Recreational fisheries within the Portofino MPA and surrounding areas (Ligurian Sea, Western Mediterranean Sea)

Abstract

In the Mediterranean Sea, recreational fishing is a popular activity and anglers catch a significant amount of fish which could represent more than 10% of the total harvesting in a littoral area. The Portofino Marine Protected Area, established in 1999 in the Ligurian Sea (North-Western Mediterranean), traditionally hosts a well-developed recreational fishery. Aim of this study has been to characterize the activities of the local anglers, analysing their annual harvesting within and around the Portofino MPA and the species composition of the catches. This was possible studying data from the mandatory anglers’ logbooks, and through interviews and surveys at sea. In 2015, the 340 checked anglers fished, in average, 1 kg/day, on average, mainly by trolling or handlining systems. Each fisherman, during 25 (± 21) trips, fished approximately 25 kg/year, for a total harvesting of about 8-9 t/year. Seriola dumerili, with 230 kg/year, was the species most caught in terms of biomass. It was followed by Coryphaena hippurus (130 kg/year). In addition, the analysis of catches occurring during local fishing competitions organized off the MPA limits suggested a harvesting capacity for each angler varying between 0.7 and 1.1 kg/angler per day, depending on the used gear (handlining, trolling, spear-guns). Finally, 36% of the anglers claimed to hook often the hard bottom seabed, often losing nylon lines. Consequently, the Management Body of the Portofino MPA has been advised to suspend recreational fishing activities in the most busy areas for a period of two years, calling for a complete removal of the lost fishing gears.

Boom‐and‐bust cycles of holothurian (sea cucumber) populations in the Chagos Archipelago: An indication of poaching or natural processes?

“…Insufficient information exists on the nature of recreational fisheries around Diego Garcia, and therefore it is not possible to understand the likelihood that fishing pressure has had an influence on holothurian populations. Concern about the impact of recreational fisheries, particularly within vulnerable or protected areas, is growing yet they persist in many MPAs globally (Venturini et al, 2019; Boubekri et al, 2021). They are often more poorly understood than commercial fisheries, owing to a lack of systematic data collection and the voluntary elements of many data reporting processes (Holder et al, 2020).…”

High Megabenthic Complexity and Vulnerability of a Mesophotic Rocky Shoal Support Its Inclusion in a Mediterranean MPA

“…Recreational fishing within the MPA is highly regulated: it is allowed only for the holders of a specific permit issued by the managing body [19]. In addition, specific restrictions targeting residents and non-residents include the fishing of some species (i.e., the dusky grouper, Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834)), spatial closures, fishing techniques, logbook compilation, and fishing efforts [19,20,40]. In 2021, the MPA released 211 permits for recreational fishers potentially operating on the deep shoal of Punta del Faro.…”

“…No information is available on the number of fishers exploiting the deep shoal of Punta del Faro. Quantitative data on the fishing effort in the area are scarce, only targeting the coastal sites enclosed within the MPA boundaries [18][19][20][21]. However, ROV explorations highlighted the significant pressure of artisanal and recreational fishing activities, indicating that adequate protection of its benthic biocoenoses is needed.…”

Consequences of the marine climate and ecosystem shift of the 1980-90s on the Ligurian Sea biodiversity (NW Mediterranean)

“…The Ligurian Sea (Figure 1) is one of the northerner and colder sectors of the Mediterranean Sea, and its biota is somewhat different from that of the rest of the basin, with a dearth of thermophilic species and the comparative abundance of cold temperate boreal species (Bianchi et al 2012). The Ligurian Sea is also one of the most anthropized parts of the Mediterranean Sea, due to huge urban, touristic and industrial development, harbour activities and construction of artificial structures, building of coastal roads and railways, dumping and drainages, professional and recreational fisheries, and beach replenishments (Mangialajo et al 2007;Misic et al 2011;Parravicini et al 2012Parravicini et al , 2013Prato et al 2016;Cánovas-Molina et al 2016a;Venturini et al 2017Venturini et al , 2019Enrichetti et al 2019aEnrichetti et al , 2019b.…”