COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES

Brussels, 16.8.2002 SEC(2002) 888

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING PAPER

SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC COMMITTEE FOR FISHERIES

REPORT OF THE ad hoc WORKING GROUP ON EVALUATION OF RECOVERY PLANS OF ANDALUCIA AND SICILY

Brussels, 23-24 May 2002

This report has been approved by STECF through a fast-track procedure by correspondence TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION...... 3

2 RECOVERY PLAN FOR THE BLACKSPOT SEABREAM (PAGELLUS BOGARAVEO) LONGLINE FISHERY FROM ANDALUSIA (SPAIN)...... 4

2.1 DISTRIBUTION AND BIOLOGY ...... 4

2.2 RECOVERY PLAN ...... 5

2.3 TARGET SPECIES AND FISHERY ...... 5

2.4 STATUS OF THE GIBRALTAR STRAIT STOCK...... 6

2.5 ECONOMIC RELEVANCE ...... 6

2.6 COMMENTS ...... 6

2.7 CONCLUSIONS...... 8

2.8 STECF OPINION ...... 9 3 RECOVERY PLAN FOR THE SWORDFISH (XIPHIAS GLADIUS) LONGLINE FISHERY IN SICILY (ITALY)...... 10

3.1 FISHERY CONCERNED ...... 10

3.2 RECOVERY PLAN ...... 11

3.3 TARGET SPECIES ...... 11

3.4 STATUS OF THE STOCKS...... 12

3.5 ECONOMIC RELEVANCE...... 12

3.6 COMMENTS ...... 13

3.7 CONCLUSIONS...... 15

3.8 STECF OPINION ...... 16 4 RECOVERY PLAN FOR THE SHRIMPS TRAWL FISHERY AND TEMPORARY FISHING BAN IN SICILY (ITALY) ...... 17

4.1 FISHERIES CONCERNED ...... 17 4.1.1 Recovery plan for shrimps trawl fishing fleet over 18 m overall length...... 17 4.1.2 Temporary fishing ban. Fishing fleet smaller than 24 m overall length...... 18

4.2 RECOVERY PLAN AND TEMPORARY FISHING BAN PROPOSALS ...... 19 4.2.1 Recovery plan for shrimps trawl fishing fleet over 18 m overall length...... 19 4.2.1.1 Target species...... 20 4.2.1.2 Status of the stocks...... 21 4.2.1.3 Economic Data...... 21 4.2.2 Temporary fishing ban. Fishing fleet smaller than 24 m overall length...... 21

4.3 COMMENTS ...... 22 4.3.1 Recovery plan for shrimps trawl fishing...... 22 4.3.2 Temporary fishing ban. Fishing fleet smaller than 24 m overall length...... 23

4.4 STECF OPINION...... 24

2 1 INTRODUCTION Regulation (EC) No. 2792/99 lays down the detailed rules and arrangements regarding Community structural assistance in the fisheries sector. In line with provision defined in Article 16.1(c) of the above Regulation, the Commission requested the opinion of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) on scientific and economic justification for probable recovery plans submitted by Andalusia (Spain) and Sicily (Italy). The above recovery plans, due to late submission and lack of time, were not evaluated during the STECF plenary session of 22-26 April 2002. Therefore, STECF decided to adopt the fast-track procedure, agreed upon at its 12th meeting (SEC(2001)1581), to evaluate proposals for recovery plans outside the plenary session meeting. An ad hoc Working Group(WG) was specifically set up and convened in Brussels on 23rd and 24th May, 2002. The WG also worked by correspondence prior and, to finalise the report, after the meeting. The WG was composed of the following experts:

STECF members Invited experts Mr Giandomenico Ardizzone Mr Henri Farrugio (chairman) Mr Juan Antonio Caminas Mr Antonio Di Natale STECF Secretariat Mr Ramon Franquesa Mr Franco Biagi Mr Georges Tserpes Ms Deborah Attard-Montalto

The terms of reference for the meeting were surveyed and briefly discussed to arrange the details of the meeting.

The three proposed recovery plans were: 1. Andalucian bottom longline fishery targeting blackspot seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo) in Gibraltar Strait 2. Sicilian swordfish long-line fishery -fleet over 18m overall length. 3. Sicilian shrimp fishery. Trawling Fleet of over 18m in length.

In addition, the ad hoc Working Group was also asked to evaluate a fourth proposal dealing with a temporary ban of 45 days for fishing vessels smaller than 18m overall length in Sicily1. The proposal has been submitted under provision of Art. 12 (6) of Regulation 2792/99. There was no obligation to submit it for scrutiny by STECF. However, due to its close relationship with the other recovery plan proposals submitted by the Sicilian Regional Administration, particularly the one dealing with shrimps fisheries, the Commission required both a scientific and technical opinion on whether the proposal was likely to achieve an effective protection of aquatic living resources and whether it was congruent with the other plans presented under Art. 16 (c) of the same Regulation.

1 - Programma per l’arresto temporaneo relativo alla flotta non superiore a 24 metri di lunghezza fuori tutto (Università degli Studi di Salerno - Istituto Ricerche Economiche per la Pesca e l’Acquacoltura -IREPA). - Decreto 10 agsto 2001 N° 1482 -Bozza di decreto D.A. N22/Pesca del 29 marzo 2002 : disciplina dell’interruzione tecnica delle attività di pesca a decorrere dall’anno 2002 in poi.

