Cc

Pa

b

a

ARRA

KAFSAC

1

ooti(rafindwrvpo

0d

Fisheries Research 102 (2010) 87–97

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Fisheries Research

journa l homepage: www.e lsev ier .com/ locate / f i shres

haracterization of the artisanal fishery and its socio-economic aspects in theentral Mediterranean Sea (Aeolian Islands, Italy)

ietro Battagliaa,∗, Teresa Romeoa, Pierpaolo Consoli a, Gianfranco Scotti a, Franco Andalorob

ISPRA (Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research), STS of Palermo - Laboratory of Milazzo, Via dei Mille 44, 98057 Milazzo (ME), ItalyISPRA, STS of Palermo, c/o Residence Marbela, Via Salvatore Puglisi 9, 98143 Palermo, Italy

r t i c l e i n f o

rticle history:eceived 9 June 2009eceived in revised form 19 October 2009ccepted 25 October 2009

eywords:rtisanal fisheryleetocio-economicseolian Islands

a b s t r a c t

Artisanal or small-scale fishery represents an important share of the Mediterranean fishery, even if it hasbeen poorly investigated until now. In order to improve the knowledge on this sector we studied the Aeo-lian fishery, with the following aims: (a) to characterize fishery and fishing activities together with theirsocio-economic aspects; (b) to provide baseline information on the Aeolian fishery to develop appropriatemanagement measures; (c) to discuss the changes in this fishery as a consequence of the implementa-tion of EC Regulation 1239/98 concerning the conversion of boats that used “spadara” driftnet targetingswordfish. The information was collected over the 2006–2007 period by means of interviews aimed atsurveying fleet features, fishing gear used, catch and socio-economic data. Aeolian fishery is characterizedby small polyvalent boats (n = 157, ranging from 4.5 to 15.8 m). The highest CPUE values were reported

entral Mediterranean Sea for Thunnus alalunga (50.62 ± 25.79 kg/1000 hooks*day) caught by albacore drifting longline in the fallseason, Scorpaena scrofa (0.69 ± 0.51 kg/500 m net*day) by trammel net in summer and Todarodes sagit-tatus (8.35 ± 2.55 kg/day) by squid hand-jig line in winter. The catch is traded in both the wholesale andthe retail market. Since the “spadara” driftnet ban, this fishery has undergone changes that are still inprogress and that are leading to a greater polyvalence and seasonality of fishing activities. The Aeolianfishery chain needs a new approach to promote the consumption of low-value species and the utilization

abu

of less exploited yet more

. Introduction

Artisanal or small-scale fishery represents an important sharef Mediterranean fishery that involves a consistent fleet, made upf small vessels with low tonnage. Unlike the large-scale indus-ry, the artisanal segment relies on small capital investments ands characterized by the use of several and diversified fishing gearFarrugio et al., 1993), targeting a very large variety of species thatepresent 5.5% of the world marine fauna (Maurin, 1962; Quignardnd Farrugio, 1982; Tortonese, 1987; Fredj et al., 1992). Artisanalshing activities exhibit great variations from one area to another,ot only depending on different biological and environmental con-itions, but also on the social, economic and historical contexts inhich fishermen live (Farrugio et al., 1993). Besides, it is widely

ecognised that small-scale fisheries play a significant role in pro-

iding an important source of food to people and contributing tooverty reduction and to sustainable development in several areasf the world (FAO, 2005).

∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +39 090 9224872; fax: +39 090 9241832.E-mail address: pboceano@libero.it (P. Battaglia).

165-7836/$ – see front matter © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.oi:10.1016/j.fishres.2009.10.013

ndant resources available in this area.© 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In spite of its importance, knowledge on fleets and their char-acteristics, fishing gear, seasonality, catches, yields, revenues andcosts of the artisanal sector is still limited. In particular, this fish-ing activity was scarcely considered until the last decade in theMediterranean Sea. For many years researchers studied demer-sal stocks subjected to trawling, without taking into considerationthe catches coming from other gear, because of the absence ofstandardized methods in data collection and difficulties on theirelaboration (Farrugio et al., 1993). The large heterogeneity of arti-sanal activities implies differences in duration of fishing trips, intime and places of landings (a multitude of ports and shelters)and different destinations of products (retail, wholesale markets,fishmonger’s shops and restaurants), representing an additionaldifficulty in collecting information.

Recently, research institutes and fishery managers paid moreattention to this issue in order to better know the fishing activi-ties and the stocks targeted, to enhance their management and tosave the cultural heritage of fishing traditions. Also the European

Commission encouraged small-scale studies that add value to orimprove the quality of the data collected (EU Data Collection Regu-lations, EC no. 1543/2000). However, Mediterranean coastal areashave different features, great variations in ecosystems and diver-sity of species can be detected from an area to another; moreover,

8 ies Res

toaaita

fi2e2aare

cecaatapMlst2o

2

2

noF(tb

bh

8 P. Battaglia et al. / Fisher

he Mediterranean basin is a semi-closed sea and the most partf its resources complete their life cycle within it. Therefore, onlyn integrated and global approach can answer to the needs of anppropriate fishery resources management. In order to plan andmprove management measures, an important objective becomeshen the detailed knowledge of all Mediterranean coastal fishingctivities, at large spatial and temporal scales.

In the Mediterranean Sea, study on several aspects of artisanalshery was carried out in Spanish waters (García-Rodríguez et al.,006; Piniella et al., 2007; Reglero and Morales-Nin, 2008; Merinot al., 2008), Tunisia (Jabeur et al., 2000) and Greece (Tzanatos et al.,005, 2006; Stergiou et al., 2006; Merino et al., 2007). The Italianrtisanal sector has been poorly investigated in the past (Arculeond Riggio, 1983; Ardizzone, 1985; De Metrio et al., 1985) andecent studies were carried out in North-western Sicily (Whitmarsht al., 2003) and in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea (Colloca et al., 2004).

In light of this, the aim of this study is to define the basicharacteristics of artisanal fishery in the Aeolian Islands (south-rn Tyrrhenian Sea) whose inhabitants (approx. 13,000 in the 2007ensus) rely above all on tourism and fishing activities (Lentinind Romeo, 2000). In order to provide baseline data to developppropriate management measures, we studied the fleet struc-ure, fishing gear, catch composition and some socio-economicspects (social data on fishermen, level of cooperation, prices ofroducts, costs and revenues of the main fishing activities, etc.).oreover, the consequences of the implementation of EC Regu-

ation 1239/98, concerning the “spadara” driftnet ban targetingwordfish are completely unknown. In fact, this gear had guaran-eed the best revenues until its prohibition (Lentini and Romeo,000). Consequently, the evolution of this fishery and changesccurred in the activities are also investigated.

. Material and methods

.1. Study area

The Aeolian Islands (Fig. 1) are an archipelago located off theorth-eastern coast of Sicily (southern Tyrrhenian Sea), composedf 7 main inhabited islands (Lipari, Vulcano, Salina, Stromboli,ilicudi, Alicudi and Panarea) and 5 smaller uninhabited onesBasiluzzo, Dattilo, Lisca Nera, Bottaro and Lisca Bianca), with aotal surface of 112.6 km2. These islands rise from the seabed at

athymetries ranging from 1000 to more than 2000 m in depth.

The area is characterized by a volcanic system, where Strom-oli and Vulcano are the only active volcanoes and underwaterydrothermal activity persists in other areas, especially near

Fig. 1. Aeolian Islands.

earch 102 (2010) 87–97

Panarea (Italiano and Nuccio, 1991; Sedwick and Stuben, 1996;Gugliandolo et al., 2006).

The ecological, biological and landscape relevance of AeolianIslands made it possible for them to be declared a UNESCO HumanHeritage site in 2001; they have been also proposed as a MarineProtected Area (Italian Law 979/82, Art. 31) and its final designa-tion is currently being assessed (Ministry of Environment, website:www2.minambiente.it).

Despite the oligotrophic nature of the Aeolian marine ecosys-tem (Faranda, 1995; Faranda and Povero, 1996) pelagic fishes suchus swordfish Xiphias gladius and bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus havereproduction and nursery in the area (Palko et al., 1981; De Metrioet al., 1995). Albacore Thunnus alalunga and spearfish Tetrapturusbelone represent other important resources occurring all the yearin this area (Andaloro, 2006; Di Natale et al., 2005), while dolphin-fish Coryphaena hippurus and great-amberjack Seriola dumerili areseasonally abundant (Potoschi et al., 1999; Andaloro, 2004). Alsocetaceans are reported in this area (Di Natale and Mangano, 1983;Notarbartolo di Sciara et al., 1993; Romeo et al., 2003) and the highdensity of the striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba suggests that theAeolian archipelago is an important habitat for this species (Fortunaet al., 2007). Moreover there are known cases of stranding of dol-phins in the area with sign of by-catch (Centro Studi Cetacei, 2004;Fortuna et al., 2007) related to use of driftnets.

