Total Allowable Catch Research Articles

Some consequences of unreported fishing on the results of simple fish stock assessment

Unreported fishing received less attention than illegal fishing but the later contributed the problem of data availability. Among various data needed for fish stock assessment, catch and fishing effort are popular for some preliminary analysis to describe annual trends of catch, fishing effort and catch per unit effort. Surplus production models can be used to determine the status of fish stock, maximum sustainable yield (MSY) and optimum annual fishing effort. Fisheries authorities then can determine some management measure promoting sustainability of the fisheries, such as total allowable catch. This study exercised some consequences of unreported fishing effort and catch data on the outputs of the assessment by a simulation with different levels of data using the model. The estimates of both MSY and optimum fishing effort were lower when catch and fishing effort were not fully reported. When the authority should firmly use the best available but limited data, their decision on the maximum annual catch and fishing effort will be more conservative. In contrast, their decision can be risky if over-estimated catch and fishing effort were used. If fishers expected fair levels of catch and fishing effort, the authorities can firmly ask them to provide data completely.

Mixed stock origin of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the U.S. rod and reel fishery (Gulf of Maine) and implications for fisheries management

The highly migratory Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) has a distribution that spans the North Atlantic and two distinct spawning populations, an eastern population originating in the Mediterranean Sea and a western population originating in the Gulf of Mexico. Atlantic bluefin tuna are managed as two separate management units (east and west) in the North Atlantic, despite observed mixing that occurs across the management boundary. Characterizing the effects of stock mixing has been identified as a priority for improving the management of Atlantic bluefin tuna. Identifying the stock composition of landings from the Gulf of Maine is of particular importance, because approximately 70 % of the U.S. western Atlantic total allowable catch is removed from this region annually. The aim of our research was to apply otolith chemistry techniques to characterize the origin of bluefin tuna caught in the U.S. rod and reel fishery in the Gulf of Maine and to demonstrate how this information can be applied in fisheries management. Prior research established otolith stable isotope chemistry (δ13C and δ18O) as an effective and reliable stock identification tool, and we applied this approach to determine the population of origin of bluefin tuna collected from fishery dependent sampling (recreational and commercial) in the Gulf of Maine. Results indicated that the majority of fish caught in the Gulf of Maine from 2010 to 2013 were eastern origin. We found the highest proportion of eastern origin fish were caught in 2012 and the proportion of eastern origin fish was greater in late summer to fall. Although the majority of fish in small and intermediate size classes were eastern origin, fish in the largest size class (>250 cm) were predominantly western origin. Using these data, we demonstrated an approach for integrating mixed stock composition information into fishery-specific harvest data (U.S. rod and reel catch, catch-at-age, and catch-per-unit-effort). This information can be used to monitor mixed stock composition of the fishery, partition catch to population of origin, and to inform management decisions aimed at controlling population of origin harvest.

Analisis Bioekonomi Ikan Cakalang dalam Upaya Pengelolaan Sumberdaya Perikanan Berkelanjutan

Salah satu potensi hasil laut Kabupaten Sorong yang cukup besar untuk dikembangkan dalam perikanan tangkapnya adalah ikan Cakalang. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui produksi tangkapan maksimum lestari (MSY), tingkat keuntungan ekonomi (MEY) dan tingkat pemanfaatan ikan Cakalang. Metode yang digunakan stratified random sampling dan yang menjadi sampelnya adalah ikan Cakalang yang diperoleh dari hasil tangkapan yang didaratkan di Kabupaten Sorong. Hasil penelitian diperoleh MSY sebesar 5.006.321,52 ton/tahun dengan effort 40 kapal/tahun sedangkan MEY untuk ikan Cakalang 4.999.399,970 ton/tahun dan Effort Maximum Economic Yield (EMEY) 38 kapal/tahun dengan tingkat pemanfaatan telah melebihi Jumlah Tangkapan yang diperbolehkan (JTB) yaitu 80% dari Total Allowable Catch (TAC) yakni sebesar 106,88%. Hasil perhitungan hubungan panjang cagak dan bobot ikan Cakalang di peroleh persamaan W = 0,1931 L 2,4447. Nilai b = 2,4447, (b lebih kecil 3), maka pola pertumbuhan ikan Cakalang yang didaratkan di Kabupaten Sorong bersifat Alometrik negative. Kondisi perikanan Cakalang telah over exploited, maka sistem pengelolaan yang sesuai dengan perikanan Cakalang di Kabupaten Sorong dengan berpedoman pada aspek biologi meliputi: (1) Pengaturan musim penangkapan ikan (2) Penutupan daerah penangkapan pada musim tertentu. (3) Pengurangan kuota penangkapan. (4) Pengendalian upaya penangkapan ikan.