3 At the beginning of the meeting the Commission recalled the criteria that should guide the experts and particularly the following: - diagnosis upon which the recovery plan is based: status of the resources and evolution of main fishery indexes; - prognosis and expected results (benchmarks, appropriateness of the methodology to evaluate the achievements, etc.) - short and long term socio-economic effects -congruence of the plan with the targets (e.g. timeframe, appropriateness of management measures with conservation objectives, likely effectiveness of proposed measures, etc.) as well as with ongoing fishing practices and already enforced management measures -completeness of the plan: conservation, market, control, monitoring and research

The Commission also underlined that both the recovery plans under Art. 16(c) and the protection plans under socio-economic measures (Art. 12) should be based on genuine conservation needs and not be used as an excuse to subsidise the fishing fleet, with the consequent high risk of eliminating the expected conservation results, as well as to delay other urgent conservation management measures.

2 RECOVERY PLAN FOR THE BLACKSPOT SEABREAM (PAGELLUS BOGARAVEO) LONGLINE FISHERY FROM ANDALUSIA (SPAIN) The STECF ad hoc WG examined and reviewed the documents provided by the Commission, concerning the Recovery Plan for Andalusia (Spain) 2 . The reports provided to STECF contain several biological, economic analysis and administrative documents from various origins. The first legislative proposal of recovery plan is dated September 1999 and until now 3 recovery plans ought to have been implemented for the years 1999, 2000 and 2001. However, STECF is not clear whether and how recovery plans have been actually implemented so far.

2.1 DISTRIBUTION AND BIOLOGY The blackspot seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo) is widely spread along the Eastern Atlantic Area. There is evidence that this fish is present in the Western European and African shores and in the Mediterranean Sea. This fish lives from the Norwegian coast (65º north) to the Canary Islands (27º north) and can even be found in White Cape (21º north). Its distribution in longitude is between 30º west, to the west of Azores, and 22º east, in the Mediterranean Greek coast.

2 1) Plan de pesca para la ordenación de la flota andaluza que opera con el arte voracera en la zona del Estrecho de Gibraltar (Junta de Andalucía); 2) ‘Estudio de la pesquería del voraz (Pagellus bogaraveo) en aguas del estrecho de Gibraltar fisheries in the Strait of Gibraltar (Instituto Español de Oceanografia -IEO); 3) Análisis económicos de la pesquería de voraz desarrollada por la flota de Tarifa (Universidad de Huelva y Consejería de Agricultura y Pesca de la Junta de Andalucía ); 4) Aproximación a la dinámica del stock de voraz explotado por la flota de Tarifa (Universidad de Huelva y Consejería de Agricultura y Pesca de la Junta de Andalucía’; 5) Summary of the final report on “The study on the red sea bream (Pagellus Bogaraveo) fisheries in the strait of Gibraltar (IEO); 6) Measuring the fishing capacity and standardazing the fishing effort in the red bream fishery located in the Strait of Gibraltar (Universidad de Huelva).

4 The vital cycle of the blackspot seabream in the Strait of Gibraltar can be summarized as follows: in the first years of life the specimens remain at a depth of less than 200m, in the surrounding waters of the Strait itself. The South-Mediterranean Spanish area is a very important place for the reproduction of this species. The juvenile specimens gradually join the area of the Strait of Gibraltar, namely the eastern fishing grounds. Most of those specimens are males, and they mature at three or four years old. Then, a great part of the population goes through a sexual inversion and become female. The latter mature at the age of four or six when they reach an average size of 35 centimetres. The females colonise the fishing grounds that are located more to the west. Spawning takes place mainly during Winter (from January to March). In conclusion, juveniles tagged in the southern Mediterranean region moved to the Strait of Gibraltar. This suggest a link between Spanish south Atlantic and Mediterranean blackspot seabream populations.

2.2 RECOVERY PLAN

In 1998, a specific Spanish fishing plan only permitted the deep water bottom longlines fleets, locally named “voracera”, to be used to catch blackspot seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo) in the area between Punta Camarinal and Punta Europa (5º 7’ 950 W- 5º 20’700 W), and for no more than 5 days per week. A provisional list of 148 authorized fishing vessels was provided. Other technical measures were also identified, including a maximum overall length of 120m of each voracera, a maximum number of 100 hooks per “voracera”, a maximum number of 30 “voracera” per boat, a single net rule, a minimum landing size of 25 cm and specific dimension of hooks. Furthermore, no more than 3 hydraulic systems per boat to shooting the voracera were authorised. In September 1999 a Recovery Plan was adopted for the voracera fleet, composed of the 148 vessels, listed in 1998, that were based in the ports of Andalusia (South of Spain) and fished Pagellus bogaraveo (locally named “voraz”) in the Strait of Gibraltar. The area of the recovery plan overlaps with that of the fishing plan (that is Punta Camarinal and Punta Europa, 5º 7’ 950 W- 5º 20’700 W). However, some fishing grounds are located outside these boundaries. The plan was envisaged to last a maximum of 2 years (i.e. 1999 and 2000), plus a possible additional one (2001). The measures thereby identified were: a maximum number of 160 fishing days per boat for the 1999, a maximum of 5 working days per week and, however, never on a Sunday. Furthermore, a two-months fishing ban was established for March and September 1999, whilst the ban was centred in February and March for the probable following years. The minimum landing size of 25 cm was enforced, and landings and sale of “voraz” were allowed only in the two ports of Tarifa and Algeciras. In the year 2000 the census of the fleet was updated with 157 boats in the final list. The other technical measures were as those identified in the 1998 fishing plan. In November 2000 the recovery plan was prolonged to the year 2001. The financial compensation of the fishing vessels is foreseen in accordance with Council Regulation No 2468/98.