In the last decade, fisheries and local fishing customs witnesseda change after the implementation of EC Regulation 1239/98, con-cerning the boats that used “spadara” driftnet targeting swordfish.The ban became executive in the 2002 and provided for a defini-tive stop of “spadara” fishing activity and/or a conversion towardsother fishing gear; the fishermen received economic subsidies inapplication to the decision of the European Council (97/292/CE) asa cumulative premium to a previous regulation (CE 3699/93).

2.2. Data collection

Data were collected in the Aeolian Islands in the 2006–2007 bymeans of 3 different surveys: a “preliminary survey”, a “catch-effortsurvey” and a “socio-economic survey”, in order to investigate sev-eral aspects of this fishery.

2.2.1. FisheryInvestigation on Aeolian fishery started with a “preliminary sur-

vey” (from January to March 2006) to define the fleet range in thisarea and to know the fishing gear used and relevant target species.For this purpose, data on fishing boat characteristics were obtainedfrom Harbour office registers: number of boats, boat name andcode, overall length (LOA), gross tonnage (GT), engine power (kW),and gear in fishing license. This information was then validatedby interviewing fishermen and performing direct observations inports and boat landing places. During the “preliminary survey”,fishing interviewees were selected from a representative sample(1/3 of total fishermen) chosen based on level of experience (yearsof activity), islands, fishing category and reliability in estimatingfishing catches. They were also asked about fishing gear (char-acteristics, technology, seasonality), fishing technique and areas,effort (equipment size, fishing days), target species (identity, sea-sonal variations), catches (quality, average catch, seasonality) andrecords of fishery cetacean interactions.

2.2.2. Catch and effortMoreover, from April 2006 to March 2007, a monthly “catch-

effort survey” (2 days per month) was performed, collecting data byother interviews (n = 864) of every fisherman returning from fishingoperations in the 3 landing places of Lipari Island. Lipari was chosenbecause its fleet is the largest in the archipelago and it consistsof boats that usually fish also near the archipelago’s other islands.

es Research 102 (2010) 87–97 89

TA

iaee

fdnatdm(

2

nls

t(atP

gwpnt(

afdwsbcaa

3

3

nslebliieT

b(a

Table 1Number of boats and mean characteristics of fleet (LOA = overall length, GT = grosstonnage, kW = engine power) compared with ones reported by Lentini and Romeo(2000).

Islands 2007 (present study) – no.of boats = 157

1998 (Lentini and Romeo,2000) – no. of boats = 197

No. boats LOA GT kW No. boats LOA kW

Alicudi 5 8.44 3.60 63.84 7 12.45 123.24Filicudi 3 8.33 5.00 26.72 2 6.20 11.03Lipari 110 9.43 5.35 66.16 141 9.66 71.67Panarea 3 7.27 1.67 26.24 6 6.86 –

P. Battaglia et al. / Fisheri

herefore, Lipari’s fishery was considered to be representative ofeolian fishery.

Start and end times of haul, gear type and its main character-stics, number of crew members and catches (species compositionnd weight) for every boat were recorded. In addition, in order tostimate total catches, the number of active fishing days per boatvery month were recorded.

Fishing effort and catch per unit of effort (CPUE) were calculatedor the most utilized gear (trammel net, squid hand-jig line andrifting longline). The metres of net (500 m)*days for trammel nets,umber of hooks (1000)*days for drifting longlines (GFCM, 2007),nd number of fishing days for squid hand-jig lines were used ashe unit effort. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test forifferences among seasonal CPUE for each fishing gear. Post hocultiple comparisons after ANOVA were performed by Tukey’s test

Underwood, 1997).

.2.3. Socio-economic dataFishermen’s personal data (birth place, age, level of education,

umber of sons and their possible involvement in fishing) was col-ected from the municipal registry office in order to know the socialtructure of the whole Aeolian fishermen category.

Socio-economic data were collected by means of interviews athe main landing sites of the Aeolian Islands, on a random sample50%) of all fishermen. Additional information about the level ofssociation in fishing cooperatives, the fishing-tourism activity andhe fishermen’s opinion on the imminent declaration of a Marinerotected Area was obtained.

Monthly, ex-vessel prices and retail values of the main tar-et species for gear were recorded. Analysis of variance (ANOVA)as used to test for differences among seasonal income (D /kg)er unit effort (see the previous section) separately for trammelet, albacore drifting longline, squid hand-jig line. Post hoc mul-iple comparisons after ANOVA were performed by Tukey’s testUnderwood, 1997).

Furthermore, fishermen of Lipari Island were asked about costsnd revenues of their activity (Sabatella and Franquesa, 2003)or the most often employed fishing gear (trammel net, albacorerifting longline, squid hand-jig line). In particular, informationas obtained about fixed costs (boat maintenance, taxes, ves-

el insurance), production costs (fuel consumption, lubricants,ait use, purchase of gear equipment and repair, ropes) andommercialization costs (boxes, ice use, transport of catches)nd revenues (ex-vessel prices, compensation and governmentssistance).

. Results

.1. Fishery

A total of 157 boats were recorded during “prelimi-ary survey” in the Aeolian archipelago. They are generallymall in size, ranging from 4.5 to 15.8 m (mean overallength = 8.88 m ± 3.23 S.D.), and equipped with 3.6–227.3 kWngines (mean engine power = 57.51 kW ± 60.66 S.D.). Overall, 126oats (79.7%) measured less than 12 m LOA and 32 (20.3%) were

arger than 12 m. Even if the usual definition of artisanal fisheryncludes only vessels <12 m LOA carrying out trip shorter than 24 h,n this case vessels >12 m LOA can be also considered artisanal fish-ry in relation to the typology of gear used and the fishing tactics.

he mean boat age was 24 years ± 14 S.D.

The most important fishery in the area is Lipari, with a num-er of boats (110) accounting for 70.1% of the entire Aeolian fleetTable 1). Table 1 offers a comparison with the latest census (Lentinind Romeo, 2000) and the mean values of fleet structural features;

Salina 18 8.53 3.94 55.04 23 8.40 46.79Stromboli 16 6.03 1.60 17.69 17 6.66 25.45Vulcano 2 9.25 4.00 38.61 1 6.54 14.71

a reduction in the fleet is clearly evident, especially on Lipari Island(from 141 boats in 1998 to 110 in 2007).

Aeolian fishery is rather diversified in terms of gear types. Atotal of 15 different fishing methods were sampled and for each, thetarget species, a description of equipment, the method of operationand the characteristics of boats by gear were identified (Table 2).

Trammel nets are among the most utilized gear in coastal areas.It is possible to distinguish between two different types, eachemployed at different depths and for different species: one tar-gets red scorpion fish Scorpaena scrofa, striped red mullet Mullussurmuletus, cuttlefish Sepia officinalis and common spiny lobsterPalinurus elephas, and the other European hake Merluccius merluc-cius. The use of the second type of trammel net and of other setnets (gillnets) is sporadic. While all these nets are normally set onseafloor in inshore areas, drifting longlines are traditionally utilizedoffshore to catch mainly albacore T. alalunga, although few boatsuse these gear with different equipment, to target bluefin tunaT. thynnus and swordfish X. gladius. In addition, bottom longlinestargeting European hake, porgies or blackspot seabream Pagel-lus bogaraveo are sometimes employed, especially when otherresources are scarce.

A typical Aeolian fishing method is the squid hand-jig line. It hasbeen changed greatly over the past 50 years. In recent decades thetechnology of this gear has been improved becoming more sophis-ticated. Starting from a simple tapering lead body mounting baitand equipped with a crown of barbless hooks at its base, called“totanara”, from “totano”, the Italian name of its target species(the European flying squid Todarodes sagittatus), today, althoughthe shape is nearly the same, the materials are better and a smallblinking light has been added.

Driftnets too have undergone changes, but in this case, theequipment was regulated by legislation (EC Reg. 1239/98) prohibit-ing the 36-cm mesh targeting swordfish. “Spadara” driftnets werethe most utilized gear up to a decade ago, but now they are gradu-ally thrown over because of their ban. To this day, the only driftnettype recorded is the “ferrettara”, equipped with an 18 cm mesh.The “ferrettara” is legal under Italian law (Ministerial Decree no.281 dated October 14, 1998) but only when it targets species notreported in Annex VIII of EC Reg. 1239/98.

Other gear recorded in this fishery are boat seine, surroundingnet with FADs for dolphin-fish C. hippurus, lampara net and bottomtraps, even though they are occasionally used by few boats only.

A gear that seems to be abandoned is the surrounding net tar-geting the Mediterranean sand eel Gymnammodytes cicerelus. In thepast, as confirmed by fishermen’s interviews, during spring andautumn seasons, this gear provided important catches, but in thelast years the resource disappeared and this net was not more used.

