18.4 Trawl Fishery
The gear used is bottom otter trawl nets (in the Spanish Mediterranean, fishing with
pelagic trawl nets is forbidden), which present a continuous evolution and a great
variety of shapes according to the localities, vessels, and target species (Gil de Sola
1993).
Trawlers (Fig. 18.5) are distributed along the coast. The number of vessels is not
related to the size of the town (Table 18.2), but it seems to depend on other variables,
like tradition, activity of the port, or distance to the fishing grounds. The activity of
this fleet is subject to the European Union national and regional regulations. The
main measures are related to the minimum working depth (50 m), duration of fishing
trips per day (12 hours) and maximum of fishing days per week (5 days), spatiotemporal closures to fishing, minimum mesh size in the cod end of the net (40 mm
Table 18.1 Characteristics of the Spanish fishing fleet that currently operates in GSAs 01 and
02 by fishery, showing average values (Æ standard deviation) of capacity (gross tonnage: GT),
length (overall length: LOA), and engine power (horsepower: HP)
Fisheries
Length
(m)
Vessels GT
LOA
HP
Small scale
<6
47
0.89 Æ 0.28
5.29 Æ 0.61
15.64 Æ 8.54
6–12
338
2.95 Æ 1.83
8.23 Æ 1.40
35.59 Æ 20.19
12–18
20
11.31 Æ 5.87
13.20 Æ 1.15 92.05 Æ 41.12
18–24
–
–
–
–
24–40
1
91.07
24.50
350.00
Total
406
3.34 Æ 5.23
8.18 Æ 2.15
37.23 Æ 29.79
Otter bottom
trawl
6–12
4
6.73 Æ 3.25
9.39 Æ 0.88
48.50 Æ 30.61
12–18
35
24.89 Æ 11.17
15.63 Æ 1.43 111.85 Æ 45.00
18–24
58
64.83 Æ 22.39
20.85 Æ 1.80 200.79 Æ 107.33
24–40
13
100.18 Æ 16.51 24.65 Æ 0.52 298.85 Æ 96.97
Total
110
54.19 Æ 31.66
19.23 Æ 3.87 178.54 Æ 108.42
Purse seine
06–12
11
6.26 Æ 2.67
9.85 Æ 1.32
59.82 Æ 25.81
12–18
37
22.49 Æ 10.91
15.77 Æ 1.64 144.27 Æ 60.69
18–24
30
51.40 Æ 15.96
20.48 Æ 1.86 261.60 Æ 87.86
Total
78
31.32 Æ 20.90
16.75 Æ 3.93 177.49 Æ 99.90
Set longline
06–12
2
6.88 Æ 1.94
10.20 Æ 1.55 107.03 Æ 7.11
12–18
2
10.85 Æ 5.80
13.5 Æ 1.41
166.00 Æ 124.45
Total
4
8.87 Æ 4.21
11.85 Æ 2.26 136.51 Æ 79.61
Drifting longline 06–12
3
4.02 Æ 2.76
11.23 Æ 1.06 75.00 Æ 58.95
12–18
23
30.53 Æ 24.56
15.06 Æ 1.49 111.06 Æ 33.22
18–24
17
92.07 Æ 25.79
21.61 Æ 1.31 221.94 Æ 96.82
24–40
4
125.79 Æ 24.90 24.94 Æ 0.65 370.50 Æ 74.75
Total
47
59.21 Æ 44.21
18.02 Æ 4.25 167.38 Æ 103.74
Total
645
19.50 Æ 29.69
11.84 Æ 5.66 89.53 Æ 95.55
Data source: Spanish Fleet Register of the Secretary of Fishing (December 2017)
594
M. González Aguilar et al.
The gear used is bottom otter trawl nets (in the Spanish Mediterranean, fishing with
pelagic trawl nets is forbidden), which present a continuous evolution and a great
variety of shapes according to the localities, vessels, and target species (Gil de Sola
1993).
Trawlers (Fig. 18.5) are distributed along the coast. The number of vessels is not
related to the size of the town (Table 18.2), but it seems to depend on other variables,
like tradition, activity of the port, or distance to the fishing grounds. The activity of
this fleet is subject to the European Union national and regional regulations. The
main measures are related to the minimum working depth (50 m), duration of fishing
trips per day (12 hours) and maximum of fishing days per week (5 days), spatiotemporal closures to fishing, minimum mesh size in the cod end of the net (40 mm
Table 18.1 Characteristics of the Spanish fishing fleet that currently operates in GSAs 01 and
02 by fishery, showing average values (Æ standard deviation) of capacity (gross tonnage: GT),
length (overall length: LOA), and engine power (horsepower: HP)
Fisheries
Length
(m)
Vessels GT
LOA
HP
Small scale
<6
47
0.89 Æ 0.28
5.29 Æ 0.61
15.64 Æ 8.54
6–12
338
2.95 Æ 1.83
8.23 Æ 1.40
35.59 Æ 20.19
12–18
20
11.31 Æ 5.87
13.20 Æ 1.15 92.05 Æ 41.12
18–24
–
–
–
–
24–40
1
91.07
24.50
350.00
Total
406
3.34 Æ 5.23
8.18 Æ 2.15
37.23 Æ 29.79
Otter bottom
trawl
6–12
4
6.73 Æ 3.25
9.39 Æ 0.88
48.50 Æ 30.61
12–18
35
24.89 Æ 11.17
15.63 Æ 1.43 111.85 Æ 45.00
18–24
58
64.83 Æ 22.39
20.85 Æ 1.80 200.79 Æ 107.33
24–40
13
100.18 Æ 16.51 24.65 Æ 0.52 298.85 Æ 96.97
Total
110
54.19 Æ 31.66
19.23 Æ 3.87 178.54 Æ 108.42
Purse seine
06–12
11
6.26 Æ 2.67
9.85 Æ 1.32
59.82 Æ 25.81
12–18
37
22.49 Æ 10.91
15.77 Æ 1.64 144.27 Æ 60.69
18–24
30
51.40 Æ 15.96
20.48 Æ 1.86 261.60 Æ 87.86
Total
78
31.32 Æ 20.90
16.75 Æ 3.93 177.49 Æ 99.90
Set longline
06–12
2
6.88 Æ 1.94
10.20 Æ 1.55 107.03 Æ 7.11
12–18
2
10.85 Æ 5.80
13.5 Æ 1.41
166.00 Æ 124.45
Total
4
8.87 Æ 4.21
11.85 Æ 2.26 136.51 Æ 79.61
Drifting longline 06–12
3
4.02 Æ 2.76
11.23 Æ 1.06 75.00 Æ 58.95
12–18
23
30.53 Æ 24.56
15.06 Æ 1.49 111.06 Æ 33.22
18–24
17
92.07 Æ 25.79
21.61 Æ 1.31 221.94 Æ 96.82
24–40
4
125.79 Æ 24.90 24.94 Æ 0.65 370.50 Æ 74.75
Total
47
59.21 Æ 44.21
18.02 Æ 4.25 167.38 Æ 103.74
Total
645
19.50 Æ 29.69
11.84 Æ 5.66 89.53 Æ 95.55
Data source: Spanish Fleet Register of the Secretary of Fishing (December 2017)
594
M. González Aguilar et al.