2.3 TARGET SPECIES AND FISHERY The blackspot seabream (P. bogaraveo) is the target species of the “voracera”. Several other species are caught, depending on the period of the year, as by-catches

5 including Brama brama, Lepidorhombus sp., Epinephelus sp. as well as Thunnus thynnus and Xiphias gladius. Most of the fleet is concentrated in two Spanish ports, Tarifa and Algeciras. However, a small part of the “voracera” fleet is also based in other ports of the Spanish coast as well as in Ceuta, on the north African coast. Furthermore, it seems that an unknown number of artisanal Moroccan boats are also exploiting this resource but their production is not available to the working group. It is known that the species, including an important number of juveniles, is also exploited by bottom trawl, other fixed gears and recreational fisheries mainly in the surrounding area of the Recovery Plan.

2.4 STATUS OF THE GIBRALTAR STRAIT STOCK. Both total catches and catch per unit effort(CPUE) show sharp decreasing trends since the second half of the nineties. Total annual catches have changed from more than 870 MT in 1994 to an average of 270 MT recorded in the latest 3 years. Stock assessment using both global production models and Virtual Population Analysis (VPA) show continuous decreasing trends in stock biomass and spawning stock biomass since 1992 as well as a continuous increase of the fishing intensity. According to the literature, other stocks of this species have gone , in the seventies, under similar overfishing situations in other fishing areas like the Cantabrian Sea, the Bay of Biscay and the Saharian Bank. The current status of the stocks in ICES Divisions VI, VII and VIII is near to collapse. Part of actual conservation problems might be in relation to the strong increase of effort related to various reasons: high prices of product, new fishing technologies which allow more hauls per day, increase in number of boats dedicated to this fishery etc. The sustainable level of effort, at the current level of technology, is not yet clear.

2.5 ECONOMIC RELEVANCE This activity has certainly a high economic importance for the fishery in the region. Landings in the port of Tarifa reached a total of 2.4 M € in 1999. Concerning employment, the available data shows an increasing number of fishermen, carrying out this fishery, from 1986 (185) to 1999 (356) in the port of Tarifa.

2.6 COMMENTS The recovery plan lacks clearly stated objectives and a timeframe to pursue them. This fact, together with the lack of reporting of the probable results so far detected, impede the WG to check whether the expected results (presumably increase of SSB and abundance, inversion of CPUE trend at sea, increase of average landing size, reduction of effective fishing effort etc.) have been obtained. STECF ad hoc WG believes that, if the recovery plan was actually implemented, possible information from the commission expressly set up within the Recovery Plan to monitor the development of the plan itself, would have been very useful to evaluate the preliminary conservation results of the plan itself and to check whether the plan has been effective so far. However, the decreasing trend of catches and CPUE, recorded also in the years 1999 and 2000, elicits some doubts on the effectiveness of the plan. The small increase of CPUE in 2001 has been explained by an underestimation of nominal fishing effort instead of by an increment of abundance at sea.

6 In fact, the study evaluates fishing effort as number of days of sales.This does not reflect very well the effective fishing effort but only underestimes it. Furthermore, the quality of the effort data series has worsened in the latest years. Therefore, the reduction in the nominal fishing effort of the latest years seems more an effect of a poor sampling than a real reduction. In fact, it is clear that the effort has constantly increased along time also due to the increase in number of hauls per day, as a consequence of the technical improvements of the fleet . The fleet census was updated by a Spanish Resolution (BOE nº 183, 1 August, 2000). This latter census shows a higher number of boats (n°157) than the census mentioned in the Resolution adopting the Recovery Plan in 1999 (n° 148) (BOJA nº 112, 25 September 1999). Taking into account the previous paragraphs, the number of hooks by “voracera” boat and the daily number of hauls per boat as well as the effective fishing days should have better reflected the real effort and improved the quality of the assessments. The maximum level of 160 fishing days per boat chosen for the year 1999, and supposedly enforced also in 2000 and 2001, correspond to the average of fishing days per year registered in the major port during the last 16 years prior to 1999. Indeed, the fishing days per year are diminished in the years of the recovery plan, perhaps as a consequence of the two-months seasonal ban. However, the average fishing days per month have remained quite stable. In 1997, when the voracera fleet was on average composed of 115 boats, a maximum of about 10400 fishing days was registered. In principle, the ceiling value of 160 fishing days per boat, despite the 2 months closed season, together with the average number of vessels, that has increased in the meantime, could have also determined an increase of the overall nominal fishing effort, expressed in days at sea. All this without considering the increase of fishing power due to technological creep of the fleet. Furthermore, the WG believes that the maximum overall number of hooks authorized per fishing days, that is 3000 (30 voracera*100 hooks), is quite high in a situation where a recovery plan is necessary. In principle, assuming 140 out of 160 fishing days per boat per year and, furthermore, that only 2-3% of the available hooks be effective and that the average weight of caught specimen be 0.500 kg, we can expect a total catch ranging between 700 and 1000 t.. This guesstimate is about 3-4 times the average landings of the voracera fleet in the last three years. Therefore, although the reduction in fishing days may presume a reduction in fishing effort, the WG believes that the fishing mortality, that is the parameter we want to control through the fishing effort, has rarely decreased. To improve the knowledge of the real fishing effort as well as of the biological parameters of the stock an adequate scientific monitoring programme should have been implemented, including on-board observers. The Recovery Plan has been enforced partly in Atlantic waters, where current minimum legal size for blackspot seabream is 25 cm, and partly in Mediterranean waters, where minimum legal size is 12 cm. The minimum legal size of 25 cm is less than Lm25, that is the size at which 25 % of the individuals are mature, (L25 = 27,18 cm for males and 33.02 cm for females). Due to the proterandric hermaphroditism of the species, females start to reproduce when over 33 cm in size. In the Gibraltar Strait the first maturity of the male occurs when the fish are between 3 and 4 years old. First maturity of the females occurs when they are between 4 and 6 years old. As regard juveniles of the species, the Instituto Español de Ocenografia(IEO) tagging programme in the eastern and western parts of the Gibraltar Strait has shown that

