Small pelagic purse seines in the Adriatic Sea: A spatial analysis and technical overview in relation to Mediterranean Regulation provisions

A number of restrictions envisaged by Council Regulation 1967/2006 (Mediterranean Regulation, MR) have been introduced to reduce the fishing effort and the catch of juveniles in the Mediterranean Sea. A large proportion of the purse seiners of the Adriatic fleet that target small pelagic species may be using gear that does not comply with regulatory provisions. This study provides a thorough overview on Adriatic purse seine designs and fishing practices. Moreover, since no detailed information was available about their environmental impact, an ad hoc study was also performed to examine the issue in relation to Mediterranean Regulation provisions. Analysis of the technical data confirmed the vast majority of the nets used by the Adriatic purse seine fleet do not comply with regulatory provisions. However, data analysis highlighted that the technical features and operational characteristics of these fisheries do not justify the application of MR restrictions. In fact, i) spatial analysis of the fishing effort demonstrated that purse seiners operate more than 3 nautical miles off the coast, i.e. further than the area covered by the restrictions; and ii) data from sensors and video cameras documented that purse seines do not exert adverse impacts on critical habitats such as Posidonia meadows and that the groundrope impact on the seabed is so slight and short-lived as to be negligible. Moreover, the extensive changes required to make purse seines compliant with the MR would entail steep costs and would ultimately render the nets unsuitable for commercial fishing, thus involving highly negative socio- economic consequences.