrounding countries
Temporal representation of the fleet operational characteristics illustrates how fishing capacity amplified at a fast pace; fishing activities expanded from coastal/shelf areas to distant deeper waters
The assemblage of responses included a total of 42 species (Table 2). 14 species/ taxa were mentioned more than 10 times; the three dominating species being: European hake (M. merluccius), red mullet (M. barbatus) and deep-water rose shrimp (P. longirostris)
Summary
The Mediterranean Sea and its environment are of great economic importance to the surrounding countries. Humans have exploited the Mediterranean Sea since the prehistoric era [3]–[4]. This perennial utilization of resources has led, earlier than any other marine region of the world, to the acknowledgement that fishing may have largely affected the marine environment; manifestations in the form of protests against bottom trawling as a detrimental fishing tactic date back to 1377 A.D. and such concerns have materialized into spatio-temporal closures for fishing even since the 18th century [5], [6], [7], and prohibitions of certain fishing gears During the past two centuries, the introduction of many technological innovations has produced a progressive increase of fishing capacity, technology and catchability, a factor which further increased the pressure on the resources and the marine environment [7]
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