Training for sustainable fisheries in the Mediterranean

SeaEnvTrainingTraining to reduce interactions with seabirds in Mediterranean fisheries

To provide tools to VET students and professional fishermen to incorporate the environmental dimension into their knowledge and to develop a more respectful and sustainable practice with the marine environment, in agreement with the new EU Common Fisheries Policy and related environmental regulations. This is the best way to ensure the socioeconomic sustainability of their activity, as well as the preservation of marine biodiversity in the region.

The project pays particular attention to the potential effects of fishing on the marine ecosystem as a whole, under the Ecosystem-Based Management (EMB) approach. To exemplify these often-disregarded impacts, particular attention is paid to seabirds, as a component of the marine ecosystem that is not targeted by fisheries but can be highly influenced by them.

The project has produced 3 main intellectual outputs:

1.- A training course

2.- A manual of good fishing practices

3.- A guide on natural heritage

SeaEnvTraining is an Erasmus + Project developed by SEO/BirdLife, the Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (LPO), the Hellenic Ornithological Society (HOS) and the Escola de Capacitació Nauticopesquera de Catalunya (ECNPC) between 2015 and 2017, focused in the Mediterranean Sea.

Project number: 2015-1-ES01-KA202-016332

Main objective:

Mediterranean Natural Heritage

The guide is part of a set of training materials of the project taking into account the threat of bycatch to several threatened marine species.

This guide intends to highlight those components of the marine ecosystem that are often disregarded, as they are not specifically targeted by fisheries, although they can be impacted by them.

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

Training course: Sustainable fisheries in the Mediterranean, seabirds’ point of view Manual of good fishing practicesin the MediterraneanThis course intends to put in value the marine ecosystem and all its interrelated components,

fishermen included. It is available on the web (https://www.seo.org/seabirds/), and is accompanied by a set of self-evaluating questions. It is also intended to be integrated, either in its totality or in fragments, into existing courses directed at VET students and professional fishermen. It consists of 3 main sections:

1. Marine environment: understanding fisheries’ playgroundThis section provides a general background about the value and functioning of marine ecosystems, paying particular attention to seabirds.

2. Oceans and mankind: the need to find a balanced useThis section raises awareness on the problems that marine ecosystems face nowadays, including pollution, habitat degradation, alien species and climate change. But it pays particular attention to fisheries, their impacts and how these can be minimized, as the target audience is fishermen and this is where they can most contribute to the good health of the seas. This is the longest section of the course, and part of it is devoted specifically to describe the multiple interactions between seabirds and fisheries.

3. Relevant fisheries and environmental policiesThis section provides some background about how the topics that have been described in the course are increasingly contemplated in a variety of policies and regulations that directly affect the daily routine of fishermen.

As top predators, any changes in the environment can have implications for their populations and they can be suitable indicators of the state of the marine environment, providing benefits that extend to fisheries management.

They are also the most threatened group of birds, and deserve attention and rapid conservation action, which starts by a proper knowledge of their lifestyles and their problems.

Why seabirds?They are potentially good indicators of the marine environment for several reasons. Among them:

(1) They are highly visible and relatively easy to monitor, both on land (colonies) and at sea.

(2) As top predators, seabirds integrate and reflect changes that occur at different steps of the food webs, and shifts in their diet can reflect shifts in the availability of different prey species.

(3) Seabirds can integrate information on environmental pollution.

Seabirds as indicatorsThe manual focuses on describing the interaction between seabirds and different fishing gears, and suggests solutions to minimize negative impacts.

These adaptations or practices, drawn from international experiences, are illustrations of what be done to minimize bycatch without negatively affecting the fishery. Adaptations are to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

It also provides guidelines to handle and rescue caught birds. Finally, it brings experiences from fishermen involved in applying these solutions beyond the Mediterranean region.

A collaborative approach is nee-ded to solve the issue of seabird bycatch and should be a com-mon goal of fishermen, conser-vationists, scientists and admi-nistrations. No one wants either seabirds caught or fishing gear damaged unnecessarily. Photos: J.M. Arcos

Balearic Shearwater

Is the most endangered Mediterra-nean Seabird, and could disappear in 60 years if the current threats prevail. Fisheries bycatch has been shown as its main threat, while this is also a problem for fishermen, as bycatch may cause damage to the gear and lose of fishing opportunities.

Criticallyendangered

The Mediterranean is an enclosed sea with relatively low productivity and high biodiversity, that includes a high proportion of species exclusive to the region (endemic). There are several seabird species, of which more than 15 breed in the region. These usually have small population sizes linked to the relatively low productivity of the basin.

Mediterranean seabirds:Oceans and mankind: the need to find a balance between use and abuse

Interactions between seabirds and fis-heries are multiple, complex, and often confused by environmental perturbations. Seabird bycatch consist on the unintentio-nal capture of birds by fishing vessels, and is regarded as one of the major problems to many seabird populations nowadays, while it is also unwanted by the fishermen.

The contents of the course includes several «boxes» with examples that help understanding the different

concepts discussed.