7 important nursery areas are also exploited by other than bottom longlines fisheries, including bottom trawlers and fixed gears. These aspects should have been taken properly into account when the recovery plan was planned. In fact, their lack could have strongly reduced the effectiveness of the plan. The IEO tagging programme also provided information concerning the entry, into the “voracera” recovery plan area, of juveniles from external zones. The economic analysis is based on the data of Tarifa port which fleet represent more than 50 % of the total number of boats. The trends of CPUE show a steep decreasing slope as in the biomass estimated through stock assessment methods. VPA analysis shows that during the period 1985-1992 the spawning stock biomass was relatively stable for the then fleet ranging from 50 to 85 boats. The ad hoc WG notes that the monitoring commission does not include any scientific component.

2.7 CONCLUSIONS The STECF ad hoc WG considers that the main aim of a recovery plan is to recover a depleted stock outside safe biological conditions. As regard the blackspot seabream stock of the Gibraltar region, the available information shows a clear overexploitation and a very low level of the spawning stock biomass. Inspite of the recovery plan, the ad hoc working group believes that under the current level of effort and exploitation pattern there is a high risk of no recovery of the stock. A recovery plan has to take into account the fact that the blackspot seabream is a long-living and slow-growing hermaphroditic species, and that the species, although target of a specialised sector of the fleet, has an economic importance for the overall Andalusian fishing sector. Therefore the recovery plan should be focussed to reach real safe biological conditions. The lack of appropriate management measures has led other stocks of the same species close to collapse situations. The ad hoc working group recognize the need of a recovery plan for the blackspot seabream in the Gibraltar area. However the ad hoc working group believes that the current structure and components of the Recovery Plan need to be improved, to achieve the pursued objectives, by taking into account the following considerations: S The real effort seems to be much higher than expressed in the documents, so there is a high probability that the stock is in worse conditions than the analysis reveals. S An effective minimum legal size, to permit the recovery of the stock, should have been set at least at the female minimum size of maturity, that is about 33 cm. The hook size should have been determined accordingly. S Considering the distribution of the stock, the (revised?) Recovery Plan should be extended to include all the surrounding areas where the stock is distributed, and should include all the fisheries, either professional or recreational, affecting the blackspot seabream Gibraltar stock. S The Recovery Plan should have considered the last updated fleet census available and should have had as a target a less amount of overall fishing days reached in 1997 before the steep decrease of the overall catches. S The objective of the Recovery Plan should have been to come back to the equilibrium situation of the period 1985-1992. That means that at the end of the Plan the fishing effort should have been considerably lower than the current one and in line with the fleet dimension of the late eighties.

8 S Considering the age at first maturity of male and female the Recovery Plan should be enforced for not less than 5 years to be effective and to allow for any possible amelioration in the status of the stock and fishery to be detected. S The economic support to the Plan needs to:  stimulate economic and social incentives to obtain social support to the temporary two-month tie-up  introduce new measures to reduce the effort to the sustainable level S The actual proposal did not introduce clear objectives and incentives for reduction of the structural effort. Some kind of clarification of these objectives, as complementary action would be more preferable. S A scientific monitoring programme (biological and socio-economic) should be included as part of the Recovery Plan.

2.8 STECF OPINION There are clear indications that the stock is under high risk of collapse and that the stock can no longer sustain a profitable fishery. The WG believes that a realistic and effective recovery plan was and is still needed. However, the WG is not in a position to evaluate thoroughly whether the recovery plan, implemented from 1999 to 2001, has given any positive results. To this end, it would have been advisable to make available also the findings and results of the monitoring commission set up expressly to monitor the plan. However, considering both the current number of fishing vessels and the permitted activity level of 160 fishing days, as well as the fact that other fisheries exploiting nursery areas were not included in the plan, the WG think that, most likely, the two- month fishing ban did not deliver a real reduction in fishing effort and fishing mortality nor an improvement in the state of the stock. Since, the recovery plan should have been already undertaken, the WG suggests the EU Commission may wish to give a positive approval of the recovery plan so far enforced only under the following conditions: - the recovery plan, irrespective of the lack of funding possibilities for further years under Art. 16(c) of FIFG, should continue for at least another 3 - 4 years, since most probably it has not been implemented in 2001. Or otherwise, if it has been implemented in 2001, for another 2 - 3 years; - the state of the stock and fisheries targeting this species should be monitored for at least another 2 years after the end of the recovery plan. It would be advisable that the monitoring be carried out also by a specialised research Institute. A sampling scheme with observer on board should be implemented; - reporting of the conservation and economic/commercial results obtained so far, after three years implementation of the recovery plan, and in the forthcoming years; - the hook size should be increased, for the forthcoming years, in order to increase minimum landing size (MLS) and set the Lc to the size of first maturity of females; - in line with European Commission orientation to set up both a TAC and fishing effort regime for the management of deep sea resources, including blackspot seabream, also in area IX, an appropriate catch limitation for the Voracera fleets should be set up at a level not higher than the average catches of the most recent years, that summed up to about 270 MT. This catch

