Catch composition and management of daytime purse seine fishery on the Southern Mediterranean Sea Coast, Abu Qir Bay, Egypt

The present work aimed to obtain precise data on the catch of the purse seine net operating at daytime from sunrise till noon in Abu Qir Bay during 1997 and 1998. Sardine, anchovy, mullet and rabbitfish were recorded as the main target fish groups. Twenty-seven species were recorded as by-catch species. Catch per unit effort was estimated to be 93 kg/day/boat. The percentage of each target species in the catch and its length frequency distribution were presented. The length range of by-catch species and the season of catch were recorded. Daytime purse seine in Abu Qir Bay is an effective method but should regulated by directing the fishing to deeper waters outside the bay rather than the inshore coastal area to conserve many economic species of this important fishery

Assessment of the Relative Catch Performance of a Surrounding Net without the Purse Line as an Alternative to a Traditional Boat Seine in Small-Scale Fisheries

The catch performance of a traditional Ligurian boat seine, which is not in line with the European Union regulation, was compared with an experimental surrounding net without the purse line as a potential legal alternative. The relative catch performance between the two gear types was assessed using a new catch comparison method requiring neither paired data collection nor equal number of hauls with the two gears. The comparison was based on the catches of the three species that comprise the bulk of the catch in traditional Ligurian boat seine fisheries: Bogue Boops boops, Saddle Bream Oblada melanura, and Blotched Picarel Spicara maena. The experimental gear exhibited poor catch efficiency for all three species, since it was estimated that the catches would only be 2, 64, and 6%, respectively, of those with the boat seine. For both Bogue and Blotched Picarel these reductions in catch performance were found to be highly significant proving that the experimental surrounding net is not a viable solution to replace the traditional boat seine.publishedVersio

Risks and adaptation options for the Mediterranean fisheries in the face of multiple climate change drivers and impacts

The Mediterranean Sea is among the most vulnerable semi-enclosed seas to climate change. Multiple oceanic changes occur besides warming that can generate numerous ecological, social, and economic risks, challenging fisheries management at various spatial scales-from local to international. In this study, we applied a semi-quantitative climate risk assessment (CRA) to the Mediterranean small pelagic and demersal fisheries in relation to a diversity of climate-related drivers and impacts. We assessed the risks of climate change effects on demersal and small pelagic fisheries resources, fishing operations, livelihoods, and wider social and economic implications in seven sub-regions of the Mediterranean Sea. Ocean warming, an increase in extreme weather events, and changes in vertical stratification resulted in the most important climate drivers. Overall, climate drivers present higher risks to fishing resources and livelihoods than to fishing operations and wider social and economic impacts. The study puts into evidence geographic differences in terms of the drivers and impacts, with the south-eastern Mediterranean being the sub-region with higher risk levels for both fisheries, while the north-central Mediterranean also showed important risk levels for the demersal fisheries. The study furthermore discusses the most plausible adaptive measures in management, policy, research, and livelihoods to be potentially applied to address high priority risks, as well as various implementation concerns and technical effectiveness issues. Enhancing adaptive fisheries management needs to be the primary strategy for this region to reverse the high number of overfished stocks and build resilience to climate change