Providing Integrated Total Catch Advice for the Management of Mixed Fisheries with an Eco-viability Approach

Well-established single-species approaches are not adapted to the management of mixed fisheries where multiple species are simultaneously caught in unselective fishing operations. In particular, ignoring joint production when setting total allowable catches (TACs) for individual species is likely to lead to over-quota discards or, when discards are not allowed, to lost fishing opportunities. Furthermore, economic and social objectives have been poorly addressed in the design of fisheries harvest strategies, despite being an explicit objective of ecosystem-based fisheries management in many jurisdictions worldwide. We introduce the notion of operating space as the ensemble of reachable, single-species fishing mortality targets, given joint production in a mixed fishery. We then use the concept of eco-viability to identify TAC combinations which simultaneously account for multiple objectives. The approach is applied to the joint management of hake and sole fishing in the Bay of Biscay, also accounting for catches of Norway lobster, European seabass and anglerfish. Results show that fishing at the upper end of the MSY range for sole and slightly above Fmsy for hake can generate gains in terms of long-term economic viability of the fleets without impeding the biological viability of the stocks, nor the incentives for crews to remain in the fishery. We also identify reachable fishing mortality targets in the MSY ranges for these two species, given existing technical interactions.

High levels of site fidelity in movement patterns of Southern Rock Lobster (Jasus edwardsii) in Victoria, Australia

ABSTRACT Movement patterns of the Southern Rock Lobster Jasus edwardsii in Victoria, Australia were investigated from 8,533 tag-recapture events across a 20-year period (1992–2012). In total, 83% of lobsters were recaptured within 1 km of their tagging site and 93% within 5 km. While largely resident, elevated movements were observed within specific regions, with the overall direction of movement being from inshore to offshore areas. Movement was not impacted by lobster sex, size, or reproductive stage. The fishery for Southern Rock Lobster within Victoria is currently managed into two zones with separate total allowable commercial catches in each area. Given the high levels of site fidelity, our findings suggest that management of the resource at this spatial scale is appropriate and that consideration of significant movement between zones is not warranted in fishery stock assessment models.

Exploitation level of shortfin scads fish (Decapterus macrosoma) caught with purse seine in Bulukumba waters, South Sulawesi

Shortfin scads fish is a pelagic fish that has an important role in the economic sector of fishermen in South Sulawesi waters. In the last five years, there has been a decline in catch resulting from uncontrolled exploitation. However, there is no control instrument for the exploitation of shortfin scads fish to date, hence, there is a concern that the sustainability of shortfin scads fish resources will be threatened. This study aimed to determine the exploitation level of shortfin scads fish (Decapterus macrosoma) caught with a purse seine. The research was carried out in the waters of Bulukumba Regency, South Sulawesi, from April to August 2018. The method used was direct observation. Data on catches were recorded based on the fish species caught at the time of hauling. Data time series of shortfin scads fish and effort data tabulated from fisheries statistical data. Maximum sustainable yield (MSY) of shortfin scads fish in Bulukumba waters in 2016-2017 exceeded the maximum sustainable production (MSY) of 10,739 tons/year (overfishing). The regression analysis between effort and CPUE Schafer model, showed the estimation parameter intercept value (a) 42.38620491, slope (b) -0.041823411. The equality relationship interpreted as the fishing effort for f units per year will reduce the production value (CPUE) of shortfin scads fish by 42,386 tons/year. The estimation of sustainable potential value (MSY) of shortfin scads fish in Bulukumba waters was 10,739 tons/year, while the optimum fishing effort (fopt) was 507 units/year and the total allowable catch (TAC) 8,591 tons/year.

Potential, production and utilization level of pelagic fish resource in Ambon City

In responsible and sustainable fisheries, marine resources should be exploited at optimum level in which potency, production and utilization level is known. This research was conducted to analysed potency, production and utilization level of pelagic fish in Ambon Island waters. Data for the analysis was obtained from the secondary data of Dinas Kelautan dan Perikanan Maluku province in the form of catch and effort for period 2005–2015 and then analysed by using Schaefer model. Estimated Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) was 103,513 tons with Total Allowable Catch (TAC) was 82,811 tons. Production of pelagic fish fluctuated but tended to increase due to increasing of fishing vessels and fishing gears. Catch per unit effort of purse seine and pole and line contributed more for the pelagic fish production than five other fishing gears. The utilization of pelagic fish resources in Ambon tended to increase with annual average 61.7% from TAC or 49.40% of MSY during the period of 2005-2015. In the last three years (2013-2015) the level of utilization increased significantly and has reached 98.31% from TAC or 78.65% of MSY which leads to fully exploitation. These results indicated that fishing effort should be maintained and monitored strictly to prevent over exploitation of pelagic fish resource.

Spatial distribution of discards in mixed fisheries: species trade-offs, potential spatial avoidance and national contrasts

Since 2015, the European Union gradually implemented the landing obligation (LO). This prohibits at-sea discarding of species under total allowable catch management. Spatiotemporal avoidance strategies and increasing fishing gear selectivity are two complementary levers that could help fishers in reducing the amount of discards. The objective of this paper is to analyse discarding practices of demersal mixed fisheries in the central part of the Celtic Sea to inform on potential spatial avoidance strategies of unwanted catches in a multi-species context. This study provides the first international and fine scale discard maps based on combined observer at-sea data from Ireland, France and the UK, the main countries fishing in the area. Using a suite of multivariate analyses, we identified areas with similar discard profiles, accounting for the multi-species nature of the fisheries. The maps were also derived separately for the three countries to examine national versus general patterns. Strong spatial segregation in effort between the countries, combined with nationally distinct quotas constraints, fisheries targets and market preferences, resulted in limited differences in the species composition of discards, but considerable differences in spatial discard patterns between countries. In theory, the maps based on discards below and above the minimum conservation reference size could inform fishers on areas to avoid but in practice, the spatial ubiquity of some species involved and strong technical interactions between fishing gears limit the possibility of avoiding discards. Some species trade-offs could be identified that might help to minimize adverse impacts of the implementation of the LO.

New Strategy to Cope with Common Fishery Policy Landing Obligation: Collagen Extraction from Skins and Bones of Undersized Hake (Merluccius merluccius).

In order to promote sustainable fishing practices within European fishing fleets and to avoid the large waste of valuable fish biomass through the practice of fish discarding, the new reform of the common fisheries policy includes the obligation of landing all species under total allowable catch (TAC) regulations. The new policy also prohibits the use of specimens under minimum conservation reference size for direct human consumption. In this context, it is necessary to find new uses for undersized fish, which might help to alleviate the costs associated with the landing obligation but without prompting the creation of a market. European hake (EH) (Merluccius merluccius), which is one of the most important commercial fish species for the Spanish fishing industry, with a total TAC for 2018 of 37,423 t, is used for this study. Consistent with the current policy framework and taking into account the commercial importance of this species, the aim of this work is to study a new strategy for the extraction of collagen from the skin and bone fraction of Merluccius merluccius undersized discards. Three collagen fractions are successfully isolated for the first time from the skin of M. merluccius skin and bone discarded raw material: acid-soluble collagen (ASC) fraction 1 and pepsin-soluble collagen (PSC) fraction 2 from the skin and ASC fraction 3 from bones. The total collagen yield of the process is 13.55 ± 3.18% in a dry basis (g collagen/100 g of skin and bone fraction (SBF)) and 47.80 ± 9.83% (g collagen/100 g of collagen determined by the hydroxyproline content in SBF). The three fractions are further characterized by using different physical and chemical analysis techniques, with the conclusion drawn that the triple helix structure is preserved in the three fractions, although ASC fractions (F1 and F3) present more or stronger hydrogen bonds than the PSC fraction (F2). With the process herein presented, deboned and skinned hake specimens could represent an interesting source of high quality type I collagen, which could be useful as a raw material for the biomedical, cosmetic, and nutraceutical industries.

Interpreting Daly’s Sustainability Criteria for Assessing the Sustainability of Marine Protected Areas: A System Dynamics Approach

Sustainability assessments of marine protected areas (MPAs) are essential for improving the effectiveness of management efforts. Since sustainability is closely related to the concept of intergenerational well-being, measuring and tracking it through time is crucial. Therefore, this study will use the system dynamics approach applied at Pieh marine park as the study site. A system dynamics model was built comprising four sub-models: fish population dynamics, coral reef coverage, tourism, and pollution. The goodness-of-fit test of the model indicated low and unsystematic model error. The sustainability assessment was conducted using the three principles of sustainability proposed by Herman Daly, which define sustainability for resource management based on the change in the amount of renewable resources, non-renewable resources, and pollution. The sustainability assessment determined that Pieh marine park cannot sustain economic activities in its area, indicated by decreasing renewable resource indicators in the form of fish population dynamics, coral reef coverage, and increasing pollution levels. Several management interventions can be applied to improve sustainability, including lowering the total allowable catch, coral transplantation, and improved waste management.