9 restriction should be applied to all voracera fleets irrespective of whether they are based in the Atlantic and Mediterranean side of Andalusia; - identified nursery areas should be closed to the trawl fishery; - the seasonal ban should be extended to also include January; - the actual proposal did not introduce clear objectives and incentives for reduction of the structural effort. Some kind of clarification of these objectives, as complementary action would be more preferable; - the number of authorised fishing vessels should be restricted, by the end of the recovery plan, to no more than 50-85 vessels, having as a reference the dimension of the fleet in the years 1985-1992. A stepwise approach on a yearly basis is suggested; - the authorized overall number of hooks per day seems incongruent with the need to reduce the fishing effort and thus the fishing mortality. The overall number of hooks per boat should be drastically reduced in the continuation of the recovery plan. In the current situation of number of authorised vessels and maximum of 160 fishing days, and if the data of overall catches provided into the report are reliable, the WG thinks that no more than 800-1000 hooks per boat could be deployed; - depending on the results so far obtained, after three years enforcement of the recovery plan, further reduction of maximum allowable fishing days should be considered; - recreational fisheries need to be included in the recovery plan, monitored and limited in their catches or, even better, closed.

3 RECOVERY PLAN FOR THE SWORDFISH (XIPHIAS GLADIUS) LONGLINE FISHERY IN SICILY (ITALY). The STECF ad hoc Working Group examined and reviewed the documents provided by the Commission, concerning the Recovery Plan for the Swordfish in Sicily (Italy), for the fleet segment over 18 m overall length (OAL) 3. The report provided to STECF ad hoc Working Group, prepared by IREPA and attached to the draft Regulation of the Sicilian Regional Government, contains scientific information from various origins and covers particularly the last three years. The report highlights an overall decrease in yields for the long-line swordfish fishery in Sicily.

3.1 FISHERY CONCERNED According to the scientific report the Recovery Plan is proposed only for fishing vessels over 18 m overall length, based in the Mediterranean ports in Sicily (Italy), that prevalently undertake the surface longlines. In fact, the fishing vessels over 18 m overall length that are authorized to fish with surface longliners amount to 227 vessels with a total of 13475 GRT. However, half these vessels also have the fishing licence for bottom trawl, while 93 vessels (5353 GRT) do not have the fishing licence for bottom trawl.

3 - Piano per il recupero della risorsa Pesce spada. Segmento di flotta: flotta palangriera superiore a 18 metri di lunghezza fuori tutto. (Università degli Studi di Salerno - Istituto Ricerche Economiche per la Pesca e l’Acquacoltura -IREPA). - Bozza di decreto presidenziale per il piano di recupero del pesce spada (17.05.2002).

10 3.2 RECOVERY PLAN The Recovery Plan proposed by the Sicilian Regional Government for the swordfish has the objective to increase the biomass of the stock, particularly by protecting the juveniles when they are more vulnerable. The Recovery Plan is proposed only for the Sicilian (Italy) surface longliners over 18 m overall length and which are not also authorized for the bottom trawl fishery. The plan consists of a compulsory fishing ban that should last for 60 consecutive days starting from 1st October. The plan will be carried out for a maximum period of 2 years, and possibly extended by a further year, within the limit period up to 2006. In this period (i.e. October-November) of the year, there is an important recruitment of juvenile swordfish and bluefin tuna. Furthermore, the data provided to STECF ad hoc Working Group shows that there is no important surface long-line activity in Sicily between December and February, with some occasional and sporadic activity in January in only one year. This fishing pattern could implicitly extend the benefits of a recovery plan ban in October and November to a much longer period. The benefit expected on swordfish should be reasonably extended to all the other large pelagic species included in the Sicilian surface long-line catches, like bluefin tuna and albacore. Due to the peculiarities of the fishery, all the surface long-line activity, independently from the target species, are included into the recovery plan. A research Institute will be responsible for the monitoring of the plan, that will last a further year after the end of the plan itself. The research Institute will report every six months and it will also carry out a comparative study on hook selectivity to identify possible additional technical measures. The scientific report attached to the draft proposal of the recovery plan foresees that a scientific monitoring of the most important concentration areas for juveniles is to be carried out every year by the research Institute in charge. An observer-sampling scheme is also envisaged. The purpose would be to identify the areas where the ICCAT resolution adopted in 2001 should be possibly enforced. (Resolution by ICCAT for Evaluating Alternatives to Reduce Catches of Juveniles or Dead Discard of Swordfish). Along this line, the report also foresees the perspective to ask the Italian Directorate General for Fishery for a time-area closure including the most important areas for juvenile swordfish, valid for all the surface long-liners independently from the register location, with the purpose to avoid that vessels coming from other areas negatively affect the expected results. However, both tasks and actions are not explicitly taken into consideration in the draft proposal of the Sicilian legislative act. Financial compensation for both fishing vessels and fishermen is foreseen according to Council Regulation No 3699/93 and Regional law N° 6 of 03/05/2001 respectively. The draft of the Sicilian legislative act reports 93 vessels4 and an assumption of 550 fishermen. The annual financial compensation amounts to 6,163,444 €, of which 4,800,000 € for the fleet and 1,363,444 € for the fishermen.

3.3 TARGET SPECIES The main target species for the large majority of the fleet is the swordfish (Xiphias gladius), but for a minor part of the fleet the target species are both the albacore (Thunnus alalunga) and the bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus). All these large pelagic species are widely distributed in all the Mediterranean Sea. Sharks, small tuna species

4 source: fishing licences archive of MiPAF (June 2001)

11 and other pelagic species are caught as a by-catch. Marine turtles, marine mammals and others species are also incidentally captured.

