Artisanal fisheries in urban reservoirs: a case study from Brazil (Billings Reservoir, São Paulo Metropolitan Region)

Billings Reservoir is an urban reservoir located in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region. It supports 101 active artisanal fishermen. To describe this fishery, landings were recorded daily between February 1996 and January 1997 at Colônia (23° 50' 57' S; 46° 40' 02' W). In every landing, a data collector recorded catch, effort, fishing gears and fishing grounds. A total of 147 593 kg of fish were recorded in 3515 fishing trips. The exotic Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.), was the main species exploited (81.4% of the annual catches). Five other species were also targeted: the characid Astyanax eigenmaniorum (Cope) (13.0% of the annual catches); the erythrinid Hoplias aff . malabaricus (Block) (2.1%); the exotic cyprinid Cyprinus carpio L. (Campos & Fernández-Yépez) (2.4%); the curimatid Cyphocharax modestus L. (1.1%); and the pimelodid Rhamdia sp. (0.1%). Two main groups of fishermen were discriminated using Principal Components Analysis; these were associated with the type of fishing gear and fishing strategies, i.e. those who exploited Nile tilapia with cast nets and beating gill nets, and those who exploited other species with set gill nets. Management and maintenance of this fishery should consider the positive top-down effects that Nile tilapia could have in controlling eutrophication and also the social benefits.     

An interview‐based approach assessing interactions between seals and small‐scale fisheries informs the conservation strategy of the endangered Mediterranean monk seal

1. Small‐scale fisheries may pose a serious threat to the conservation of marine mammals. At the same time various factors have led to the decline of small‐scale fisheries, often making them unsustainable. Current rates of biodiversity loss and the reduction of fish stocks and fisheries dictate a thorough understanding of fisheries‐related issues and the implementation of effective management actions.
2. The Mediterranean monk seal is one of the most endangered marine mammals on Earth; its survival in the eastern Mediterranean Sea is threatened by negative interactions with fisheries. A nationwide questionnaire survey among fishers and port police authorities was carried out in Greece to describe the main characteristics of small‐scale fisheries, and to understand the nature and assess the magnitude of negative interactions between the monk seal and these fisheries. Questionnaire information was verified by a second round of interviews during landings.
3. The main attributes of the fishers, their fishing boats, and their practices were characteristic of the small‐scale fisheries sector. Overfishing was considered the main reason for fish‐stock reduction, and negative interactions with marine mammals was considered the main issue for the fishing sector.
4. Monk seals were present, caused damage, and got accidentally entangled in fishing gear throughout Greece. Damage to fishing gear was recorded mainly during spring and summer, and on average affected 21% of all fishing trips and 1% of nets deployed during a fishing trip.
5. Based on these results, the implementation of general and specific nationwide fishery management and conservation actions are proposed. These actions are mainly aimed at improving fish stock status, changing the behaviour of the fishers, and mitigating seal–fishery interactions in Greece, while promoting the recovery of the Mediterranean monk seal in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

     

Interaction between monk seals Monachus monachus (Hermann, 1779) and marine fish farms in the Turkish Aegean and management of the problem

Mediterranean monk seals Monachus monachus attacked fish on 11 marine fish farms in the Turkish Aegean between 1992 and 2000. There were 40 attacks on fish farms where gilthead sea bream Sparus auratus and European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax were raised in holding cages. Single seals usually attacked cages at night, regardless of the size of fish in the cages. The seals damaged both holding nets of the cages and fish and, on most occasions, fish escaped as a result of the attacks. With the exception of only one facility, all fish farms attacked by monk seals were concentrated on the large peninsulas including Karaburun and Bodrum Peninsulas, and the number of seal attacks was higher during the winter months. A direct intervention to deter seals such as the use of lights, feeding with pesticide‐injected fish, noise generation, warning and direct shots with rifles and physical exclusion of seals from holding cages by installing antipredator nets were applied to prevent or reduce seal attacks. Our study shows that deterrents such as lights and warning shots were not effective in preventing monk seal attacks. However, both curtain‐ and bag‐type antipredator nets were found to be effective.     

