Line of action:

Status:

Execution date:

General Objective:

Integrate the fisheries sector into the management of marine SPAs in the Mediterranean.

Specific objectives:

1. To publicise and disseminate the values of the Natura 2000 Network among the fishing sector and, in particular, the problem of seabirds and the relevance of designating spaces for them (SPAs).
2. Involve the fishing sector in the identification of problems and the search for solutions for good management of RN2000, as well as assess its possible return on investment in monitoring tasks.
3. To share experiences with the sector and join forces to minimise problems related to the interaction between birds and fisheries, with special attention to by-catch.
4. To transfer the experience of the project to those responsible for the management of marine SPAs at regional (four autonomous communities) and state level.

This project has highlighted the low knowledge of the Natura 2000 Network on the part of fishermen. And although the results obtained in this project have been shared with numerous agents, both in the fishing sector and in the public administration, its continuity is considered important to involve the fishing sector in the identification of problems and solutions for the development of management plans through participatory processes.

The ZEPAMED project carried out a total of 212 gear-specific surveys in 27 fishing ports in Alicante, the Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Murcia. Most were carried out on fishermen of small gear boats, followed by trawling, bottom longlining and purse seine.

Information material was prepared for the fishing sector to raise awareness of the particularities of seabirds, their conservation problems in general and the problems caused by their interaction with fishing activity in particular.

A total of 2,952 fishing trips were tracked during the months of highest risk of bycatch (April–October). In general, by-catch has been infrequent and scarce in the vessels followed in the present study. Specifically, fishermen reported a total of 44 accidentally caught birds, most of them in the palangrillo, followed by the fixed net. The most caught species were the Cory’s shearwater, followed by the yellow-legged gull and the shag. Of the total number of birds captured, 48% were recovered alive and it was possible to release them (from palangrillo and trawling). For the rest of the gear (bottom longline, fixed nets and pots), all the captured birds were recovered dead. It has been seen that there is a temporal pattern in accidental captures, with the spring and summer months being when there is a higher incidence, especially in the month of May.

Most fishers who submit catches consider that there has been a reduction in catches, due to a decline in bird populations and changes in fishing practices or gear. In addition, nine shipments were made in three fishing modalities, covering four types of fishing gear – trawl, bottom longline, billet and fixed nets – in order to reinforce the information obtained in the 2,952 fishing trips.

Likewise, two mitigation measures have been implemented for demersal longlines with the aim of reducing accidental captures of birds: the NISURI system or “bait tube” and the olfactory repellent. Both measures have had a positive effect on reducing the risk of bycatch.