EMODnet MedSea CheckPoint Challenge 5 (Fisheries Management) Report

The targeted products were divided in two main tasks, based on the Challenge 5 Objectives: TASK 1) fishery datasets of fish landings, discard and by-catch (ETP species) for assessing the quality, extracting the synergies and identifying the gaps in the fishery data collection systems in the Mediterranean Sea; TASK 2) maps showing the extent of the trawling fishing grounds in order to identify the areas that have been most disturbed by bottom trawling and the changes in the level of disturbance over the past 10 years. The aim was to identify the gaps in fishing vessels’ tracking systems operating in the Mediterranean Sea and to evaluate the impact of trawling on the seabed. For the first task, the landing, discard and by-catch data were compiled using information gathered from the DCR/DCF, FAO-FishStat and ICCAT databases. For the second task, the impact of trawling on the seabed was estimated using data recorded by the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), the Automatic Identification System (AIS) and the ESIF system developed within the EU project “Energy Saving in Fisheries”, financed under the framework of the open call for Tenders Fish/2006/17-LOT3. In particular, the ESIF system data were included both as an example of an alternative monitoring system and to validate the VMS and AIS data. Biota-biology and seabed layers (seabed habitats and substrate) were considered to evaluate the impact on sensitive habitats.