Gorka Merino

Impacts of climate change on marine ecosystem production in societies dependent on fisheries

iesonmarinefisheries 3 .Predictedchanges in fish production indicate increased productivity at high latitudes and decreased productivity at low/mid latitudes, with considerable regional variations. With few exceptions, increases and decreases in fish production potential by 2050 are estimated to be<10% (meanC3.4%) from present yields. Among the nations showing a high dependency on fisheries 3 ,

Viability and management targets of Mediterranean demersal fisheries: the case of the Aegean Sea

Management of the Mediterranean demersal stocks has proven challenging mainly due to the multi-species character of the fisheries. In the present work, we focus on the multi-species demersal fisheries of the Aegean Sea (eastern Mediterranean) aiming to study the effects of different management measures on the main commercial stocks, as well as to explore the economic viability of the fisheries depending upon these resources, by means of simulated projections. Utilizing the limited available data, our results demonstrated that, under the current exploitation pattern, the economic viability of the fleets is threatened, particularly if fuel prices increase. Additionally, the biological targets set for the most exploited species, such as hake, will not be met under the current management regime. The projections also showed that the only management scenario under which both resource sustainability and economic viability of the fisheries are ensured is the decrease of fleet capacity in terms of vessel numbers. In this case, however, measures to support the fisheries-dependent communities need to be implemented to prevent the collapse of local economies due to employment decrease. Scenarios assuming selectivity improvements would be also beneficial for the stocks but they showed low economic performance and their application would threaten the viability of the fleets, particularly that of the trawlers.

Harvest Strategies for an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management in Western Mediterranean Demersal Fisheries

The serious overfishing of most Mediterranean stocks demands urgent reforms of the management measures aiming to guarantee the sustainability of resources, notably when compared with the improvement observed in other European areas. The new EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) constitutes an excellent opportunity to introduce the changes needed for such a reform. According to this CFP, all European fish stocks should be brought to a state where they can produce at MSY by 2020 at the latest. The CFP also establishes that the objective of sustainable exploitation should be achieved through multiannual plans (MAPs) adopted in consultation with relevant stakeholders having fisheries management interests such as fishermen, nongovernmental organizations and policy makers. Together with the MSY and MAP approaches, the new CFP contains several other measures, directed to guarantee the ecological and socio-economic sustainability of fisheries by means of the implementation of the ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM). With this new perspective, the CFP wants to avoid past failures of fisheries management based on monospecific approaches. This study is a first step towards the application of the EAFM in the Balearic Islands by means of the development of a harvest strategy with defined objectives, targets, limits and clear management control rules aimed at optimizing socioeconomic and ecological objectives in the framework of the new CFP. Different management scenarios designed to achieve that goal were modelled for the main demersal commercial fisheries from the study area, the bottom trawl and small-scale fisheries. The work begins with a general description of those fisheries, their main fishing grounds and assessments of the exploitation status of the main target stocks in order to establish the current situation. Secondly, alternative management scenarios to maximize catch and profits while considering societal objectives were evaluated by means of bio-economic models. Thirdly, management measures were provided based on the previous modelling and discussions with stakeholders. Finally, a monitoring scheme was outlined to assess the progresses of the proposed management actions. This work is intended to be a working example of co-management (fishers, policy-makers and scientists) in the Mediterranean in the framework of the new EU CFP.

Introduction to the BASIN Special Issue: State of art, past present a view to the future

The starting point for EURO-BASIN were discussions at the EurOcean conference in Hamburg (Germany) in 2000 focusing on perspectives for European and North American research cooperation in the North Atlantic. This conference resulted in a memorandum of understanding signed between the USA National Science Foundation (NSF) and the European Commission (EC), agreeing to support collaborative research in the North Atlantic. However, it was not until 2005 when funds from the USA NSF and the European network of excellence EURO-OCEANS allowed for European, USA and Canadian scientists to meet in Reykjavik, Iceland (Wiebe et al., 2009), to start the process leading to the development of an International North Atlantic Basin scale Science Plan. Subsequently, support for the BASIN community to hold three meetings in 2007–2008 was obtained from the US NSF and a EU 6th Framework Specific Support Action (SSA) BASIN. These meetings, which built upon the issues identified in Reykjavik, were held in Hamburg (Germany), Chapel Hill (USA), and Amsterdam (the Netherlands). The outcome of these meetings was the International BASIN Science Plan, published as a GLOBEC report (Wiebe et al., 2009). Alas, while the science needs were collectively agreed upon, the difficulty of funding coordinating research (both in time and in concept) from both sides of the Atlantic was not easily resolved. Moving ahead, the European Commission issued a call for proposals, which targeted some of the issues outlined in the International BASIN Science Plan. Specifically, the call was focused scientifically “on the need to improve the understanding of the variability, potential impacts, and feedbacks of global change and anthropogenic forcing on the structure, function and dynamics of the ecosystems of the North Atlantic Ocean and associated shelf seas and on their capacity to provide services”. The successful project needed to provide new data, analyses and the models necessary to: (1) Understand and simulate the population structure and dynamics of broadly distributed, and biogeochemically and trophically important plankton and fish species, to resolve the impacts of climate variability on marine ecosystems and the feedbacks to the earth system. (2) Develop understanding and strategies that would contribute to improving and advancing ocean management (ecosystem approach). In response to this call, the successful EURO-BASIN consortium was formed (European Basin Scale Analysis and Synthesis), using as its starting point the BASIN International Science plan. While a similar funding mechanism was not forthcoming from the North American side, North American scientists were able to take advantage of opportunities to participate in EURO-BASIN cruise programs, meetings and to publish joint articles (e.g., this Special Issue).