Aeolian fishery is characterized by a seasonal rotation of fish-ing gear that does not involve all fishermen, but many boats showmulti-gear activity. The monthly fishing activity for every gear (rel-ative frequency in %) from April 2006 to March 2007 is illustrated

90P.Battaglia

etal./Fisheries

Research

102 (2010) 87–97Table 2Equipment and method of operation by gear, with information on target species, characteristics of boats and number of crew.

Gear Targets Gear description Method of operation Stretched meshsize

Bait Boat features Number ofcrew

Set gillnet Bogue, saddledseabream, picarels

Single layered gill net, 6–8 m high and200–1000 m long. The netting is made ofmonofilament fibres of to keep the visibility ofthe gear low.

This net is anchored to the sea bottom(10–40 m in depth). Fish do not apparentlysee them; they force their head through amesh as far as it will go. When they try toback out, the gillnet twine passes undertheir gill cover (or operculum), thustrapping them.

5.54–6.24 cm None 4.70–14.35 mlong with3.6–143.6 kWof enginepower

1–3

Trammel net Scorpion fishes, stripedred mullets, cuttlefish,common spiny lobster

Three-layered net: the first one (a slack, smallmesh, inner panel of netting) is sandwichedbetween two others, larger in mesh size andwith a stronger thread.

Trammel net is anchored to the sea bottom(20–60 m). A fish, in attempting to passthrough the larger mesh, pushes thefine-mesh net (which is also much lessstretched than the larger-mesh net) of theinner panel through the larger meshforming a bag on the other side in whichthe fish is entrapped.

5–5.54–6.24 cm forinner layer and32–36 cm for outerlayers

None 4.70–14.35 mlong with3.6–143.6 kWof enginepower

1–3

Traditional trammel net is 4 m high and600–3000 m long. It is held vertically in thewater by weights on the bottom (lead line),and floats on the top (float line).

Trammel net European hake Three-layered net: the first one (a slack, smallmesh, inner panel of netting) is sandwichedbetween two others, larger in mesh size andwith a stronger thread. This trammel net is 6 mhigh and 800–3000 m long. It is held verticallyin the water by weights on the bottom (leadline), and floats on the top (float line).

This net is anchored to the sea bottom(70–120 m). A fish, in attempting to passthrough the larger mesh, pushes thefine-mesh net (which is also much lessstretched than the larger-mesh net) of theinner panel through the larger meshforming a bag on the other side in whichthe fish is entrapped.

6.24 cm for innerlayer and 36 cm forouter layers

None 6.93–14.35 mlong with13.2–143.6 kWof enginepower

1–3

Lampara net Saddled seabream,bogue, horse mackarels

A surrounding net with the lead line shorterthan the floatline (shaped like a spoon) andtwo lateral wings 200–400 m long. Mesh sizesare small. The lead line have metal rings with arope is inserted in, to ensure closing of net.

It is set around shoal of fish, usuallyoffshore and off-bottom, in combinationwith lights (lampara). Before lamparaencourages schooling fishes to congregate.The small meshes are useful to retain thecatch when the two wings are hauled up atthe same time.

2 cm in the codend None 11.95–12.96 mlong with95.6–122.8 kWof enginepower

5–6

Sorrounding net and FADs Dolphin-fish, pilotfish Rectangular encircling net with a float line,measuring 45 m deep and 180–200 m long. It isused in association with FAD (fish attractivedevices) FADs are structures made by palmbranches equipped with floating objects(bottles, etc.) anchored by large stones orcement blocks.

Fishermen go around FADs and when theysight a shoal of fish they use the net toencircle the school.

2 cm in the codend None 13.40 m longwith 95.6 kW ofengine power

3–4

Bottom seine Picarels, bogue, otherdemersal or benthicspecies

It consists of a conical netting body, two longwings (200 m) of different mesh size, rangingbetween 8 and 15 m of height, with two longropes and a central bag joining the wings.

The lead line takes the net near the bottomand has the same function of a trawl. Thenet is set out from an anchored buoy andthe ropes are used to encircle a largebottom area. Then the seiner reaches backthe anchored buoy and ropes and net arehauled.

8 cm in the codend None 8.70–13.60 mlong with47.0–178.2 kWof enginepower

3–5

“Ferrettara” driftnet Pelagic fishes A gill net 1500–2500 m long, kept vertical byfloats on the headrope and weights on thegroundrope, drifting with the current, near thesurface.

These nets drift freely with the currentnear or connected to the operating boat.They are highly size selective on thetargeted species caught by gilling.

≤18 cm (Reg. CE no.894/97)

None 9.30–15.80 mlong with40.6–227.3 kWof enginepower

P.Battagliaet

al./FisheriesR

esearch102 (2010) 87–97

91

Bottom traps Striped soldier shrimp,golden shrimp, narvalshrimp

Cylindrical traps supported by a vertical woodframe reinforced with iron rings. A conicalentrance funnel has a diameter of 25 cm. Theirnet is made from plastic material, with rigidmeshes of 1 cm of side.

These traps are set on the sea bed(150–350 m) for 24 h and their position ismarked with a surface float attached to thepot by a line. A ground line connects thetraps. Every day fishermen take the catchand put traps in fishing in the same orother location.

Fish, fishingdiscard,vegetables

12.96–13.15 mlong with162.2–174.7 kWof enginepower

3–4

Drifting longline Albacore Traditional albacore longline consists of anylon monofilament main line from 1.2 to1.8 mm diameter in cross-section. The mainline is suspended by the floats. Branch lineswith lengths of 5–8 m descend from the mainline, each terminating with a single baitedhook. The number of hooks ranges between1200 and 2500. Hook size is type no. 7 Mustad

The gear is set in the evening and thesetting operation ends before midnight.The sail starts at the early morning, fromthe last hook placed and can last from 5 to10 h, depending on the length of the gear,on the conditions of the sea and on thequantity of fish caught

Clupeoids 10.03–15.80 mlong with97.1–227.3 kWof enginepower

3–4

Drifting longline Swordfish This longline consists of a nylon monofilamentmain line of 1.8 mm diameter. The main line issuspended by the floats. Branch lines withlengths of 9 m descend from the main line,each terminating with a single baited hook.The number of hooks ranges between 800 and1300. Long shank J shaped hooks are no. 3Mustad.

The gear is set in the evening and thesetting operation ends before midnight.The sail starts at the early morning, fromthe last hook placed and can last from 5 to10 h, depending on the length of the gear,on the conditions of the sea and on thequantity of fish caught

Mackerels,squids

13.50–14.95 mlong with84.5–141.6 kWof enginepower

3–4

Drifting longline Bluefin tuna Tuna longline consists of a nylonmonofilament main line of 2.3 mm diameter incross-section. The main line is suspended bythe floats. Branch lines of 1.8–2.0 mm ofdiameter, with lengths of 10–12 m, descendfrom the main line, each terminating with asingle baited circle hook. The number of hooksranges between 800 and 1200. Circle hooks areno. 4 Mustad.

The gear is set in the afternoon and thesetting operation ends before evening. Thesail starts at the early morning, from thelast hook placed and can last from 5 to 8 h,depending on the length of the gear, on theconditions of the sea and on the quantity offish caught

Squids 14.80–15.80 mlong with150.0–227.3 kWof enginepower

3–4

Bottom longline European hake This longline consists of a roped nylon mainline of 6 mm diameter. Branch lines of a nylonmonofilament descend from the main line,each terminating with a single baited hook.The number of hooks ranges between 500 and750. Hook size is type no. 6 Mustad.

Longline is usually set on the bottombefore sunshine and hauled after sunrise.The fish are attracted by the natural bait.

Clupeoids,mackerels

11.63–14.95 mlong with84.5–150.0 kWof enginepower

3–4

Stones or lead are necessary to set the longlineon the seabed

Bottom longline Blackspot seabream It is equipped with a nylon monofilament mainline (1 mm of diameter) and attached branchlines (0.60 of diameter) and baited hooks(about 1000 per boat). Longline is set across theseabed at 150–300 m of depth. Stones or leadare necessary to set the longline on the seabed

Longline is usually set on the bottombefore sunshine and hauled after sunrise.The fish are attracted by the natural bait.

Clupeoids,bullet tuna

11.63–14.95 mlong with84.5–150.0 kWof enginepower

3

Bottom longline Porgies This coastal longline is used on bottom rangingbetween 20 and 50 m of depth. The equipmentis: a nylon monofilament main line of 0.80 mm(diameter), branch lines of 0.40 mm (diameter),hooks no. 14–16 Mustad. Stones or lead arenecessary to set the longline on the seabed

This kind of longline is usually set on thebottom before sunshine or sunrise andkept in fishing for few hours. The fish areattracted by the natural bait.

Shrimps,octopus,limpets

5.25–11.63 mlong with8.8–84.5 kW ofengine power

2–3

Squid hand-jig line European flying squid The gear is made up of a crown of hooksmounted on a stainless steel cylinder, endowedwith a small blinking light. On the central partof this tube is tied up bait. An additional, biggerand baited stainless steel cylinder withouthooks is only utilized to attract squids

Baits on the bigger cylinder are firstlypositioned near the bottom at 400–600 mof depth. After an hour, fishermen slowlyretrieve and stop baits at about 120 m ofdepth, then begin to fish by squid hand-jiglines, giving a rhythmic movement to thefishing gear.

