ITALY
Italy drives a regional management plan in the Mediterranean
Reducing unwanted catches with spatial closures In contrast to fisheries in the North Atlantic fisheries in the Mediterranean are characterised by the multitude of species and the varieties of gear that are used to target them. Italian catches in the Mediterranean (together with Turkey’s) are the biggest of the approximately 30 countries whose fleets fish these waters.
O
ne of the most important fisheries in Italy is the deep-water crustacean fisheries which takes place in a very large area of the Mediterranean from the Channel of Sardinia, between Sardinia and Africa, to the Aegean Sea and further east to the Levant Sea. The target species are mainly deep-water crustaceans, deepwater rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris), which is the most abundant, and giant red shrimp (Aristaeomorpha foliacea). The latter is caught in water up to 800 m in depth. The main commercial bycatch species is European hake (Merluccius merluccius), catches of which averaged 1,500 tonnes between 2012 and 2014 and were valued at EUR8m in 2014. Other species are Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) and violet shrimp (Aristeus antennatus).
Important crustacean fisheries in the Strait of Sicily Fabio Fiorentino is a researcher at the Institute for Coastal Marine Environment of the National Research Council (IAMC-CNR) at the division in Mazara del Vallo on Sicily, a key region in the Italian fisheries sector. Sicily is home to the largest Italian fleet, which accounted for 17 of all Italian landings in 2014 with a value of 42
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almost a quarter of the total – more than any other region. As in the rest of Italy, the Sicilian fleet has undergone significant reductions. In Mazara del Vallo for example in the 90s there were more than 250 trawlers, a number that has shrunk to about 80 today. The increase in fuel prices was one of the reasons. Most of the vessels were built 40 years ago, a time when fuel prices were much lower. Many of these vessels target shrimp. Dr Fiorentino points out that the crustacean stocks are shared between Italy (mainly Sicily), Tunisia, and to a lesser degree Malta, which has a very small fleet. The most valuable of these species is the deepwater rose shrimp. Italian catches in 2014 amounted to just under 7,700 tonnes with a value of almost EUR50m. The Italian fleet is responsible for about 80 of the total catch while Tunisian vessels catch the remainder. Over the past years, however, trawlers from Mazara del Vallo operating in the Strait of Sicily have changed their target to red giant shrimp from deep-water rose shrimp, while the smaller vessels have shifted their target from fish to deep-water rose shrimp. There are a couple of reasons for this shift, according to Dr Fiorentino. One is the higher price that fishermen can obtain for crustaceans has been an incentive for them to switch targets. Yet another reason
Fabio Fiorentino of the Institute for Coastal Marine Environment on Sicily, discloses that the Sicilian fleet accounts for almost 25% of the total value of Italian fishing landings.
has been the presence of other nations’ fishing vessels in the Strait of Sicily. These vessels target mainly fish, such as red mullet (Mullus barbatus). In past years this species had also been targeted by the distant water trawlers (over 24 m) based in Mazara del Vallo and to avoid conflicts the Italian vessels shifted to other species such as crustaceans. The crustacean fishery is technically more demanding, requiring better equipment and greater expertise and there was less likelihood of conflicts. There were also commercial reasons to switch to other species as Greece, the main market for mullet, was suffering from the effects of the financial crisis and was no longer as lucrative. These big trawlers can stay at sea for over a month without
returning to port, and they freeze their catch on board. Smaller trawlers, those between 12 and 24 m, are based in the harbours along the southern coast of Sicily and generally operate close to the coast spending 1-2 days at sea. These vessel too have started fishing in deeper waters changing their target from finfish and cephalopods to deep-water rose shrimp, which are typically landed fresh.
A regional management plan gradually takes shape The solution to the problem in the future may be a long term management plan that is currently being discussed among others by the Italian Ministry for www.eurofishmagazine.com
05/04/16 11:11 AM