Chapter 14
Description of Artisanal Fisheries
in Northern Alboran Sea
Jorge Baro Domínguez, Teresa García Jiménez, and José M. Serna Quintero
14.1 Introduction
In the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, where the fishing fleet is composed of about
90,000 vessels in total, the small-scale segment (defined as embarkations below
12 m in length overall) represents more than 80 percent of the entire fleet (Srour et al.
2015). Mediterranean small-scale fishery is a very variable activity. Catches are
highly multispecific and fishing intensities and strategies show very rapid fluctuations in space and time. An important variation of the number of active fishermen by
area sometimes in very short periods of time is also a characteristic of the fishery
(Farrugio and Le Corre 1993).
Small-scale fisheries are the most traditional in the Alboran Sea; they are widely
spread on both shores and are the most numerous operating in the area (Alarcon
2001; Camiñas 1990; Robles et al. 2010). These fisheries are deeply rooted in the
region and represent an important element of coastal communities. They have many
positive qualities: they are implied in low-impact fishing activities, provide local sea
products of high quality and have very significantly contributed to both the local
economies and the cultural heritage of coastal communities.
The concept of artisanal fishery has been defined in many ways. In the Mediterranean the term “artisanal fisheries” is also usually associated with that of small-scale
fisheries, both being used interchangeably and referring to a multifaceted segment of
capture fisheries very commonly practiced along the coastal areas (Srour et al. 2015).
The FAO Fisheries Glossary defines artisanal fisheries as “traditional fisheries
involving fishing households (as opposed to commercial companies), using relatively small amount of capital and energy, relatively small fishing vessels (if any),
making short fishing trips, close to shore, mainly for local consumption. In practice
J. Baro Domínguez (*) · T. García Jiménez · J. M. Serna Quintero
Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, Fuengirola (Málaga),
Spain
e-mail: jorgebaro@ieo.es; teresa.garcia@ieo.es; jmserna@ieo.es
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. C. Báez et al. (eds.), Alboran Sea - Ecosystems and Marine Resources,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65516-7_14
521
Description of Artisanal Fisheries
in Northern Alboran Sea
Jorge Baro Domínguez, Teresa García Jiménez, and José M. Serna Quintero
14.1 Introduction
In the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, where the fishing fleet is composed of about
90,000 vessels in total, the small-scale segment (defined as embarkations below
12 m in length overall) represents more than 80 percent of the entire fleet (Srour et al.
2015). Mediterranean small-scale fishery is a very variable activity. Catches are
highly multispecific and fishing intensities and strategies show very rapid fluctuations in space and time. An important variation of the number of active fishermen by
area sometimes in very short periods of time is also a characteristic of the fishery
(Farrugio and Le Corre 1993).
Small-scale fisheries are the most traditional in the Alboran Sea; they are widely
spread on both shores and are the most numerous operating in the area (Alarcon
2001; Camiñas 1990; Robles et al. 2010). These fisheries are deeply rooted in the
region and represent an important element of coastal communities. They have many
positive qualities: they are implied in low-impact fishing activities, provide local sea
products of high quality and have very significantly contributed to both the local
economies and the cultural heritage of coastal communities.
The concept of artisanal fishery has been defined in many ways. In the Mediterranean the term “artisanal fisheries” is also usually associated with that of small-scale
fisheries, both being used interchangeably and referring to a multifaceted segment of
capture fisheries very commonly practiced along the coastal areas (Srour et al. 2015).
The FAO Fisheries Glossary defines artisanal fisheries as “traditional fisheries
involving fishing households (as opposed to commercial companies), using relatively small amount of capital and energy, relatively small fishing vessels (if any),
making short fishing trips, close to shore, mainly for local consumption. In practice
J. Baro Domínguez (*) · T. García Jiménez · J. M. Serna Quintero
Instituto Español de Oceanografía, Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga, Fuengirola (Málaga),
Spain
e-mail: jorgebaro@ieo.es; teresa.garcia@ieo.es; jmserna@ieo.es
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
J. C. Báez et al. (eds.), Alboran Sea - Ecosystems and Marine Resources,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65516-7_14
521