Bogue,mackerels

5.40–9.80 mlong with6.6–133.1 kWof enginepower

1–2

92 P. Battaglia et al. / Fisheries Res

F2

iss(

e

TSd

ig. 2. Monthly activities of boats for every fishing gear from April 2006 to March007 (relative frequency in %).

n Fig. 2. The analysis of this graph shows that trammel nets and

quid hand-jig lines are widely used in all seasons, while bottomeine, bottom traps and lampara nets are employed by few boats3.8%, 1.9% and 1.9% respectively).

Other types of fishing depend on availability, behaviour andcology of pelagic fishes and hence the activity of a part of the fleet

able 3easonal commercial species CPUE values and income per fisherman-day for gear (TN =rifting longline, kg/1000 hooks*day) based on landings for the Lipari fishery in 2006–20

Species Gear Spring 2006 Summer 2006

CPUE Income perfisherman (D )

CPUE Incfish

Boops boops TN 0.12 ± 0.11 0.30 ± 0.28 0.01 ± 0.01 0.0Epinephelus marginatus TN 0.02 ± 0.01 0.26 ± 0.20 0.21 ± 0.00 3.1Labrus viridis TN 0.03 ± 0.03 0.22 ± 0.21 0.05 ± 0.05 0.3Lophius piscatorius TN 0.01 ± 0.01 0.07 ± 0.07 0.10 ± 0.06 0.7Merluccius merluccius TN 0.02 ± 0.01 0.20 ± 0.18 0.07 ± 0.01 0.8Mullus surmuletus TN 0.09 ± 0.05 1.18 ± 0.64 0.66 ± 0.61 8.5Oblada melanura TN 0.03 ± 0.02 0.21 ± 0.13 0.04 ± 0.04 0.3Octopus vulgaris TN 0.01 ± 0.01 0.02 ± 0.01 0.09 ± 0.08 0.6Pagellus acarne TN 0.01 ± 0.00 0.01 ± 0.00 0.23 ± 0.01 1.8Pagellus bogaraveo TN 0.15 ± 0.00 2.25 ± 0.00 – –Palinurus elephas TN 0.07 ± 0.06 2.40 ± 2.17 0.06 ± 0.02 2.5Phycis phycis TN 0.09 ± 0.02 1.06 ± 0.24 0.04 ± 0.02 0.4Scorpaena porcus TN 0.04 ± 0.02 0.64 ± 0.33 0.17 ± 0.05 2.5Scorpaena scrofa TN 0.12 ± 0.07 1.74 ± 1.01 0.69 ± 0.51 10.Sepia officinalis TN 0.19 ± 0.10 1.88 ± 1.04 0.04 ± 0.01 0.4Sphyraena sphyraena TN 0.02 ± 0.01 0.08 ± 0.06 0.12 ± 0.02 0.5Spicara maena TN 0.12 ± 0.10 0.56 ± 0.49 0.36 ± 0.06 0.7Trachinus araneus TN 0.20 ± 0.02 2.18 ± 0.20 0.14 ± 0.02 1.5Uranoscopus scaber TN 0.02 ± 0.02 0.21 ± 0.19 0.09 ± 0.06 0.9Zeus faber TN – – 0.07 ± 0.00 0.8Other species TN 0.25 ± 0.15 2.43 ± 1.21 0.93 ± 0.42 8.1

Seasonal mean TN 1.58 ± 0.82 17.88 ± 8.66 4.18 ± 2.07 45.Todarodes sagittatus SHL 7.40 ± 1.68 73.97 ± 16.75 7.09 ± 0.86 70.Ommastrephes bartramii SHL 7.70 ± 3.59 10.23 ± 4.43 2.07 ± 1.06 4.8

Seasonal mean SHL 15.10 ± 5.27 84.21 ± 21.18 9.16 ± 1.92 75.Thunnus alalunga ADL – – 35.75 ± 13.84 95.Thunnus thynnus ADL – – 39.82 ± 25.20 235Xiphias gladius ADL – – 7.25 ± 4.16 84.Seasonal mean ADL – – 82.82 ± 43.20 416

earch 102 (2010) 87–97

(more than 35% of boats) is flexible and easy-fitting for differentsituations, recording a seasonal rotation of gear. In particular, “fer-rettara” driftnet is preferred during warm seasons, while driftinglonglines are mainly used in the remaining months. Moreover, onlyone boat in the fall season fishes by surrounding nets with FADsto target dolphin-fish juveniles (from 0.35 to 2.5 kg). Finally, bot-tom longlines are an alternative gear when other target species areinsufficient.

3.2. Catch and effort

On a total of 864 interviews during landings by “catch-effortsurvey”, 120 species were recorded: 94 teleosteans, 11 selaceans,7 cephalopods and 8 crustaceans.

Table 3 shows average daily CPUE values per season, calculatedfor commercial species caught by trammel net, albacore driftinglongline and squid hand-jig line and income per fisher-day, on thebasis of landings from April 2006 to March 2007. The lack of catchdata in spring 2006 for albacore drifting longline is due to the useof this gear only in the period between July 2006 and February2007. The ANOVA results indicated for each fishing gear significantdifferences among seasonal CPUE (p < 0.05).

Fishermen using trammel net were able to capture a high num-ber of species (n = 84), but only 46 appeared quite regularly duringthe year. A high seasonality in CPUE is apparent, with peak valuesof 4.18 kg/500 m of net per day in summer, which has proven to bethe most productive season for this gear (Table 4). S. scrofa, M. sur-muletus, Sepia officinalis, Spicara maena, Scorpaena porcus and Boops

boops reported the highest CPUE values in the year of catch-effortsurvey. The “other species” category comprises several species ofno commercial value or sporadically caught.

Squid hand-jig line is the most selective gear, as catches weremade exclusively for 2 species: T. sagittatus and the by-catch

trammel net, kg/500 m net*day; SHL = squid hand-jig line, kg/day; ADL = albacore07 season.

Fall 2006 Winter 2007

ome pererman (D )

CPUE Income perfisherman (D )

CPUE Income perfisherman (D )

3 ± 0.02 0.03 ± 0.01 0.06 ± 0.01 0.06 ± 0.03 0.14 ± 0.077 ± 0.00 0.01 ± 0.00 0.17 ± 0.00 0.02 ± 0.01 0.37 ± 0.183 ± 0.32 – – 0.03 ± 0.00 0.22 ± 0.003 ± 0.43 – – – –5 ± 0.18 0.05 ± 0.02 0.63 ± 0.25 0.01 ± 0.01 0.19 ± 0.154 ± 8.06 0.07 ± 0.05 0.94 ± 0.60 0.02 ± 0.01 0.27 ± 0.133 ± 0.32 0.01 ± 0.01 0.11 ± 0.09 0.04 ± 0.02 0.29 ± 0.198 ± 0.65 0.04 ± 0.03 0.33 ± 0.28 0.03 ± 0.02 0.23 ± 0.137 ± 0.02 0.01 ± 0.01 0.04 ± 0.04 0.01 ± 0.01 0.02 ± 0.02

0.02 ± 0.00 0.31 ± 0.00 0.01 ± 0.01 0.15 ± 0.123 ± 1.03 0.01 ± 0.01 0.51 ± 0.45 0.01 ± 0.00 0.43 ± 0.007 ± 0.22 0.02 ± 0.01 0.26 ± 0.11 0.01 ± 0.01 0.12 ± 0.137 ± 0.70 0.02 ± 0.02 0.35 ± 0.22 0.02 ± 0.01 0.25 ± 0.1241 ± 7.64 0.05 ± 0.01 0.68 ± 0.18 0.09 ± 0.03 1.39 ± 0.473 ± 0.04 0.07 ± 0.06 0.66 ± 0.65 0.38 ± 0.12 3.85 ± 1.169 ± 0.11 0.01 ± 0.01 0.03 ± 0.02 0.01 ± 0.01 0.04 ± 0.042 ± 0.11 0.01 ± 0.01 0.04 ± 0.04 0.02 ± 0.01 0.12 ± 0.049 ± 0.24 0.01 ± 0.00 0.06 ± 0.00 – –8 ± 0.71 0.03 ± 0.01 0.38 ± 0.11 0.01 ± 0.01 0.12 ± 0.101 ± 0.00 0.02 ± 0.01 0.21 ± 0.05 0.03 ± 0.02 0.27 ± 0.185 ± 2.94 0.39 ± 0.18 2.30 ± 1.32 0.30 ± 0.18 2.37 ± 1.53

77 ± 23.73 0.86 ± 0.46 8.07 ± 4.42 1.12 ± 0.51 10.85 ± 4.7587 ± 8.57 5.00 ± 0.12 50.00 ± 1.25 8.35 ± 2.55 83.49 ± 25.532 ± 2.61 2.93 ± 0.98 3.95 ± 1.49 5.64 ± 1.44 6.73 ± 1.57

69 ± 11.18 7.93 ± 1.10 53.95 ± 2.74 13.99 ± 3.99 90.22 ± 27.1182 ± 37.04 50.62 ± 25.79 183.92 ± 88.10 21.23 ± 2.75 80.30 ± 15.62.80 ± 154.95 14.31 ± 8.36 85.86 ± 50.14 22.83 ± 0.91 136.98 ± 5.46

84 ± 52.90 2.15 ± 0.76 20.67 ± 8.58 4.23 ± 1.48 42.25 ± 14.75.46 ± 244.89 67.08 ± 34.90 290.45 ± 146.82 48.29 ± 5.14 259.53 ± 35.83

P. Battaglia et al. / Fisheries Research 102 (2010) 87–97 93

Table 4Results of Tukey test used to check for differences between seasonal CPUE for eachfishing gear (TN = trammel net; SHL = squid hand-jig line; ADL = albacore driftinglongline; ns = not significant;).