3.4 STATUS OF THE STOCKS The Sicilian Regional Government presents the results included in the final report of the EC 98/0034 project, concerning the first attempt to assess the Mediterranean swordfish stock, based on Sicilian and Greek data. According to this study, the swordfish stock has an almost stable biomass. However, it is characterised by a low average length, close to the former minimum landing size of 120 cm LJFL. No specific stock assessment on the Mediterranean swordfish has been carried out so far by ICCAT. Past genetic studies suggest that all Mediterranean swordfish individuals compose a unique stock, which is separated from the Atlantic ones. Data provided about the CPUE (kg per 1000 hooks) for the swordfish long-line in some of the most important Sicilian harbours show a decrease in recent years. (-6.1% in Mazara del Vallo between 1992 and 2000; -18.3% in Lipari between 1985 and 1999). According to the report, in the most recent period (1998-2000) the CPUE data show a more important decrease: -21.5% in Mazara del Vallo; -43.7% in Marsala, while in Lipari the long-line fishery was not carried out in 2000, due to the very low yields. A parallel decrease of the total fishing days is reported: -64.4% in Mazara del Vallo between 1994-2000 (188 days vs 67 days), and –43.5% in Lipari between 1994- 1999 (23 days vs 13 days). Other data are also provided about the CPUE obtained by all the surface long-lines (target on swordfish, albacore and bluefin tuna) in the period 1998-2000: in this case the decrease is –27.2% in Mazara del Vallo, - 44.1% in Marsala, while the fishery was not carried out in Lipari in the year 2000. However, although the reduction of total fishing days, the total swordfish mortality (Z) in the Sicilian long-line fishery increased from 0.68 in 1991 to 1.06 in 1999. The swordfish is widely distributed in the Mediterranean Sea, with higher concentration of juveniles in the Balearic area, in the Southern part of Italy (including Sicily) and in the north-eastern Mediterranean. In Italy a minimum landing size of 120 cm LJFL is still enforced for swordfish. The average length of the swordfish caught by the Sicilian long-liners is usually well below the minimum landing size. The monthly size frequency of the catches shows a highest percentage of juveniles in autumn. The bluefin tuna stock assessment is usually carried out by ICCAT but, due to the high incertitude of the most recent data, the latest results are those for 1998. The VPA shows a decreasing trend and the bluefin tuna stock is managed by a quota regime. No stock assessment is available for the albacore in the Mediterranean.

3.5 ECONOMIC RELEVANCE The swordfish fishery is one of the most important activities from an economic point of view, due to the high value of the product and to the increasing market request. Notwithstanding this activity definitely has a high economic importance for the fishery in that Region no economic data and analysis are provided by the documents. The total number of surface long-line fishermen included in the Recovery Plan is 550. However a high, but undefined, number of vessels less than 18 m in length which also practice swordfish fishery is not included in the Recovery Plan.

12 Actually the fleet of vessels smaller than 18 m overall length amount to 3356 boats and account for 17003 GRT. However, this information needs to be checked because it is incongruent with the data reported in the main part of the text (3467 boats for 23805 GRT). This latter fleet segment is composed of vessels authorised to use several fishing gears including longlines; however it is not possible to distinguish between bottom and surface longlines. No information on the relative fishing effort exerted by the swordfish fleet over 18 m is provided by the report.

3.6 COMMENTS The report provided to STECF ad hoc Working Group, on the Recovery Plan for the Swordfish surface long-line fishery in Sicily (fleet segment over 18 m OAL), gives a short description of the Sicilian long-line activity specifically targeting swordfish or catching swordfish as a co-target species (in the albacore and the bluefin tuna long- line fisheries). However, the objectives of the plan, timeframe and expected results are not duly presented. Actually, the expected results are presented as supposition instead of through a more formal analysis. The document doesn’t provide any preliminary rough information on the possible fishing areas where juveniles concentrate. Considering the protection of juveniles as the main objective of the recovery plan, this information is fundamental to guarantee the Plan’s effectiveness. According to the ICCAT data bank, the Sicilian swordfish fishery is one of the most significant in the Mediterranean, accounting for about 70% of the Italian catches, which represent between 30% and 60% of the total Mediterranean swordfish catches, depending on the year considered. As stated by the ICCAT workshop on the juvenile swordfish in the Mediterranean in 2001 the protection of the juveniles represents one of the most important issues for the conservation of the stock, together with the correct management of the fishing effort, that should be strictly controlled. According to the data provided, it is quite clear that it is important to reduce the catches of juvenile swordfish and that the Sicilian long-line fleet has a very significant portion of the catches below the minimum landing size of 120 cm LJFL. These catches are due to the high number of recruits in autumn, but also to the swordfish by- catch in the albacore long-line fishery. A reduction of these catches might benefit the stock due to the relevance of the Sicilian long-line fleet in the Mediterranean context. Thanks to the current good knowledge of the general situation the WG notes that the swordfish long-line fishery is also carried out by a large number of Sicilian vessels smaller than 18 m OAL. Nothing is reported about this fleet segment in the recovery plan proposed by the Sicilian Regional Government. This segment of the fleet, mostly provided with multi-gear licences, is quite relevant in number of vessels and in some years it exceeds more than 1000 vessels. Consequently, due to the less specificity of the fleet smaller than 18 m OAL, the STECF ad hoc Working Group supposes that these vessels might possibly switch their effort to other resources, in case of a general ban of the surface long-line fishery in the two months required by the recovery plan. The STECF ad hoc Working Group notes that the proposed recovery plan would certainly affect the albacore fishery and this fact is taken into proper account. The current pattern of the surface longline Sicilian fishery, that reduces its activity in the winter period, mostly due to bad whether conditions, will most probably enhance the expected conservation benefit that would be obtained in October and

