The development and use of a spatial database for the determination and characterization of the state of the German Baltic small-scale fishery sector

Abstract

Abstract Papaioannou, E. A., Vafeidis, A. T., Quaas, M. F., and Schmidt, J. O. 2012. The development and use of a spatial database for the determination and characterization of the state of the German Baltic small-scale fishery sector. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: . Although substantial progress has been made in the acquisition and analysis of fishery data, the small-scale fishery (SSF) sector is frequently data deficient, with relevant primary data often being fragmented and incomplete. Also, in contrast to the case of the larger scale sector, a coherent methodological framework for the assessment of the SSF has, in most cases, not been formulated. In the present study, the methodology of developing a database for the German Baltic SSF sector is presented. The aim of the database is to combine fishery primary data effectively and enable the sound determination and characterization of the German Baltic SSF sector. Data used include, among others, fleet data derived from the European Community Fleet Register (CFR) database and logbook data from the German Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE). The database includes information on the technical specifications of SSF vessels (length, engine power, etc.); the sector's operational range; main target species; fishing grounds; landing ports; and weight and price of landings. Results of employing the database for profiling the state of the SSF sector (in 2008) are presented. The results demonstrate the benefits of such an approach within the framework of managing coastal fish resources and fishing activities.