OFFSHORE AND BIG-GAME FISHERIES IN THE MEDITERRANEAN - Management issues for sport and recreational fisheries

OFFSHORE AND BIG-GAME
    FISHERIES IN THE
   MEDITERRANEAN

  Management issues for sport and
      recreational fisheries
                    by
             Antonio Di Natale

A sea where the marine
biodiversity is huge. Coasts where
       fishing is a culture.

The Western Mediterranean: a
large area, with many people and
    towns. Here the offshore
 recreational fishery is a reality.

RECREATIONAL ANGLING:
             AN UNKNOWN WORLD - 1

ŽAccording to the available and incomplete
 information, the major concentration of sport
 and recreational anglers is in Italy, followed
 by Spain and France, while no data are
 available for Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro,
 Albania, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Lebanon,
 Syria, Israel, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria,
 Morocco, Malta and Monaco.
ŽThe total number of sport and recreational
 anglers might reach about 3,000,000.
ŽThe total numbers of boats and vessels
 concerned might be over 200,000.

RECREATIONAL ANGLING:
           THE MEDITERRANEAN - 2
ŽThe total economic relevance of this fishery
 is suspected to be very high, certainly higher
 per single unit (kg or specimen) than the
 commercial fishery.
ŽThe business includes the specific leisure
 vessels, fuel additional consumption,
 equipment, bait and even black sales
ŽA significant portion of this business is not
 officially reported and is often included in
 the “black market”.

RECREATIONAL ANGLING:
 THE MEDITERRANEAN - 3
      ŽThis segment of the fishery is
       quite obscure and includes
       many métiers: tournaments,
       fishing for large pelagic
       species (big game), trolling,
       those occasionally fishing from
       leisure vessels, while also the
       “non-professional” fishermen
       are included.
      ŽThis fishery segment is also
       “used” by illegal fishermen
       (non-professional) engaged in
       small scale fisheries.

RECREATIONAL ANGLING:
        THE MEDITERRANEAN - 4
ŽNo data are available on the total catch, nor
 officially or unofficially, while partial data might
 be present for some species and areas. The only
 partial recent information is available from
 SFITUM, a EC funded project and from the pilot
 studies carried out by a few EC countries within
 the Reg. CE 1543/2000 framework (data
 collection)..
ŽThe licence is requested only in Spain or for
 official federation tournaments. No licence is
 required in France or Italy, while no information
 is available for other countries.
ŽThe only common rule is the prohibition to sell the
 fish, but controls are very weak.

OFFSHORE AND BIG GAME FISHERY:
    THE MEDITERRANEAN - 5
ŽThe list of species taken in this fishery is
 quite large.
ŽThis activity is growing in many places,
 creating a big economical interest.
ŽTournaments are growing in number.
ŽIt is necessary to regulate the system in
 an homogenous way, valid for all the
 Mediterranean Countries.

The Tuna Case

Ž

Every sport fisherman claims about the
commercial fishery by purse seines….

…the illegal fishing, the tuna caging
and the huge pressure by the Japanese
    market and even the new ones

Yes, it is true, the situation of the tuna
 commercial fishery is creating troubles to
            the tuna resource….
ŽThe bluefin tuna quota established by ICCAT for
 the Eastern stock (including Atlantic and
 Mediterranean) is now 26000 t.
ŽDeclared catches by States (including three
 countries objecting the quota) was about 32500 t.
ŽThe real estimated catch is maybe over 50000 t.
     60 000 Mediterranean
     50 000 East Atlantic
              West Atlantic
     40 000
     30 000
     20 000
     10 000
        0
        1950    1960   1970   1980   1990   2000

…but many recreational
fishermen are within this game!
ŽMost of the bluefin tuna catches in number of
 specimen are due to the “recreational” fishery,
 which often includes non -professional
 fishermen, a diplomatic word that covers the
 illegal fishermen (IUU)

ŽA very large majority of the bluefin tuna
 recreational catches are illegally sold on the
 market.

…and the game is often
       dirty!
ŽThe largest portion of the catches
 obtained by this segment is
 related to undersize bluefin tuna.
ŽCatch size for juveniles range
 from 200 gr to 10 kg, with the
 bulk of the catch between 600 gr
 to 2,2 kg.
ŽIt is strongly suspected that the
 total number of juvenile
 specimens caught every year
 should be very relevant and not
 so far, in number, from the true
 commercial catches.

The most transparent game is
       the real big-game!

ŽTrue sport anglers and recreational fishermen
 in tournaments usually follows the rules:
 juvenile tuna catches are released, large tunas
 are declared and reported (sometimes with a
 certain proud!), the money coming from the
 fishes is often used to cover the organisation
 costs or for charity.
ŽThis sector again has an increasing economic
 importance.

The regulatory system is complex:

ŽThe European Commission (EC) has a regulatory
 role only for the Member States of the European
 Union.

ŽThe General Fishery Commission for the
 Mediterranean (GFCM) has a regulatory role for
 all the coastal States in the Mediterranean and
 the Black Sea and for other Countries fishing in
 these seas.

The regulatory system is complex:

ŽThe International Commission for the
 Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) has a
 regulatory role for all the Member Countries
 fishing for tuna and tuna-like species in the
 Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and the
 Black Sea.
ŽThe National, Regional and Local Authorities
 have the role to enforce the international rules
 and to eventually adopt stricter local rules when
 necessary.

The regulatory system is now
beginning to pay attention to the
 recreational and sport fisheries
ŽThe EU had already started to collect
 information about these fisheries within the
 framework of the Data Collection Programme
 (EC Reg. 1543/2000), as well as the ICCAT.
ŽThe EU, the ICCAT and the GFCM are planning
 to better regulate the recreational and sport
 fisheries in a short time.
ŽThe International and National Federations and
 Associations should be conscious and become
 active in this system.

The system must be improved!
ŽIt is important to have a more transparent fishery
 segment.
ŽNew and common rules must be adopted
 (possibly by the GFCM) and enforced.
ŽThe most problematic gears should be prohibited
 in the recreational fishery (e.g.: longlines)
ŽThe control must be much more efficient.
ŽThe true recreational fishery must be well defined
 and enhanced.
ŽThe illegal fishery must be confined and fixed.

As a matter of fact, a fishery
   segment with lights and
 shadows, certainly having a
    social and economical
relevance, but still needing a
lot of adjustments and some
          basic rules.