13 November.The possibility of a compulsory closure, in October and November, of the surface long-line fishery in all the Sicilian waters, to also cover all surface long-line vessels from outside Sicily, as reported by the scientific report upon which the recovery plan is based, would be an important point to be achieved. However, this commitment is not explicitly mentioned in the draft proposal of Sicilian legislation. According to the most recent biological knowledge of the Mediterranean swordfish, the size at first maturity (L50) is around 110 cm LJFL, as an average between a smaller size for the males and a larger size for the females. The scientific conservation reasons upon which the recovery plan is scheduled on a 2+1 year basis, are not stated in the plan. In fact, from a conservation approach, due to the great importance of the resource and its long life span, the possibility to let juvenilesreach the age of at least three years is considered the minimum requirement. Therefore, the proposed recovery plan seems too short to allow and to detect possible amelioration in the status of the stock and fishery. Doubts on the rationale upon which the duration of the plan is based are also raised because the envisaged time period mirrors that foreseen in the FIFG Regulation (2792/1998) as the maximum period allowed to grant financial compensation. The choice of the duration of the plan seems more related to the minimum requirement to grant compensation. A recovery plan should probably be enforced for more than three years to be effective, and accompanied by the necessary monitoring to assess the results. However, due to several uncertainties, including environmental factors, the WG believes that a reasonable time for a recovery plan of a long-living species should be enforced for at least 5 years. The study does not show the likely results after the enforcement of the Recovery Plan and furthermore the WG is not clear through which methodology the possible expected results will be evaluated. A simulation approach included in the proposal would have certainly helped the WG to better evaluate the Recovery Plan. The scientific evidence available to the STECF ad hoc Working Group about the current compliance with the regulation (CE 1626/94) about the maximum allowed length for the surface long-line (60 km and not 70 km as reported in the Sicilian Recovery Plan) is low, due to the fact that much longer long-lines (around 100 km and even more) are used by some vessels. This fact needs to be better considered by the Plan. A much stricter control of compliance with the current regulation could certainly help to effectively reduce the fishing effort on the swordfish. The Recovery Plan must elaborate on the compliance with the regulation. In the recovery plan there are no measures aiming to prohibit landing and selling of Sicilian swordfish during the swordfish longlines fishing ban. To this end, enforcement of labelling regulation should be adequately assured. Moreover, while control represents an important element for the success of a recovery plan, is not clearly underlined. This aspect is indispensible, particularly in an area where there are several landing sites and the level of compliance is usually quite low. Further attention is to be given to the international framework in which this plan is to be considered. The swordfish (as well as the other species that might benefit from the Sicilian recovery plan) is a common-shared resource in the Mediterranean, subject to the management by the ICCAT, the GFCM and the States which practice this fishery in the Mediterranean (i.e. not only the coastal States). To reach a more valid result and to create a full benefit for the stock, it is essential that similar recovery plans be adopted for all the fleets concerned, as requested by ICCAT resolutions and by GFCM. Till

14 2001, only the Greek regulation included a surface long-line ban from October to January, enforced since the 1980s. The STECF ad hoc Working Group recommends that this problem be seriously taken into account by the European Commission, and then proposed and discussed in the proper fora. Monitoring of the fishing activity after the adoption of the Recovery Plan is correctly included in the proposal. The monitoring of the expected results, due to several sources of uncertainties and also to the seasonal feature of the fishery, should be carried out for at least two years by the end of the recovery plan, instead of only one year as foreseen by the recovery plan.

3.7 CONCLUSIONS According to the report submitted to the STECF ad hoc Working Group for the evaluation of the Sicilian Recovery Plan for the Swordfish, it is shown that the situation of the stock of Xiphias gladius, as it is also pointed out in all scientific fora, is quite problematic in all the Mediterranean areas where swordfish fisheries have been carried out for several years. The recovery plan proposed by the Sicilian Regional Government for a limitation of the surface long-line fishery is in line with the most recent resolution by ICCAT. However, a favourable opinion is subject to a more general compulsory fishing ban for this fishery, to be extended to all the fleet, irrespective of the length of the vessels and the gears used to capture the swordfish. STECF thinks that the enforcement of a seasonal ban only in Sicily, as it stands now, will most likely not deliver a significant reduction in fishing effort nor an improvement in the state of the stock. The above statement does not necessarily imply that the financial implications of the Recovery Plan need to be extended to all the Sicilian surface longline fleet, because the smaller vessels are supposed to be quite able to carry out other fishing activities, besides the long-line fishery. To enhance the possibility to be biologically effective and to allow the assessment of results, the Recovery Plan should be enforced for a period longer than three years, preferably five years. The monitoring should continue for a further two years after the end of the plan. Enforcement of closed areas should be an objective of the plan so as to be in line with the ICCAT resolution. A simulation approach, to be included in a possible revised proposal, might certainly help the WG to better prior evaluate the Recovery Plan and to properly assess expected benefits. The economic support to the Plan should: S stimulate economic and social incentives to obtain social support to the temporary limitations and ensure the collaboration of the industry; S introduce new measures to reduce the effort at the sustainable level The present proposal does not introduce clear objectives and incentives for reduction of the structural effort. Some definition of these objectives as complementary action is recommendable. A reduction of the fishing effort of the long-line fleet in the Sicilian area, as well as in the rest of the Mediterranean area, would benefit the fishery resources. The STECF ad hoc Working Group suggests the Commission may wish to encourage the adoption of similar recovery plans for all the other EU fleets concerned.