Spring 2006 Summer 2006 Fall 2006 Winter 2007

CPUE TNSpring 2006 ** ns nsSummer 2006 ** *** **

Fall 2006 ns *** nsWinter 2007 ns ** ns

CPUE SHLSpring 2006 ** *** nsSummer 2006 ** ns *

Fall 2006 *** ns **

Winter 2007 ns * **

CPUE ADLSummer 2006 ns *

Fall 2006 ns nsWinter 2007 * ns

OipfHd(s(

ltMvidr

iwivdtfittljoacphbsnci

3

i

Table 5Social profile of the Aeolian artisanal fishery and fishermen’s opinion on the oncom-ing MPA.

Number of fishermen 240

Mean age of fishermen (years) 45 ± 11Mean years of work in fishing sector 31 ± 12Number of fishermen’ sons employed in fishing sector 15

School levelIlliterate 4.2%Primary school 26.3%Junior high school 62.1%High school 7.5%

Number of fishing cooperatives 11Level of association 92%Number of fish markets 0Number of wholesalers 5Number of fishmonger’s shops 4Number of fishing boat involved in fishing-tourism 5Number of boat with fishing-tourism in licence 134Number of fishermen having the intention to perform

fishing-tourism in the next 2 years3

Role of the declaration of a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in thesafeguard of Aeolian fishery resources in the fishermen’s opinion

Positive 7.4%No effects 35.8%Negative 56.8%

Possible economic effects of the MPA on fishery activities inthe fishermen’s opinion

* p < 0.05.** p < 0.01.

*** p < 0.001.

mmastrephes bartramii. As reported in Table 3, the spring seasons characterized by a higher CPUE value for the latter species com-ared to the target, since O. bartramii catches are represented byew large-sized specimens (weighing commonly 3–8 kg) per day.owever, the mean CPUE for T. sagittatus always exceeds 5 kg peray in every season, reaching the highest mean values in winter8.35 kg per day). Mean CPUE recorded in spring and winter wereignificantly higher than those obtained in the other two seasonsTable 4).

The highest captures of the target species T. alalunga fished byongline were recorded in fall (50.62 kg/1000 hooks per day). T.hynnus and X. gladius were the main commercial by-catch species.

oreover, consistent catches of pelagic stingray, Pteroplatytrygoniolacea, were reported in interviews with fishermen, but it wasmpossible to quantify them, as specimens of this species are imme-iately released during fishing operations and not landed. Winterecorded the lowest seasonal CPUE value (Tables 3 and 4).

Furthermore, during the “catch-effort survey”, fishery cetaceannteractions were recorded, resulting more frequent in association

ith specific fishing gear. The main species to be most commonlynvolved was the Tursiops truncatus. In particular, these events wereery frequent in trammel net and gillnet fishing (52% of fishingays), affecting negatively on yields (predation), on gear func-ionality (damages) and then on income of fishers. As referred byshermen and by direct observations of fish remains in the nets,he species most predated upon were red mullets, sparids and cut-lefish. Damage on gear and a reduction of catches occurred also inampara net and boat seine. Cetacean interaction with squid hand-ig line fishing took place in a different way, because no damagen gear was recorded, but only a loss in catches: when dolphinsppear during fishing operations, catches always result near to zero,ompromising the whole fishing trip. Therefore, during the initialhases of this kind of fishing system, fishermen attract squids fromigh bathymetry (400–600 m) to shallow waters by use of a baitedig stainless steel cylinder, endowed with a blinking light. Whenquids are available at lower depth in the water column, groupedear baits, they can be easily preyed upon by dolphins. Moreover,ases in which these cetaceans follow boats heading for other fish-ng areas are reported by fishermen.

.3. Socio-economic data

The social profile of the Aeolian artisanal fishery is reportedn Table 5. According to the census, the total number of fish-

Positive 3.5%No effects 32.6%Negative 63.9%

ermen amounted to 240, all males, with a mean age of 45years.

Ninety-two percent of boats are registered in 11 fishing cooper-atives, while the others are autonomous. Despite the high level ofassociation, fishermen do not have a common trade agreement anddo not adopt a product qualification policy. Moreover, there is nofish market and catches are traded mainly in the wholesale sectorand exported to Sicilian and Italian markets. The remaining partof catches (ranging between 2% and 5%) is traded in fishmonger’sshops and restaurants or at landings on wharf directly by fishermen,with an increase in this last activity during the summer. As a matterof fact, thanks also to the help of local cooperatives and munici-palities, some fishermen gained enough independence in tradingcatches directly to consumers, staying on boats in landing places,by adopting food safety rules and in accordance with EU law on thetraceability of fishery products (EU Reg. 2065/2001).

In spite of the high tourist presences and of the high number ofboats (134) that required the licence to practise the fishing-tourism,tourism related activities involved only few boats (Table 5). Toursof Aeolian coasts are usually carried out by vessels without fishinglicense, which are able to transport numerous people. The smallshare of fishing boats that exploit this resource rely instead onfishing-tourism activities above all in summer. In this case, touristscould attend to fishing operations conducted by nets, longlines andsquid hand-jig lines.

Although fishing-tourism represents a different offer to peo-ple, some fishermen interviewed complained about the strongcompetition of the former activities. Moreover, the most part ofthem resulted reluctant to invest in this alternative activity, sincetheir boats need an adequate modernization and because of thelow number of people they can bring on the basis of the securitymeasures provided for the Ministerial Decree no. 293 (April 13,

1999).

The oncoming institution of a Marine Protected Area in AeolianIslands is seen as a negative event by the majority of fishermen(Table 6); in particular they are worried for the possible economic

94 P. Battaglia et al. / Fisheries Res

Table 6Results of Tukey test used to check for differences between seasonal income for eachfishing gear (TN = trammel net; SHL = squid hand-jig line; ADL = albacore driftinglongline; ns = not significant).

Spring 2006 Summer 2006 Fall 2006 Winter 2007

Income TNSpring 2006 *** ns nsSummer 2006 *** *** ***

Fall 2006 ns *** nsWinter 2007 ns *** ns

Income SHLSpring 2006 ns *** nsSummer 2006 ns ** nsFall 2006 *** ** ***

Winter 2007 ns ns ***

Income ADLSummer 2006 * *

Fall 2006 * nsWinter 2007 * ns

* p < 0.05.

ed

oreo(oom

stanppa

d

(h(e5i

tom morphology (reaching quickly high depths to a short distancefrom the coastal zone), no bottom trawls and purse seine nets tar-

TCs

** p < 0.01.*** p < 0.001.

ffects on their revenues due to the restrictions that the MPA couldeterminate to the fishing activities.

The role of MPAs in the protection of fishery resources is corrob-rated by studies in other Mediterranean areas, but their efficacy fore-stocking exploited populations could require some years (gen-rally 10–20 years in Mediterranean MPAs) and depends stronglyn the reserve design, such as the size of no-take and buffer zonesClaudet et al., 2008). Consequently, given the average age of fishingperators (45 years), their reluctance to accept the establishmentf an MPA could be also related to a no immediate benefit from thisanagement policy action.The survey on ex-vessel prices and retail ones showed a sub-

tantial and remarkable increase in value of large pelagic fish fromhe time of landing to the final sale, doubling or tripling their valuet the last step of sale (Fig. 3). Target species of trammel net, gill-et, bottom longlines and pots show the highest average ex-vesselrices (more than 10 D /kg), with valuable crustaceans such as P. ele-has and Scyllarides latus that reach the ex-vessel value of 40 D /kgnd 50 D /kg at retail.

The ANOVA results indicated, for each fishing gear, significantifferences among mean seasonal income (p < 0.05).