辽东湾不同型刺网捕捞性能的比较

为了提高近海渔业资源养护型捕捞与管理技术,促进《全国海洋捕捞渔具目录》的实施,2014年10-11月在辽东湾进行了网目尺寸为40 mm、50 mm、60 mm的单片刺网、双重刺网和三重刺网以及生产对照网的选择性对比实验.结果显示,各种实验网的渔获种类数均在6-9种之间,优势种口虾蛄(Oratosquilla oratoria)的优势度随网目尺寸的增大而减小,但花鲈(Lateolabrax japonicas)的优势度随网目尺寸的增大而增大.同型试验网在不同网目尺寸条件下的渔获量有显著性差异,其中,60 mm试验网与40 mm同型试验网的单位捕捞努力量渔获量(CPUE)比较,单片刺网为800％,双重刺网为650％,三重刺网为500％;而异型试验网在网目尺寸相同条件下对渔获量的影响相对较小.试验网的组内渔获组成平均相似度分别为单片刺网59.24％,双重刺网62.63％,三重刺网66.51％;组间分别为71.44％、67.50％和70.58％;对组内和组间平均相似度贡献最高的种类均为口虾蛄和花鲈.随着网目尺寸的增大,各型试验网的渔获物幼鱼比例呈下降趋势.     

Artisanal fishing,dolphins, and interactive pinger: A study from a passive acoustic perspective

1. Dolphins interact with many types of fishing gear, causing damage to fishing activities and in some cases facing harm and becoming entangled as bycatch.
2. In this study, the behaviour of bottlenose dolphins during their interaction with set nets, equipped with and without interactive pingers, was investigated. Acoustic monitoring of the nets was conducted for a total of 56 hauls and 814.9 hr of recordings, from the 16 October to 13 November 2015, along the coast of Lampedusa island (Sicilian Channel, Italy, Mediterranean Sea).
3. The level of interaction between dolphins and the nets was evaluated considering the number of dolphin clicks grouped over time (single acoustic incursion on each net), the duration of every acoustic incursion, and the number of dolphin clicks per incursion. Moreover, the catch rate was measured as the number of fish per hour for each net.
4. Based on the recording time of dolphin clicks, the spatio-temporal development of the interaction with the nets located in different bays of the island was assessed.
5. The duration of the interaction between dolphins and nets significantly increased over the study period, with a concomitant reduction in catch rate. The interactive pinger showed efficacy in protecting the nets from dolphin depredation during the first period of 36 hauls and 11 fishing days (higher catch rates and lower incursion durations), whereas no differences were found in any interaction parameters between pinger and control nets in the second period (20 hauls and six fishing days).
6. Interactive pingers may be an effective, short-term (2–3 weeks) tool in deterring depredation by bottlenose dolphins in small-scale artisanal fisheries. Other mitigation approaches, such as gear modification, lessons learned through outreach, and passive acoustic monitoring of the nets, could improve the management of the interactions between fisheries and bottlenose dolphins.

     

Incidental capture of Caretta caretta in trammel nets off the western coast of Sardinia (Italy): statistical models of capture abundance and immediate survival

• 1. Trammel nets are one important cause of sea turtle mortality resulting from incidental capture. This study presents findings over a 10‐year period during which loggerhead turtle by‐catch in trammel nets, set off the central west coast of Sardinia (Italy) in the summer months, was recorded by 17 fishing vessels.
• 2. Since the by‐catch registered represented counts of a rare event, data from the 17 vessels were used in the zero‐inflated Poisson (ZIP) model to determine the abundance of turtle by‐catch in trammel nets of the entire fleet, while a binomial generalized linear model was used to assess the probability of immediate survival for sea turtles incidentally caught in this gear.
• 3. The ZIP model quantified in about 45% the probability that 0.6 turtles have been caught by each vessel using trammel nets during summer over the 10‐year period. In addition, the model estimated a total of 916 by‐catch if the entire small‐scale fleet was to use trammel nets in the study area in the summers between 1992 and 2001, with a direct mortality rate of 69%.
• 4. The probability of immediate survival for sea turtles caught in trammel nets seems to be directly related to the size of the specimens caught; however, this relationship is plausible only when incidental capture in the net occurs shortly before gear retrieval.
• 5. The study area represents a region where the abundance of sea turtle by‐catch per vessel in trammel nets was much higher in July and August than in June and could represent a potential hot spot for the presence of juvenile loggerhead turtles, with high levels of interactions between the species and this fishing gear. Further research should better characterize the incidents of by‐catch and assess potential innovative solutions that allow small‐scale fisheries to coexist alongside sea turtles. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