15 3.8 STECF OPINION The scientific report upon which the recovery plan is based lacks thoroughly economic, fishery and stock assessment analyses. Actually the report cites quite briefly some information available in the literature and does not give an account either of the overall swordfish catches or the economic value of the catches by fleet category. It is therefore not possible to evaluate the relative importance of the catches taken by the surface longline fleet segment over 18m. The plan is mainly based on suppositions and does not allow a quantitative evaluation of the expected results. Furthermore, scientific information reported in the annexes is not thoroughly commented upon and linked to the main body of the report. Nevertheless, although the report does not provide enough scientific details that the stock is under high risk of collapse and that it cannot sustain a profitable fishery any longer, the STECF WG acknowledges that the status of swordfish stock need conservation measures. Therefore, although the scientific diagnosis provided does not scientifically highlight the urgency of a recovery plan, the WG believes that a realistic and effective recovery plan might be useful to improve the exploitation pattern, the poor state of the stock as well as the economic performance of the interested fleet. The WG understands that this proposal, particularly its limitation to the segment over 18 m, has to be read in conjunction with the other draft proposal on temporary fishing ban, presented by the Sicilian Region under Article 12 (6) of Council Regulation 2792/1998. This refers to fishing vessels smaller than 18 m overall length5. In other words the recovery plan is not self-sufficient, as it stands now, and its conservation results also depend on whether the latter proposal will enter into force or whether additional conservation measures will be adopted. The WG believes that the proposal of recovery plan, as it stands now, cannot achieve realistic conservation results. The WG suggests the Commission may wish to give a positive approval of the recovery plan proposal under the following conditions: - objectives and timeframe of the plan should be more thoroughly presented. A simulation analysis, or at least a more formal scientific analysis, with expected conservation results under different scenarios, be included in a revised proposal of the recovery plan; - the fishing ban be extended to all fishing vessels authorized to use surface longline, irrespective of vessel dimension and target species. To this end, this specialised fishery needs to be regulated by issuing a annual special fishing permit (Council Regulation 1627/94) to all vessels which want to undertake surface longline fishery. A detailed comprehensive list of authorised fishing vessels needs to be included into the framework of the recovery plan; - the census of the fishing fleet and fishermen should be updated to 2002, furthermore the factual error on the dimension of the fleet smaller than 18 m should be corrected in the report; - the Recovery Plan should be enforced for a period longer than three years, five years preferably, and the monitoring should last a further two years following the end of the plan; the financial support to the Plan may also need to assure the introduction of further measures to reduce the fishing effort and

5 - Programma per l’arresto temporaneo relativo alla flotta non superiore a 24 metri di lunghezza fuori tutto (Università degli Studi di Salerno - Istituto Ricerche Economiche per la Pesca e l’Acquacoltura -IREPA). - Decreto 10 agsto 2001 N° 1482 - Bozza di decreto D.A. N22/Pesca del 29 marzo 2002 : disciplina dell’interruzione tecnica delle attività di pesca a decorrere dall’anno 2002 in poi.

16 to improve the exploitation pattern at the sustainable level (shorter longlines, etc..); - identification of clear objectives and complementary actions to reduce the structural effort; - identification of both an adequate control legal framework and market measures to ensure, also after the temporary ban, compliance with the current legislation (MLS, overall length of longline less than 60 Km), including, among others, both the designation of ports where swordfish can be landed; - the current information on swordfish nursery areas is not yet well defined. Furthermore, it might change every year. However, a legal commitment to enforce, after the first year of the recovery plan, closed areas of adequate dimension according to the findings of the monitoring and observer programme should be included in the recovery plan legislation; - as suggested in the scientific report annexed to the recovery plan, a legal framework, in coordination with Italian national Authorities, needs to be established before the recovery plan starts, so as to avoid that other Italian surface longlines fishing vessels could fish in the identified closed areas.

4 RECOVERY PLAN FOR THE SHRIMPS TRAWL FISHERY AND TEMPORARY FISHING BAN IN SICILY (ITALY)

4.1 FISHERIES CONCERNED The STECF ad hoc WG examined and reviewed both the documents concerning the Recovery Plan for the Sicilian shrimp trawl fishery6 and the proposal dealing with a temporary ban, to be implemented on a yearly basis, for the fishing fleet smaller than 24 m7 overall length. The former proposal is presented by the Sicilian Regional Government under Article 16 (c), of the Council Regulation No 2792/1999, which refers to the implementation of recovery plans. The latter proposal concerning fishing vessels, authorized also for trawl fishing, smaller than 24 m overall length. It is presented under Article 12 (6) of EC Regulation No 2792/1999, which refers to socio-economic measures linked to temporary fishing ban implemented within a framework of a protection plan.

4.1.1 Recovery plan for shrimps trawl fishing fleet over 18 m overall length The scientific report, annexed to the proposal of shrimps recovery plan, mentions that the Sicilian bottom trawl boats over 18 m in length, that undertake prevalently shrimps fishery, ‘suffer a reduction of the shrimp resources’.

6 - Piano per il recupero della risorsa gambero. Segmento di flotta: flotta strascicante superiore a 18 metri di lunghezza fuori tutto. (Università degli Studi di Salerno - