The spatial dynamics of the whitemouth croaker artisanal fishery in Uruguay and interdependencies with the industrial fleet

Abstract

The global fisheries crisis has critical socioeconomic impacts on small-scale fisheries. In addition, the crisis also exacerbates the conflicts and technological interdependencies between artisanal and industrial fisheries. In the coastal zone of Uruguay, both the artisanal and the industrial fleet target the whitemouth croaker Micropogonias furnieri (Desmarest, 1823). In this paper, we assess the spatial dynamics of the artisanal fleet and evaluate technological interdependencies with the industrial fleet. To this end, information gathered from logbooks, vessel monitoring systems and monthly landing reports for five consecutive years was analyzed using a Geographic Information System (GIS). An Index of Fisheries Interdependencies (IFI) was developed to identify and measure the intensity of spatial overlap between the fleets. A strong intra-annual displacement of the artisanal fleet was observed along the coast, as the fleet followed the migrations of the stock to the coastal spawning areas. The catches increased from April to July for both fleets, whereas an inverse trend was observed from October to January. This finding indicated the negative effects of the activities of the industrial fleet on the artisanal catches. Declining Catch per Unit Effort (CPUE) trends and high IFI scores were detected at nursery and spawning areas and suggest early warning signals of stock overexploitation. Artisanal exclusive-use zones and spatio-temporal management windows are recommended to decrease the potential interdependencies between fleets.