Line of action:

Status:

Execution date:

General:

Implementation of Innovative Measures of Cooperation between Fishermen and Scientists for Better Management of Artisanal Fisheries with the Aim of Mitigating Their Impacts on Sensitive Marine Habitats.

Specific:

1. Implementation of innovative measures to mitigate the impacts of artisanal fishing.

2. Implementation of innovative measures to reduce ghost fishing.

3. Campaigns to raise awareness and enhance the value of the marine environment carried out jointly by fishermen and scientists.

4. Dissemination of the project and the results.

A1. Joint meetings between scientists and fishers for the mitigation of artisanal fisheries

A2. Implementation of innovative mitigation measures: Structural and operational variations of the gears.

A3. Implementation of innovative mitigation measures: Management and use of discarding.

A4. Implementation of mitigation measures: experimental fishing.

A5. Reducing ghost fishing by removing lost gear from underwater robotics.

A6. Innovative reduction of ghost fishing through the use of acoustic locators and state-of-the-art smart buoys.

A7. Raising awareness and enhancing the value of natural heritage through the recovery of lost fishing gear in conjunction with the local population

A8. Raising awareness and enhancing the value of natural heritage through innovative methods.

A9. Dissemination of the project in the press, digital media and informative material

A10. Informative day of the project

This project reinforces the importance of connecting the scientific sector with the fisheries sector and working in continuous collaboration. In this context, several meetings have been held between both groups to coordinate and evaluate measures.

The project has included the modification of lobster trammel nets in accordance with the “Lobster Management Plan” of the Generalitat de Catalunya, adding bait to the gear with the intention of reducing the setting time of the nets. Likewise, state-of-the-art biodegradable materials were incorporated into 20 octopus pots, placing a piece of vegetable rope on the door, with an underwater degradation time of approximately one month. Two cotton trammel nets were also manufactured, whose degradation time is slower, and it was observed that with the latter material the discarded species suffered less damage and wounds than with nylon, giving them a greater chance of survival.

With these actions, it has been found that the 2.5 mesh light nets caught less by-catch than the 3 nets, without reducing the catch of species of commercial interest, while the previous baiting of the nets does not present significant variations in the catch of lobster, surely more influenced by other factors, such as the location of the gear. In turn, pots with degradable doors were efficient, so they could be commonly used in small gear boats. Finally, cotton trammel nets produce fewer lacerations in by-catch organisms, increasing their survival.

On the other hand, in relation to the actions linked to discards, it is observed that the discards of artisanal fishermen in the area consist mostly of rotten fish and a multitude of species of invertebrates of no commercial value in the fish market. This discarded obtained (5 kg) during the experimental fishing was used for the preparation of bait and for the enrichment of ecological fertilizers (5 kg total of Astrospartus). With respect to non-usable discards (porifera, cnidarians, bryozoans and molluscs, echinoderms and crustaceans), their survival was increased, by keeping them in aquariums or their immediate return to the sea. In conclusion, it can be stated that the removal of fishing gear before a storm, as well as an adequate management of the fauna that makes up the discard at the time of its removal, can result in a decrease in unwanted by-catch and increase its survival in case of return.

In total, 96 experimental catches were conducted, 63 with modified trammel nets with a coarser mesh and 33 with normal fine-mesh trammel nets. Regarding those modified for baiting, they were used in 12 of the 63 fisheries and the trammel nets modified with biodegradable materials were used on 15 occasions, providing a greater probability of survival due to their better condition compared to the discard collected with nylon nets.

Several pilot tests were carried out for the extraction of fishing gear through the use of underwater robotics in the waters of the Cap de Creus Natural Park (pilot test for the extraction of pots), and in the experimental pool of the Institute of Marine Sciences (pilot test for the extraction of a net). Once the tests were completed, an extraction protocol was developed for both fishing gears and a total of five octopus nansas (approximately 10 kg) could be recovered.

For the innovative reduction of ghost fishing, six buoys were used, one for each piece of nets thrown into the sea at different depths, allowing each net to be located in case of loss of the ropes, by means of the transponder sonar trigger protocol. Four days of tests were carried out to teach the fisherman how to use the sonar and the computer program that allows the buoys to be fired. The SCATRI recovery buoys made it possible to recover all the lost fishing nets – in total, seven were recovered in these days. The SCATRI recovery system proved reliable and effective for use with trammel or pots. On the other hand, a pilot test was organized, using a hydrophone, a receiver and the pinger to locate lost nets or those that have lost the buoys that mark the nets. In all five tests, the nets were located.

In terms of awareness-raising actions, six pilot tests were carried out for the extraction of fishing gear, in which a total of 45 people participated. It is estimated that, annually, more than a hundred kilos of garbage have been recovered. In this line, pilot tests were carried out to use underwater robotics (immersive experience) to raise awareness among the local population about the importance of benthic habitats for the conservation of the marine environment. On the other hand, it participated in the online education initiative known as “We are Scientists”, with the participation of 1,375 students from more than 68 educational centers. Throughout the two years of the project, 31 dissemination days were held.