The significant commercial value of T. sagittatus (about 10 D /kg)Fig. 3) assures a good income to fishermen operating by squidand-jig lines, ranging from 53.95 ± 2.74 D to 84.21 ± 21.18 DTable 3); on the contrary, the by-catch (O. bartramii) is consid-

red a low-quality species and, regardless of the weight, was valued.00 D per specimen (Fig. 3 and Table 3). The lowest mean seasonal

ncome was recorded in fall (Table 3, Table 6).

able 7omparison of characteristics, costs and revenues (mean values and standard deviations)quid hand-jig line.

Gear Trammel net

Fishermen age (years) 47 ± 10Boat length (m) 9.08 ± 2.26Boat age (years) 23 ± 16Duration of fishing per fishing trip (hours) 10 ± 2Annual days of activity (days) 138 ± 33CPUE 390.6 ± 195.1Yearly gross income per fisher (D ) 8470 ± 4287Yearly income from government assistance (D ) 1000Production costs (D ) 3700 ± 1500Fixed costs (D ) 1100 ± 250Yearly net income per fisher (D ) 4670 ± 2537

earch 102 (2010) 87–97

Total daily income (D ) per fisherman, calculated per unit effort(kg/500 m net*day), ranged from 8.07 ± 4.42 D to 45.77 ± 23.73 Dfor trammel net, in the fall and summer seasons respectively. Thebest income for this gear is given by S. scrofa and M. surmuletus(Table 3). As also reported for CPUE values, the mean income insummer was significantly higher than in the other seasons (Table 6).

As regards the albacore drifting longline, despite the largestcatches of T. alalunga (Table 3) were obtained in the fall season(50.62 ± 25.79 kg per 1000 hooks), the best daily income for fish-erman was reached in the summer (416.46 ± 244.89 D per 1000hooks), thanks to the high yield of by-catch species (T. thynnus andX. gladius) having a greater commercial value (Fig. 3).

The comparison and the analysis of fishing activity manage-ment costs for the main gear type (trammel net, albacore driftinglongline, squid hand-jig line) and of the yearly average income perfisherman is summarized in Table 7. Despite the higher yearly grossprofits (20479 D ± 8516 S.D.) coming mainly from large catches,albacore drifting longline fishery has considerable costs associatedlargely to fuel price increases and bait supplies (production costs),hence leading to a rather meagre net profit (Table 7). In any case,this is mainly determined by low ex-vessel prices of target species(Fig. 3). A nearly opposite situation was recorded for the squidhand-jig line, which had low a CPUE but also lower production costs(2800 D ± 800 S.D.) thanks to modest bait use and to reduced fuelconsumption since the fishing action is usually carried out with theengine turned off. Trammel net fishing was less profitable for fish-ermen compared to the other types, considering also the highernumber of active days observed during the survey. Commercializa-tion costs for albacore drifting longline, squid hand-jig line and apart of trammel net fleet are near to zero since boxes and ice areprovided for free by wholesalers and so they are not reported inthis table.

4. Discussion

The Sicilian fishery is mainly artisanal, involving 2530 vesselsthat represent 69% of the whole fleet (AAVV, 2008). In spite of thedevelopment of other fishing activities, the Sicilian small-scale sec-tor is strongly traditional but it has not a subordinate role. In fact,it has economic, historical and cultural importance, based on theharmonic relation between the populations living on the coast andthe marine environment and it has developed by a gradual acqui-sition of the new technologies through the direct knowledge ofsome aspects of the ethology and the ecology of the target species(Andaloro et al., 2008).

Unlike other Mediterranean fisheries and in relation to the bot-

geting small pelagics are used.The fleet is largely diversified with a great variability in equip-

ment, as in other Mediterranean coastal fisheries (Farrugio et al.,

for the main Aeolian fishing activities: trammel net, albacore drifting longline and

Squid hand-jig line Albacore drifting longline

49 ± 11 44 ± 127.38 ± 1.32 13.25 ± 1.4127 ± 11 16 ± 134 ± 1 12 ± 2113 ± 21 46 ± 171509.9 ± 390.3 2898.2 ± 1208.810353 ± 1895 20479 ± 85161000 10002800 ± 800 11500 ± 2200900 ± 150 3000 ± 3507653 ± 945 6979 ± 5966

P. Battaglia et al. / Fisheries Research 102 (2010) 87–97 95

get sp

1TicraGasstggkM

iifiaGfap

Tfi

Fig. 3. Average yearly ex-vessel prices of main tar

993; Andaloro et al., 1998; Jabeur et al., 2000; Colloca et al., 2004;zanatos et al., 2005; AAVV, 2008). Despite of this fact, only few fish-ng gears are used over the year and produce the largest amount ofatches and revenues, such as trammel net that is among the mostepresentative artisanal gear in the Mediterranean area (Jabeur etl., 2000; Colloca et al., 2004; Tzanatos et al., 2005; AAVV, 2008;arcía-Rodríguez et al., 2006; Reglero and Morales-Nin, 2008) andssures the capture of many valuable and appreciated species (i.e.:corpion fishes, striped red mullets, cuttlefish, common spiny lob-ter). Together with trammel net, squid hand-jig line is widely usedhroughout the whole year, owing to the availability of the tar-et species T. sagittatus, and it represents the most distinguishingear of Aeolian fishery tradition. In fact, opposite to the former, thisind of squid fishery does not seem to find a comparison in otherediterranean realities.On the other hand, the availability of different species allows,

n many cases, a polyvalent fishing activity to exploit the period-city of resources depending on season. The seasonal rotation ofshing gear confirms, as in all Mediterranean fisheries (Jabeur etl., 2000; Colloca et al., 2004; Tzanatos et al., 2005; AAVV, 2008;arcía-Rodríguez et al., 2006), that the polyvalence is an important

eature of artisanal fishery, representing the ability of fishermen to

dapt them to dynamic environmental conditions and to differentresence of resources in order to optimize yields.

Differently from some Mediterranean areas (Jabeur et al., 2000;zanatos et al., 2005; Stergiou et al., 2006) in which artisanalshermen operate to catch mainly demersal resources, in the Aeo-

ecies per fishing gear, compared with retail ones.

lian Islands catches are made up largely from pelagic species (T.alalunga, X. gladius, T. thynnus and T. sagittatus) that result abun-dant near this Archipelago, as also reported in a previous study(Mostarda et al., 2004). In fact this fishery has been conditionedin its evolution by the particular morphology of the area, char-acterized by a narrow continental shelf, rugged volcanic rockybottoms (often not suitable for fishing gear) and an extensivepelagic environment. As a consequence, drifting longlines targetinglarge pelagic fishes in offshore area are preferred to bottom long-lines. After the driftnet ban, some boats reconverted their activityto longline targeting T. thynnus, but at the end of this study a newissue was detected. In spite of the high occurrence of bluefin tunain this area (Andaloro, 2006), a new European Regulation (EC no.1559/2007) does not allow the catch of this species to the Aeolianfleet because of the lack of TAC (Total Available Catch) in this fishery.Every boat can catch a low percentage of specimens (750 kg/year)as by-catch (Ministerial Decree 27/07/2000, no. 180 Art. 4), but ithas to land the captures in the nearest harbour indicated in the ECno. 1559/2007. For the Aeolian Islands this landing place is Milazzo.This law, applied to preserve the bluefin tuna resource in Mediter-ranean and Eastern Atlantic (ICCAT), now penalizes this fishery.

Differently from other Mediterranean areas, in the Aeolian sea

the use of bottom longline is sporadic. In fact in the Greek Sea(Tzanatos et al., 2005) this gear is largely utilized (34.4% of boats)as well as in other Sicilian (AAVV, 2008) and Mediterranean areas(Colloca et al., 2004; García-Rodríguez et al., 2006; AAVV, 2008),where it guarantees an important income targeting mainly Euro-

9 ies Res

pg

fisfaolsoaMalu

sTMsttg

Rpidagbia

aftfiietna

baldlla

auiAhfic1

trws

6 P. Battaglia et al. / Fisher

ean hake, porgies, silver scabbardfish Lepidopus caudatus androupers.

As a consequence of gear and boat technological evolution andshery development towards industrial models, some “old” fishingystems have already been strongly modified or are disappearingrom Mediterranean coasts. The use of almost transparent monofil-ments (especially in gillnets and longlines) and the improvementf “squid hand-jigging” by new materials and by use of blinkingights have increased the fishing power of these fishing gears in thetudy area. Nevertheless, the abandonment of “old” fishing systemsr tactics cannot only be attributed to the increasing fishing effortnd gear technology: it is the case of surrounding net targeting theediterranean sand eel G. cicerelus that in the past, during spring

nd autumn seasons, provided important catches and now it is noonger used because of the disappearing of this resource due tonknown causes.

To estimate the consequence of the technological evolution ontock exploitation of local resources remains a problematical issue.he lack of historical series on CPUE or catches in the majority ofediterranean areas cannot permit an easy estimation of the real

tatus of exploited resources and of their evolution in the time. Inhis case, the only available data are coming from the interviewso fishermen that complain about a reduction of catches for severalears.