More landings for higher profit? Inverse demand analysis of the bluefin tuna auction price in Japan and economic incentives in global bluefin tuna fisheries management.

This paper estimates the price changes in global bluefin tuna (BFT) markets in response to shifts in regional and global landings to evaluate the conservation and economic incentives from changes in the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) managed by all three Regional Fisheries Management Organizations. A fisherman’s income, and thus the financial incentive to accept management measures controlling catch levels, depends in part on how responsive price is to overall catch. Individual fisherman, with their own best interest in mind, used to wish to increase their individual landings and create an incentive to ask to increase the TAC for the industry, without realizing the possible revenue loss due to the resulting falling prices. To protect the value of all stakeholders’ property rights, a consensus to avoid abruptly raising the TAC, without first considering the potential loss due to market response, is needed. Alternatively, if revenue increases with lower TAC, a positive economic incentive for conservation is created if price increasing proportionately more than the lower supply, with harvest profits boosted by lower costs of production. To capture the complexity of substituting across various sources of supply and product form, a general synthetic inverse demand system is estimated to identify the impact of overall landings on BFT prices. This system estimates price flexibilities of both fresh and frozen longline-caught sashimi-grade tunas (Pacific, Atlantic and southern bluefins, and bigeye) at the Tokyo Center Market in Japan, including the Tsukiji Market, the world’s largest fish auction market that served as the single global price leader for BFT. The resulting estimation shows that own-quantity price flexibilities of every type of fresh and frozen BFTs are less than unity and inflexible in their own consumption. This creates poor individual producer incentives for fishermen to reduce wild or farmed BFT supply, as there is a chance to increase their own revenue, under the unlikely condition that the total supply is fixed. However, by observing the rapid increases in the TAC of Eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna (EABFT) in the coming years, suppliers may not be better off as price will drop proportionally faster and total revenue if the estimated scale flexibility is greater than one. Based on the estimated scale flexibility of frozen BFT, which is slightly less than unity, the frozen subsector of EABFT suppliers is the only winner under the supply increases. Suppliers of frozen BFT in other regions, fresh BFT (in the Atlantic and elsewhere), and southern BFT and bigeye tuna will all be harmed through lower revenue by the supply increases. Additionally, while total revenue might stay the same for frozen BFT suppliers, fishermen will potentially receive lower profits due to higher operating costs associated with increased landings when the supply of EABFT increases. Given the number of sectors that ultimately lose financially in the short term and given the ecological (and production) risks accompanying an abrupt increase in fishing pressure in the long term, the global economic losses resulting from an increase in the allowable catch of Atlantic bluefin tuna will outweigh any potential increases to revenue.

Overcoming challenges of harvest quota allocation in spatially structured populations

Ignoring spatial population structure in the development of fisheries management advice can affect population resilience and yield. However, the resources required to develop spatial stock assessment models that match the spatial scale of management are often unavailable. As a result, quota recommendations from spatially aggregated assessment models are commonly divided among management areas based on empirical methods. We developed a spatially explicit simulation model to 1) explore how variation in population structure influences the spatial distribution of harvest that produces maximum system yield, and 2) contrast the performance of empirical quota allocation methods in approximating ideal spatial harvest strategies. Spatial scenarios that included post-recruitment movement resulted in a broader range of spatial management options (e.g., setting regional total allowable catch) that achieved near maximum system yield compared to scenarios without movement. Stochastic projections showed that using the proportion of total survey biomass in each management area to spatially allocate quota performed best for maximizing system yield when the true spatial structure was unknown, considerably outperforming equal allocation and allocation based on a recruitment index. However, with all methods, area-specific harvest rates sometimes led to unintended depletion within management units. Improved data and understanding of spatial stock dynamics can reduce the need for ad hoc approaches for spatial harvest allocation, allow for a greater range of management options, and increase the efficacy of spatial management procedures.