     

Pinger affects fish catch efficiency and damage to bottom gill nets related to bottlenose dolphins

There is some evidence that the presence of Tursiops truncatus in fishing areas represents a real economic threat to fishermen due the dolphin feeding on the entangled fish, damaging the nets and reducing the fish catch. We have carried out experiments to assess the efficiency of a pinger in decreasing the interaction between the dolphins and fishing nets, in a fishing area off the coast of southern Italy, where Tursiops truncatus is frequently observed to interact with bottom gill nets. Two identical monofilament bottom gill nets (900 m long), one equipped with pingers and the other without, were used to measure the effect of these pingers on the abundance of the catch and net damage. For each haul (58 in total), data on dolphin sightings near the nets, damage judged to have been done by dolphins, weight and species composition of the catch were collected. All damage to the nets were recorded at the end of each haul. Dolphins in the fishing area were sighted 11 times out of 29 fishing activities (38%). The net equipped with pingers contained 28% more fish (biomass) than the net without pingers (t test, P < 0.04) and was less damaged (−31%, t test, P < 0.01). To assess whether the efficacy of these pingers remain constant over long period, long-term experiments should be carried out.     

Gear-based management of a tropical artisanal fishery based on species selectivity and capture size

The population density, species composition and lengths of fish landed by artisanal fishermen using six types of gear: large and small traps, gill nets, hand lines, spears and beach seines were studied in the multi‐species fishery of southern Kenya. Selectivity and catch composition among gears were determined by studying the species richness, diversity, size and mean trophic level of the catches for each gear type, to develop gear‐based management recommendations for this artisanal reef lagoon fishery. One hundred and sixty‐three reef and reef‐associated species from 37 families were recorded in the catch. Beach seines and small traps accounted for the highest number of fish landed (34–35 individuals per fisherman per day). These gears also caught smaller fish than big traps, spears and gill nets. Beach seines caught the highest number of species (14 ± 7 species per day) while most other gears caught four to five species per day with no differences between gears. Predatory species with a mean trophic level of 3.6 dominated catches from hand lines, while the mean trophic level of the other gears was low and ranged from 2.6 to 2.9 with no differences between the gears. The high diversity and small size of fish caught in beach seines indicates that its selectivity overlapped most with large traps and gill nets. Spears and small traps also showed high similarity in species selectivity and small traps captured the smaller mean size of fish, indicating that they are likely to pre‐empt the resource of spears. Large traps, hand lines and spears catch the largest individuals and the species composition of the catch differed sufficiently such that their selectivity should overlap the least and may, therefore, be the preferred mix of gears. The elimination or reduction of beach seines and small traps should reduce the catch of small fish and overlap in selectivity among the existing gears.     

Catches of target species and bycatches of an artisanal fishery: The case study of a trammel net fishery in the Portuguese coast

In this work we studied an artisanal fishery targeting mainly soles (Solea senegalensis and Solea solea) and cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) with trammel nets. Catches of target species, bycatches and discards were studied from October 2004 until August 2005 in the west coast of Portugal. A total of 37 sampling surveys onboard commercial fishing vessels were conducted. The number and weight of individuals of all species caught were registered, as well as the amount discarded and retained by fishermen. A total of 112 species were identified: Scomber japonicus, Chelidonichthys obscura and Callioynimus lyra were the most discarded fishes, corresponding to 28% in weight and 36% in number of discards. Discards represented 22%, in weight, of the total catches, while the amount retained by fishermen for consumption or direct selling was 12%, also in weight. The overall estimate of the annual discards value due to this fishery was ca. 170 tonnes, comprising near 45 fishing vessels. Inconsistencies between the catches recorded onboard and the official landings were detected for the main target species. Some bycatches of species under recovery plans were also found.     