Furthermore, since the “spadara” driftnet ban pursuant to ECeg. 1239/98, this fishery has undergone changes that are still inrogress and that are leading to a greater polyvalence and seasonal-

ty of fishing activities for all boats. Therefore, a part of fishermen,espite the economic subsidies received to stop or convert theirctivity (1999/27CE), has preferred to continue fishing using otherear. They invested their capitals in the construction of new vessels,igger then the previous, and they reconstitute a driftnet fleet fish-

ng by “ferrettara”. Another part of fishermen chose instead to oper-te in coastal areas, changing fishing activities and target species.

Consequently, the effects of this ban were the modernizationnd rejuvenation of the fleet, together with a shift of fishing effortrom pelagic areas towards coastal ones, exacerbating, at the sameime, competition among fishermen in these areas. The increasingshing effort along coastal waters was confirmed by the fishermen

nterviewed. They all agree that trammel net catches have consid-rably and gradually decreased over the past 20 years (especially inhe last decade) and they attribute this decline directly to the drift-et ban, even if we do not exclude other causes, such as pollutionnd the increase of other human uses of coastal areas.

On the other hand, as a consequence of the ban, swordfish hasecome more abundant and has shown increases in size (Romeo etl., 2008). Albacore too is widely available in this area with sizesarger than that of first reproduction, a homogeneous adult sizeistribution and high yields (Andaloro, 2006). Nevertheless, the uti-

ization of pelagic resources seems now to be encumbered by theow value of these species at the local market, particularly for thelbacore.

In the light of these considerations, Aeolian fisheries need a newpproach to promote the consumption of low-value species and thetilization of less exploited yet more abundant resources available

n this area. A paradoxical situation is that only one vessel of theeolian fishery utilizes surrounding net with FADs to capture C.ippurus, while in the same area a consistent fleet from other portsshes for this species (Potoschi et al., 1999), which reaches a higherommercial value in other Sicilian markets (Cannizzaro et al.,999).

Furthermore, the by-catch of squid hand-jig line fishery (O. bar-rami) is worthy of greater attention by consumers: this squidecorded an irrelevant commercial value in the Aeolian Islands,hile elsewhere in the world it has been considered a target species

ince the decline of other resources (Wan and Shao, 2005).

earch 102 (2010) 87–97

Tourist flows towards the Islands are high for almost 5 monthsa year (Andaloro, 2005), but fishermen fail to exploit this alterna-tive resource. As a matter of fact, although a law on fishing tourism(Ministerial Decree no. 293 dated April 13, 1999) is in force, only fewfishermen use to organize tours around islands, carrying out fish-ing performances or demonstrations of cultural traditions linked tofishery. Therefore, the result has been an inadequate promotion offishing products together with a dull image of fishermen who havefailed to defend and improve their cultural customs and to adapt tonew opportunities. Moreover, the abundance of cetaceans in thisarea is only considered a loss of yield by fishermen, while it couldbe capitalised and exploited as an additional tourist attraction, as inother areas of the Mediterranean Sea (i.e.: the Cetaceans’ Sanctuaryin the Ligurian Sea).

For all these reasons, the setting up of an MPA in the AeolianIslands could fit well into this particular context, addressing therequirement for a greater protection of the coastal environmentand resources (as underscored by this survey), tourist demands andthe needs of fishermen. However, protecting marine resources andensuring their regeneration are, of course, the primary tasks for amarine reserve, but it is also important that it would be integratedwith cultural traditions. As is now common knowledge, the poten-tial value of a marine reserve for improving fishery managementin a given area would be limited without other fishery manage-ment tools and without careful monitoring, evaluation and plannedprograms (Hilborn et al., 2004).

Even though the survey on fishing and socio-economics aspectshas revealed some inefficiencies in the fish product chain and theneed of rationalization in exploiting all available resources (fishes,tourism, cetaceans, etc.), this fishery can rely on several strongpoints: a high fishing fleet potential and a high level of associ-ation with some social features (low average age of fishermenand good level of education), the presence of high-quality com-mercial species at landings, the intense tourism development, theold fishing tradition and the environmental value of this area.Therefore, future initiatives should pay attention to these aspectsand consider them as building blocks to guarantee, alongsideenvironmental protection, that current levels of employment aremaintained.

To plan the future development of the Aeolian artisanal fishery,in the end, managers have to take into account the need to applyan integrated approach to coastal zone management, in particularconsidering some issues: (i) appropriate valuation of resources atmarket level (in this case, underutilized dolphin-fish, O. bartramii,etc.), (ii) putting in place effective “fishing tourism” initiatives,(iii) reducing interference with cetaceans and (iv) harmonizing theneeds for environment protection though MPA, tourism demandsand fishermen’s livelihoods.

Acknowledgments

This research was carried out within the project POR No.1999.IT.16.1.PO.011/4.17 b/8.3.7/0058.

We thanks Mr. Pietro Vivona and Dr. Patrizia Perzia for theirtechnical support and the fishing cooperatives for their collabora-tion.

References

Andaloro, F., Sunseri, G., Vivono, P., 1998. La gestione integrata della fascia costieradella Sicilia Settentrionale. Biol. Mar. Medit. 5 (3), 717–725.

Andaloro, F., 2004. Risorse biologiche, grandi pelagici. Studio sulla biologia e consis-

tenza di popolazione di specie minori di grandi pelagici: Seriola dumerili Risso1816, Coryphaena hippurus Linneo 1758, Euthynnus alletteratus Rafinesque 1810,Sarda sarda Bloch 1793. Rapporto Finale, Ministero per le Politiche Agricole eForestali, pp. 120.

Andaloro, F., 2005. Linee guida del piano di sviluppo del turismo connesso alle attiv-ità di pesca ed ai prodotti ittici siciliani. Final Report Project: INTERREG III B

es Res

A

A

A

A

A

C

C

C

C

D

D

D

D

F

F

F

F

F

F

G

G

G

H

P. Battaglia et al. / Fisheri

– MEDOCC – La pesca come fattore di sviluppo di un turismo sostenibile –MARIMED.

ndaloro, F., 2006. Gruppo di studio ed elementi di base per la gestione dei grandipelagici. Sottoprogetto – Ruolo trofico del grande pelagico Thunnus alalunga,Bonnaterre, 1788. Rapporto Finale, Ministero per le Politiche Agricole e Forestali,pp. 71.

ndaloro, F., Romeo, T., Goracci, M., Iovino, M.R., Colicci, G., 2008. Historical andcultural fishing heritage in Sicily. 9th International Conference LITTORAL, “Achanging coast: challenge for the environmental policies” November 25–28,2008, Venice, Italy.

AVV, 2008. Mediterranean Small Craft Fishery and Development (MESFIDE). Inter-reg III B Archimed. Data Report, pp. 85.

rculeo, M., Riggio, S., 1983. Dati preliminari sulla piccola pesca nel Golfo di Palermo.Nova Thalassia 6 (Suppl.), 725.

rdizzone, G.D., 1985. Analysis of the fisheries of the central Tyrrhenian Sea. FAOFish. Rep. 362, 51–60.

annizzaro, L., D’Andrea, F., Potoschi, A., Scalisi, M., 1999. Economic aspects of fishingof dolphinfish in Sicily. Sci. Mar. 63 (3–4), 459–464.

entro Studi Cetacei, 2004. Cetacei spiaggiati lungo le coste italiane. XVIII Rendi-conto 2003. Atti Soc. It. Sci. Nat. Museo Civ. St. Nat. Milano 145 (II), 425–437.

laudet, J., Osenberg, C.W., Benedetti-Cecchi, L., Domenici, P., García-Charton, J.-A.,Pérez-Ruzafa, Á., Badalamenti, F., Bayle-Sempere, J., Brito, A., Bulleri, F., Culioli, J.-M., Dimech, M., Falcón, J.M., Guala, I., Milazzo, M., Sánchez-Meca, J., Somerfield,P.J., Stobart, B., Vandeperre, F., Valle, C., Planes, S., 2008. Marine reserves: sizeand age do matter. Ecol. Lett. 11 (5), 481–489.

olloca, F., Crespi, V., Cerasi, S., Coppola, S.R., 2004. Structure and evolution of theartisanal fishery in a southern Italian coastal area. Fish. Res. 69, 359–369.

e Metrio, G., Bello, G., Lenti, M., Petrosino, G., Sciscioli, V., 1985. L’attività di pesca coltramaglio di fondo della marineria di Porto Cesareo (Le) negli anni 1978–1983.Nota I. Oebalia, vol. XI-2 N.S., 593–607.

e Metrio, G., Giacchetta, F., Santamaria, N., 1995. Sex-ratio ed indice gonado-somatico del pesce spada (Xiphias Gladius L.) nello Ionio settentrionale enell’Adriatico meridionale. Biol. Mar. Medit. II (2), 479–481.

i Natale, A., Mangano, A., 1983. Biological and distribution of new data on thesperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus L., in the central Mediterranean Sea. Rapp.Commun. Int. Exp. Sci. Mer Médit. 28 (5), 183–184.

i Natale, A., Mangano, A., Celona, A., Valastro, M., 2005. Size frequency compositionof the Mediterranean spearfish (Tetrapturus belone, Rafinesque) catches in theTyrrhenian Sea and in the Strait of Messina in 2003. Col. Vol. Sci. Pap. ICCAT 58(2), 589–595.