Untapped Potential of Citizen Science in Mexican Small-Scale Fisheries

Citizen science is a rapidly growing field with well-designed and run citizen science projects providing substantial benefits for conservation and management. Marine citizen science presents a unique set of challenges and lags behind terrestrial citizen science, but also provides significant opportunities to work in data-poor fisheries. This paper analyses case studies of citizen science projects developed in collaboration with small-scale fishing communities in Mexico´s Pacific Ocean, Gulf of California and Caribbean Sea. The design and performance of these projects were evaluated against the previously published Ten Principles of Citizen Science, and Scientific Stages of Inquiry. Our results suggest that fisheries monitoring, submarine monitoring of no take zones, oceanographic monitoring, and the use of species identification apps by fishers meet the requirements of the published guidelines and are effective tools for involving the small-scale fishing community in science. Translating effective citizen science projects in to effective fishery management however is still at an early stage. Whilst citizen science data have been used locally by communities to adapt fishing practices, calculate recommendations for total allowable catches, establish and evaluate no take zones and detect range extensions of species affected by climate change, challenges remain regarding how to garner official recognition for the data, incorporate these growing sources of data into national policy, and use the data for adaptive management regimes at the national level.

Relative mobility determines the efficacy of MPAs in a two species mixed fishery with conflicting management objectives

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been used to protect species in need of conservation and as a fisheries management tool. It has been suggested MPAs can benefit mobile stocks by protecting spawning grounds whilst also allowing yields to be maintained as mature fish move out of the protected areas. However, the robustness of this claim in mixed species fisheries has yet to be established. We use a simulation model to explore the efficacy of spatial closures and effort regulation when other forms of fishery control (e.g., Total Allowable Catches) are absent or non-enforced as ways of addressing management objectives that are difficult to reconcile due to the contrasting life-histories of a target and a bycatch, conservation species in a two-species fishery. The mobility of each stock in such a fishery affects the benefits conferred by an MPA. The differing management objectives of the two species can be partially met by effort regulations or closures when the species exhibit similar mobility. However, a more mobile conservation species prevents both sets of aims being met by either management tool. We use simulations to explore how spatial closures and effort regulation can be used to seek compromise between stakeholders when the mobility of one stock prevents conflicting management objectives to be fully met. Our results demonstrate that stock mobility is a key factor in considering whether an MPA can meet conflicting aims in a multispecies fishery compromised of stocks with differing life histories and mobilities.

Potencial utilization of skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) in Bone Bay

The skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) resource in Bone bay has long been exploited, but information about the sustainable potential of this fish resource in Bone bay waters is still very limited. The aim of this research is to estimate potential of fish resources that include catch per unit effort (CPUE ), the maximum sustainable yield (MSY), optimum effort, exploitation rate and total allowable catch (TAC) of skipjack tuna in the waters of Bone bay. This study uses time series data, namely annual data from the fisheries statistics report at Marine and Fisheries Service, South Sulawesi Province from 2006-2015. The method used to estimate the potential of fish resources in this study is the surplus production method with the Schaefer model. The results showed that the average production and standard efforts in the 10-year period were 14689.7 tons and 914 standard units respectively. The estimation results obtained MSY and optimum effort per year are 22561.4 tons and 1730 standard units, and allowed catches (TAC) of 18049.2 tons per year. The level of exploitation of skipjack tuna resources in the waters of Bone Bay does not over exploited every year except in 2017.Keywords: potential of fish resources, skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis), MSY, TAC, Bone bay

CURRENT STATE OF STOCK FOR TANNER CRAB CHIONOECETES BAIRDI RATHBUN, 1924 (CRUSTACEA, DECAPODA) AT THE SOUTH-EASTERN COAST OF KAMCHATKA

Tanner crab Chionoecetes bairdi is the highly valuable object of commercial fishery dwelling in the seas surrounding Kamchatka Peninsula. Its landings started at the southeastern coast of Kamchatka in early 1980s and continued till 2009, when the fishery was stopped by reasons independent on the stock state. It was launched again in 2017. Now the species is landed mostly in the Petropavlovskaya fishery subzone (62 % of the total allowable catch of tanner crab in Russia in 2019), whereas its stocks at southwestern Kamchatka and in the northwestern Bering Sea are rather low. Modern condition of the tanner crab population and its distribution at southeastern Kamchatka are considered on the data of the trap surveys conducted in spring and summer of 2012 and 2018. Between these years, commercial males of these species spread wider at southeastern Kamchatka and formed commercial aggregations in the northern Avachinsky Bay and in the southern and central parts of the Kronotsky Bay, but were rare southward from Cape Povorotny. They became larger: while size of the males varied in the range 50–170 mm in both years, the males with the carapace width < 120 mm prevailed in 2012, but the large-sized males with commercial size were more numerous in 2018. Percentage of the females in the catches was low both in 2012 and 2018 that is typical for the trap catches. The crabs at the 3rd stage of molting dominated both in May and August of 2012 and 2018. Injury level of the commercial males was rather high and increased from 2012 to 2018 in 8 %. Good current condition of the tanner crab population at southeastern Kamchatka is concluded.