Eutrophication and Recreational Fishing on the Finnish Coast of the Gulf of Finland: A Mail Survey

The Gulf of Finland is one of the most eutrophic areas in the Baltic Sea and is also the main fishing area for more than 150 000 recreational fishermen in Finland. The findings of a mail survey showed that the most important species for the recreational fishery is perch, Perca fluviatilis L. There is no clear evidence that eutrophication has had a harmful effect on the stocks of perch and other species considered important. Heavy fouling of gear, particularly gill nets, is the most acute problem caused by eutrophication to the local recreational fishery. The rapid fouling of passive gear was experienced by 67–86% of all fishermen in the three study areas. A general deterioration in water quality was perceived because only 2–14% of fishermen rated the water quality as excellent. However, a minority of recreational fishermen seem to have adapted or grown accustomed to the deterioration in water quality. Even in the two most eutrophic study areas, 23–31% of recreational fishermen considered that an improvement in local water quality would not benefit their own fishing in any way.     

A framework for adaptive gear and ecosystem‐based management in the artisanal coral reef fishery of Papua New Guinea

• 1. Artisanal fishing on coral reefs in Papua New Guinea is an important livelihood activity that is managed primarily at the level of local communities. Pockets of overexploitation exist and are expected to increase with plans for increased commercialization.
• 2. This paper provides a current assessment of the artisanal multi‐species coral reef fishery by examining selectivity of the dominant gear, namely line fishing, spearguns, and gill nets. Each gear has its own strengths and weaknesses in terms of use and conservation of resources, with no clear problem gear.
• 3. The three gears utilize different resources but there was moderate overlap in the species caught, particularly between gill nets and line fishing and marginally between lines and spearguns. Gill nets have the disadvantage of being destructive to coral and the advantage of catching commercial species. Line fishing catches an intermediate number of species but mostly large‐bodied and predatory species that could potentially reduce predation and the mean trophic level of the fishery. Spearguns catch the highest numbers of species, including many non‐commercial and herbivorous fish and could reduce the diversity of fish and encourage algal growth.
• 4. This information could be used in combination with scientific monitoring and traditional ecological knowledge to develop an adaptive management framework that uses local restrictions on the various gears to restore or balance the fishery and ecosystem. Restrictions could be selectively imposed: on gill nets when coral cover is low, line fishing when large‐bodied predators are depleted, and spearguns when biodiversity is reduced and algal abundance high.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dolphins and coastal fisheries within a marine protected area: mismatch between dolphin occurrence and reported depredation

• 1. Dolphins are often blamed for reducing fisheries catches and may be killed in retaliation. Depredation of fishing gear in coastal Mediterranean waters is normally caused by bottlenose dolphins. Economic impact, however, may be modest even within areas of reportedly acute conflict.
• 2. Boat surveys and interviews were conducted to investigate dolphin occurrence and interactions with fisheries within the 167 km² Porto Cesareo Marine Protected Area (MPA) in southern Italy. Based on 69 interviews with fishermen using bottom‐set trammel and gill nets, there was reportedly a high occurrence of depredation by bottlenose dolphins. Depredation was reported by 92% of the fishermen operating in or near the MPA, and 67% of them claimed an economic cost in excess of €1000 per year, with a mean reported cost of €2561: a higher impact than in other Mediterranean studies.
• 3. According to local fishermen, dolphin occurrence and depredation peaked in spring and autumn, coincident with the study's surveys at sea. Dedicated visual surveys totalling 1255 km of effort, however, resulted in no encounters with cetaceans. Information from interviews and boat surveys was therefore contradictory, suggesting that reports of acute depredation do not imply a constant presence of dolphins within the MPA.
• 4. While depredation in the MPA might be caused by wide‐ranging dolphins or incursions occurring overnight, damage may well be overestimated or over‐reported. As local fishermen had previously benefited from subsidies, interviews made during this study could be perceived by some as an opportunity to influence future decision‐making regarding monetary compensation for the impact of depredation.
• 5. Evidence from interviews also indicated that species and factors other than dolphins were responsible for part of the damage. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