AO, 2005. Increasing the contribution of small-scale fisheries to poverty alleviationand food security. FAO Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fisheries. No. 10.Rome, FAO, 79 pp.

aranda, F.M. (Ed.), 1995. Caratterizzazione ambientale marina del sistema Eolie edei bacini limitrofi di Cefalù e Gioia (EOCUMM 94). Data report.

aranda, F.M., Povero, P. (Eds.), 1996. Caratterizzazione ambientale marina del sis-tema Eolie e dei bacini limitrofi di Cefalù e Gioia (EOCUMM 95). Data report, pp.524.

arrugio, H., Oliver, P., Biagi, F., 1993. An overview of the history, knowledge,recent and future research trends in Mediterranean fisheries. Sci. Mar. 57 (2–3),105–119.

ortuna, C.M., Canese, S., Giusti, M., Revelli, E., Consoli, P., Florio, G., Greco, S., Romeo,T., Andaloro, F., Fossi, M.C., Lauriano, G., 2007. An insight into the status of thestriped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba) of the southern Tyrrhenian Sea. J. Mar.Biol. Assoc. U.K. 87, 1321–1326.

redj, G., Bellan-Santini, D., Meinardi, M., 1992. Etat des connaìssances sur lafaune marine Méditerranéenne. Bull. Inst. Océanogr., Monaco 9, 133–145 (pecialissue).

arcía-Rodríguez, M., Fernández, Á.M., Esteban, A., 2006. Characterisation, analysisand catch rates of the small-scale fisheries of the Alicante Gulf (SE Spain) over a10 years time series. Fish. Res. 77, 226–238.

FCM, 2007. Report of the Thirty-first Session of the General Fisheries Commissionfor the Mediterranean. Rome, Italy, 9–12 January 2007.

ugliandolo, C., Italiano, F., Maugeri, T.L., 2006. The submarine hydrothermal system

of Panarea (Southern Italy): biogeochemical processes at the thermal fluids–seabottom interface. Ann. Geophys. 49 (2/3), 783–792.

ilborn, R., Stokes, K., Maguire, J.J., Smith, T., Botsford, L.W., Mangel, M., Orensanz, J.,Parma, A., Rice, J., Bell, J., Cochrane, K.L., Garcia, S., Hall, S.J., Kirkwood, G.P., Sains-bury, K., Stefansson, G., Walters, C., 2004. When can marine reserves improvefisheries management? Ocean Coast. Manag. 47, 197–205.

earch 102 (2010) 87–97 97

Italiano, F., Nuccio, P.M., 1991. Geochemical investigations of submarine volcanicexhalations to the east Panarea, Aeolian Islands, Italy. J. Volcanol. Geotherm.Res. 46, 125–141.

Jabeur, C., Gobert, B., Missaoui, H., 2000. Typologie de la flottille de pêche côtièredans le golfe de Gabès (Tunisie). Aquat. Living Resour. 13, 421–428.

Lentini, F., Romeo, T., 2000. Studio sulla pesca nelle Isole Eolie. Biol. Mar. Medit. 7(2), 765–769.

Maurin, C., 1962. Etude des fronds chalutables de la Méditeranée occidentale. (Ecolo-gie et Pêche) Résultats des campagnes des navires océanographiques “PrésidentThéodore Tissier” 1958 à 1960 et “Thallasa” 1960 et 1961. Rev. Trav. Inst. PêchesMarit., Paris XXVI (2), 163–218.

Merino, G., Karlou-Riga, C., Anastopoulou, I., Maynou, F., Lleonart, J., 2007. Bioe-conomic simulation analysis of hake and red mullet fisheries in the Gulf ofSaronikos (Greece). Sci. Mar. 71, 525–535.

Merino, G., Morales-Nin, B., Maynou, F., Grau, A.M., 2008. Assessment and bioeco-nomic analysis of the Majorca (NW Mediterranean) trammel net fishery. Aquat.Living Resour. 21, 99–107.

Mostarda, E., Romeo, T., Scotti, G., Tarusello, M., Campo, D., Castriota, L., Consoli, P.,Esposito, V., Florio, G., Andaloro, F., 2004. The pelagic small-scale fishing fleet ofthe North-Eastern Sicilian Sea. Biol. Mar. Medit. 11 (3), 190–191.

Notarbartolo di Sciara, G., Venturino, M.C., Zanardelli, M., Bearzi, G., Borsani, J.F.,Cavalloni, B., 1993. Cetaceans in the central Mediterranean Sea: distributionand sighting frequencies. It. J. Zool. 60, 131–138.

Palko, B.J., Beardsley, G.L., Richards, W.J., 1981. Synopsis of the biology of the sword-fish, Xiphias gladius Linnaeus. NOAA Tech. Rep. NMFS Circ. 441, 2–15.

Piniella, F., Soriguer, M., Fernández-Engo, M.A., 2007. Artisanal fishing in Andalusia:a statistical study of the fleet. Mar. Pol. 31, 573–581.

Potoschi, A., Cannizzaro, L., Milazzo, A., Scalisi, M., Bono, G., 1999. Sicilian dolphinfish(Coryphaena hippurus) fishery. Sci. Mar. 63, 439–445.

Quignard, J.P., Farrugio, H., 1982. Quelques grands problèmes concernant l’eau, lafaune et la pêche en Méditerranée. La Pêche Maritime 1248, 149–155.

Reglero, P., Morales-Nin, B., 2008. Relationship between first sale price, body sizeand total catch of trammel net target species in Majorca (NW Mediterranean).Fish. Res. 92, 102–106.

Romeo, T., Consoli, P., Florio, G., Andaloro, F., Fortuna, C.M., Fossi, M.C., Lauriano,G., Notarbartolo di Sciara, G., 2003. The feluca boat of the strait of Messina: aplatform of opportunity for cetacean sightings. Eur. Res. Cet., 16.

Romeo, T., Ferretti, F., Consoli, P., Canese, S., Andaloro, F., 2008. Assessment ofthe Mediterranean swordfish based on Italian harpoon fisheries data. In: ICESAnnual International Conference (ASC), Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 22–26September 2008.

Sabatella, E., Franquesa, R., 2003. Manual of Fisheries Sampling Surveys: Method-ologies for Estimations of Socioeconomic Indicators in the Mediterranean Sea.Studies and Reviews, General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean, No.73, Rome, FAO, 37 pp.

Sedwick, P.N., Stuben, D., 1996. Chemistry of shallow submarine warm springs in anarc-volcanic setting: Volcano Island, Aeolian Archipelago, Italy. Mar. Chem. 53,147–161.

Stergiou, K.I., Moutopoulos, D.K., Soriguer, M.C., Puente, E., Lino, P.G., Zabala, C., Mon-teiro, P., Errazkin, L.A., Erzini, K., 2006. Trammel net catch species composition,catch rates and metiers in southern European waters: a multivariate approach.Fish. Res. 79 (1–2), 170–182.

Tortonese, E., 1987. Pesci del Mediterraneo. Recenti studi intorno alla sistematica ealla distribuzione. Quad. Ist. Idrobiol. Acquacolt. “G. Brunelli”, Sabaudia, Roma,pp. 111.

Tzanatos, E., Dimitriou, E., Katselis, G., Georgiadis, M., Koutsikopoulos, C., 2005. Com-position, temporal dynamics and regional characteristics of small-scale fisheriesin Greece. Fish. Res. 73 (1–2), 147–158.

Tzanatos, E., Dimitriou, E., Papaharisis, L., Roussi, A., Somarakis, S., Koutsikopoulos, C.,2006. Principal socio-economic characteristics of the Greek small-scale coastalfishermen. Ocean Coast. Manag. 49, 511–527.

Underwood, A.J., 1997. Experiments in Ecology: Their Logical Design and Interpre-tation Using Analysis of Variance. University Press, Cambridge.

Wan, W.Y., Shao, Q.Q., 2005. The spatial relationship between the distribution of

Ommastrephes bartrami and marine environment in the western north PacificOcean. In: ISPRS Workshop on Service and Application of Spatial Data Infras-tructure, XXXVI (4/W6), Oct. 14–16, Hangzhou, China, pp. 177–182.

Whitmarsh, D., Pipitone, C., Badalamenti, F., D’Anna, G., 2003. The economic sus-tainability of artisanal fisheries: the case of the trawl ban in the Gulf ofCastellammare, NW Sicily. Mar. Pol. 27, 489–497.