Biomass and distribution of the red octopus (Octopus maya) in the north-east of the Campeche Bank

AbstractThe regulatory framework of the red octopus (Octopus maya) fishery includes total allowable catches (TAC), which are based on studies conducted on the population that occurs in shallow waters. In fact, most of the biological studies of this species refer to the fraction of the population that occupies waters less than 30 m deep; however,O. mayacan occur up to a 60 m depth. The aim of this study is to assess the stock ofO. mayathat occupies waters between 30 m and 60 m deep. Four research cruises were carried out during the closed and fishing seasons, from May 2016 to January 2017. An average of 29 sampling sites were surveyed in each cruise (±2 sampling sites) using a commercial vessel with a uniform sampling effort. In each sampling site, the swept area, the total number of octopuses captured, the total weight of the catch, and the individual weight of octopuses were recorded. Biomass was obtained with four methods: stratified random method, swept area method, geostatistical biomass model, and an unpublished method of weighted swept area. The four methods provided consistent results. The distribution pattern of species was in patches, although before the fishing season started it was more homogeneous. The fraction of the population that occurs between 30 m and 60 m deep consisted mostly of adult organisms, so it could be contributing significantly to the recruitment of the entire population, even to the fraction that is exploited.

Temporal and spatial predictions of effect of alternative fishing policies for the Gran Canaria marine ecosystem.

In this paper we consider what may happen to the marine ecosystem of Gran Canaria Island within the 2030 horizon, if fishing strategies different from those currently in place were implemented and we evaluate the effect of, for example, reduction of recreational-artisanal fishing, limitation of catches (e.g. total allowable catches, TAC), or spatial distribution of fishing sectors. From all scenarios tested, only those that significantly reduce the high effort of the recreational fishing would allow the recovery of the most exploited stocks in the marine ecosystem in the short and medium-term. Moreover, the best management strategy, in contribution to abundance, was obtained with a scenario that has a spatial partition of exploitation rights between artisanal and recreational fishermen and includes no-fishing zones (NTZ). This work is a first attempt to use spatial and temporal models to assess the effectiveness of alternative fishery policies in the Canary Islands.

Does the European Union achieve comprehensive blue growth? Progress of EU coastal states in the Baltic and North Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean against sustainable development goal 14

The Sustainable Development Goal for the oceans and coasts (SDG 14) as part of the 2030 Agenda can be considered as an important step towards achieving comprehensive blue growth. Here, we selected a set of 18 indicators to measure progress against SDG 14 for 15 EU coastal countries in the Baltic and the North Sea and the Atlantic Ocean since 2012. In our assessment we distinguish between a concept of weak and strong sustainability, assuming high and low substitution possibilities, respectively. Our results indicate that there are countries which managed to achieve sustainable development under both concepts of sustainability (most notably Estonia, achieving the strongest improvement), but that there are also countries which failed to achieve sustainable development under both concepts (most notably Ireland and Belgium, experiencing the strongest decline). Unsustainable development is in particular driven by increasing fishing mortality and reduced willingness to set total allowable catch in accordance with scientific advice.

An on-land management and valorisation approach for biomass associated with landing obligation compliance

In compliance with the new legal framework defined as the landing obligation (LO), established in Article 15 of the Common Fisheries Policy by the EU, all the individuals of species subject to the total allowable catches regulation must be kept on-board, landed, and quantified against their corresponding quota. In addition, specimens with a size below the minimum legal size cannot be used for direct human consumption. Therefore, appropriate solutions should be implemented to accordingly manage this new biomass as well as to avoid its waste, making the best possible use by designing value chains to valorise it.To select the best valorisation alternative in each case, it is necessary to know in advance a set of relevant aspects such as the number of different species and the quantities that will actually arrive at port, the existence of available infrastructures in the proximity of fishing ports, and the real market possibilities of the products obtained.In this work, an integrated on-land management and valorisation approach is presented for new marine biomass that lands in 2019 when the LO is fully implemented. The facility in this approach is called the Integral Discards Valorisation Point. The processes executed in this pilot plant were performed by applying a bio-refinery concept for management and upgrade.