     

A comparative analysis between recreational and artisanal fisheries in a Mediterranean coastal area

The biological impact and the social characteristics of different artisanal (professional) and recreational fishing techniques on the marine resources of a coastal Mediterranean area were compared. Data were from artisanal and recreational surveys carried out between 2006 and 2010. Competition between recreational (particularly spear fishing) and artisanal fishers for the natural resources is important as 52% of the 98 species surveyed were caught by both types of fishers. A total of 87 species were caught by all artisanal fishing gears together (of which 84% were retained and 16% discarded). Recreational fishing caught 58 species of which none was systematically discarded. The two fishing techniques that raise major environmental concerns are spear fishing (very selective in terms of species and/or sizes and high intrinsic vulnerability of catches) and trammel netting (highest number of species discarded and highest number of species endangered). Important challenges from the social standpoint were found that need to be taken into account in the management of coastal fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea including: progressive disappearance of the artisanal fisheries, ageing of the artisanal fisher populations and decline in the number of fishing gears used by artisanal fishers.     

Overview of loggerhead turtles coastal nets interactions in the Mediterranean Sea

相似文献   

福建海洋捕捞业近年来的变化与可持续发展

十年来我省拖网、张网作业发展太快，捕捞力已大大超过近海渔场资源的承受能力，造成鱼类资源严重衰退，海捕业经济效益明显下降。解决的根本办法是实行限额捕捞制度，逐步减少拖网和定置渔船数量，围刺钓笼作业也要调整发展，并引导上岸渔民改行从事养殖、加工、休闲渔业及第三产业。     

A socio-economic perspective on gear-based management in an artisanal fishery in south-west Madagascar

Abstract  Artisanal fisheries are important socially, nutritionally and economically. Poverty is common in communities dependent on such fisheries, making sustainable management difficult. Poverty based on material style of life (MSL) was assessed, livelihoods surveyed and the relationship between these factors and fishery data collected using a fish landing study were examined. Species richness, diversity, size and mean trophic level of catches were determined for six fishing gears in an artisanal fishery in south-west Madagascar. There was little livelihood diversification and respondents were highly dependent on the fishery. No relationship was found between poverty and gear use. This suggests that poverty does not have a major impact on the nature of the fishery; however, this study was dominated by poor households, so it remains possible that communities with more variation in wealth might show differences in fishing methods according to this parameter. The fishery was heavily exploited with a predominance of small fish in the catches. Beach seines caught some of the smallest fish, overlapped in selectivity with gill nets and also had the highest catch per fishers. Thus, a reduction in the number of beach seines could help reduce the catch of small fish and the overlap in selectivity among gears.     

Discarding practices in a Mediterranean small-scale fishing fleet (Patraikos Gulf, Greece)

Abstract  Discarding practices from 110 fishing operations in a Mediterranean small-scale fishing fleet (Patraikos Gulf, western Greece) from August 2004 to July 2005 were analysed. On average, 1 kg of fish was discarded per fishing operation (10% of the catch). The reasons for discarding were: low commercial value (78% of discards), damage at sea before retrieval of the gear (5%), and bad handling on-board (17%). More than half of discards belonged to Spicara flexuosa (L.), Lepidopus caudatus (Euphrasen), Sardinella aurita Valenciennes and Merluccius merluccius (L.). The bulk of discards of each species were associated with a single fishing method (metier). A Generalized Linear Model (Delta-X – error-model) indicated that, when discards were present, significant differences existed in the discard ratio among different métier groups (groups comprising métiers with similar characteristics). Longlines and trammel nets with small mesh-sizes had the highest discard ratios. Discarding practices for the species Diplodus annularis (L.), S. aurita , Squilla mantis (L.), S. flexuosa and Scorpaena scrofa (L.) did not follow a consistent pattern (these species were either fully discarded or fully retained during a fishing operation). The decision seemed to be dependent on market demands rather than fish size. Significant correlation was found between discarded and catch weight, but the presence of many outliers indicated deviance from a case where discards are high when there is an abundant catch. The findings of the study imply that monitoring and management should be carried out preferably on the métier level. Discards could be reduced by technical measures, controlling effort regulations and by improving working conditions on-board fishing vessels.     

