Fish biomass increase after a four-year trawl ban in the Gulf of Castellammare (NW Sicily, Mediterranean Sea)

• Published in: Fisheries research Vol. 48; no. 1; pp. 23 - 30
• Main Authors: Pipitone, Carlo, Badalamenti, Fabio, D’Anna, Giovanni, Patti, Bernardo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.08.2000; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomass increase; Eledone cirrhosa; Eledone moschata; Exploitation and management of natural biological resources (hunting, fishing and exploited populations survey, etc.); Fishery reserves; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Lepidotrigla cavillone; Marine; Mediterranean; Protected areas; Trawl ban; Sicily; Italy; Europe; MED, Italy, Sicilia, Trapani, Castellammare del Golfo; Protected areas; Mediterranean; Biomass increase; Trawl ban; Fishery reserves; Population exploitation; Population management; Population growth; Gulf; Long term variation; Biomass; Marine environment; Conservation area; Cephalopoda; Vertebrata; Population survey; Recolonization; Pisces; Invertebrata; Mollusca; Animal conservation; Benthic zone
• ISSN: 0165-7836; 1872-6763
• DOI: 10.1016/S0165-7836(00)00114-4

This paper deals with a year-round trawl ban implemented in 1990 in the Gulf of Castellammare (NW Sicily, Mediterranean Sea) over an area of about 200 km 2, with the purpose of fish stock rebuilding. Artisanal and recreational fishing were permitted in the Gulf. To assess the effect of the ban on the abundance of demersal resources, CPUE from experimental trawl surveys carried out before the ban (spring 1987 and 1989) and 4 years after it was in place (spring 1994) were compared. Sampling design was based on three depth strata (10–50, 51–100, 101–200 m); 21 and 30 hauls were made before and after the ban, respectively. Eleven target species (9 finfish and 2 cephalopods) as well as the total catch were used for comparisons. The total catch underwent an 8-fold increase in biomass after the four-year ban, and all the considered species underwent an increase, ranging from 1.2-fold for musky octopus ( Eledone moschata) to 497-fold for gurnard ( Lepidotrigla cavillone). The only decrease was for horned octopus (Eledone cirrhosa). A management strategy based on year-round trawling bans may prove useful, especially in areas where multispecies and multigear artisanal fisheries make up a large part of the fishing industry. The promising results obtained in the Gulf indicate an approach which might be practicable in areas where pre-existing data useful for traditional assessment and management are poor, or totally lacking, and where resources are already at risk of overexploitation.