Abundance and biomass indices from the fishery-independent MEDITS survey
(Fig. 18.30) do not reveal any significant trends since 1994 but interannual oscillations with a maximum on the 2006 survey.
According to the Mediterranean stock assessment carried out by the Scientific,
Technical and Econimic Committee for Fisheries (STECF 2018), “red mullet in
GSA 01 is stable but is being overfished. Catches should be reduced by at least 85%
to reach FMSY in 2019. The size composition of landings indicates that the
exploitation is concentrated on age classes 1–2.” Management recommendation
advice was to reduce fleets’ effort in order to avoid future loss in stock productivity
and landings. This should be achieved by means of a multi-annual management plan
taking into account mixed fishery considerations (STECF 2015).
18.6 Discards
The capture of non-target organisms has been globally acknowledged as an important issue for fishery resource management and ocean conservation. The catch of
unwanted organisms and their subsequent discarding are significant in several
European fisheries (STECF 2007). Such practices are a wasteful use of resources,
both from an economic point of view, losing future opportunities of catch, and from
a perspective of ecological sustainability, because the negative impact on the marine
ecosystem (STECF 2008).
The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization’s (FAO) Fisheries Glossary (FAO 2018) describes discards as “the proportion of the total organic material
of animal origin in the catch, which is thrown away or dumped at sea, for whatever
reason. It does not include plant material and postharvest waste such as offal,” and
bycatch is defined in the aforementioned glossary “as the part of a catch of a fishing
0
200
400
600
800
1000
0
5
10
15
20
25
1994 1997 2000 2003 2006 2009 2012 2015
ind·km2
kg·km2
Biomass
Abundance
Fig. 18.30 Mullus barbatus biomass and abundance indices in GSA 01 from the MEDITS surveys
through historical series analyzed (1994–2018)
18 Demersal Resources
617
(Fig. 18.30) do not reveal any significant trends since 1994 but interannual oscillations with a maximum on the 2006 survey.
According to the Mediterranean stock assessment carried out by the Scientific,
Technical and Econimic Committee for Fisheries (STECF 2018), “red mullet in
GSA 01 is stable but is being overfished. Catches should be reduced by at least 85%
to reach FMSY in 2019. The size composition of landings indicates that the
exploitation is concentrated on age classes 1–2.” Management recommendation
advice was to reduce fleets’ effort in order to avoid future loss in stock productivity
and landings. This should be achieved by means of a multi-annual management plan
taking into account mixed fishery considerations (STECF 2015).
18.6 Discards
The capture of non-target organisms has been globally acknowledged as an important issue for fishery resource management and ocean conservation. The catch of
unwanted organisms and their subsequent discarding are significant in several
European fisheries (STECF 2007). Such practices are a wasteful use of resources,
both from an economic point of view, losing future opportunities of catch, and from
a perspective of ecological sustainability, because the negative impact on the marine
ecosystem (STECF 2008).
The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization’s (FAO) Fisheries Glossary (FAO 2018) describes discards as “the proportion of the total organic material
of animal origin in the catch, which is thrown away or dumped at sea, for whatever
reason. It does not include plant material and postharvest waste such as offal,” and
bycatch is defined in the aforementioned glossary “as the part of a catch of a fishing
0
200
400
600
800
1000
0
5
10
15
20
25
1994 1997 2000 2003 2006 2009 2012 2015
ind·km2
kg·km2
Biomass
Abundance
Fig. 18.30 Mullus barbatus biomass and abundance indices in GSA 01 from the MEDITS surveys
through historical series analyzed (1994–2018)
18 Demersal Resources
617