Can fishermen allocate their fishing effort in space and time on the basis of their catch rates? An example from Spermonde Archipelago,SW Sulawesi,Indonesia

Spatial and temporal patterns in catch rates and in allocation of fishing effort were analysed for the coastal fishery in Spermonde Archipelago, Indonesia, to assess whether fishermen can optimise their strategy from catch information, or whether they fish under great uncertainty and merely minimise risks. On average 517 fishing units operated in the 2800 km² area, catching 21 t fish day⁻¹. Major gear categories were hook and line (59% of total effort and 5% of total catch), and lift nets (16% of total effort and 70% of total catch). The size of individual resource spaces varied with gear type and was smaller in unfavourable weather conditions. Although spatial patterns in catch rates at the scale of the whole archipelago were evident, fishermen could not differentiate between locations, as catch variance within their individual resource spaces was high relative to the contrasts in spatial patterns. The aggregated distribution of fishing effort in Spermonde must be explained by factors such as the small scale of operations, rather than fish abundance.     

黄海不同型刺网的渔获选择性比较

为提高近海渔业资源养护型捕捞与管理技术,促进《全国海洋捕捞渔具目录》的实施,2014年9—10月在黄海进行了网目尺寸为40、50、60 mm的单片型刺网、双重型刺网和三重型刺网以及生产对照网的选择性对比试验。试验结果表明,相同网目尺寸的各型试验网的渔获种类间呈中等相似或极相似;渔获优势种为高眼鲽、细纹狮子鱼、黄、小黄鱼和白姑鱼,不同试验网的渔获优势种不同。40、50、60 mm的三重型刺网的单位捕捞努力量渔获量分别为相同网目尺寸的单片型刺网单位捕捞努力量渔获量的187%、174%和146%,对应的经济效益分别为单片型刺网经济效益的133%、112%和184%,小黄鱼幼鱼比例分别为单片型刺网的162%、342%和122%,高眼鲽幼鱼比例分别为单片型刺网的108%、277%和100%。渔获结构显示,单片型刺网对小黄鱼、鲐鱼和白姑鱼等纺锤型鱼类的选择性优于三重型刺网,而三重型刺网对高眼鲽、黄鮟鱇的选择性具有明显优势。     

Application of NaLA,a fishing net configuration and loading analysis system,to bottom gill nets

ABSTRACT:   The net-shape and loading analysis system (NaLA) was developed to determine fishing net configuration and load in a previous study. The system has since been applied to general gill nets and aquaculture nets, and its validity has been proven through model experiments in tanks. In this study, the system was applied to estimate the dynamic behavior of a bottom gill net for walleye pollock, to test the system's applicability of the system to gear operations in the field. To obtain in situ data, four bottom gill net operations were performed in February 2004 off the coast of Sawara, Hokkaido, Japan. During operations, vertical displacements of the bottom gill net's float and sinker lines were measured as representative values of gear behavior, and ocean current direction, and speed at the gear position were observed simultaneously. Then, bottom gill net behavior was simulated using NaLA, incorporating observed environmental conditions and gear specifications. The resulting calculated behavior was compared to measured behavior in terms of the relationship between net height and environmental or setting conditions. Agreement between the calculated and measured net behavior was found. Thus, it is believe that our NaLA calculation model has the potential to simulate the dynamic behavior of bottom gill nets in situ .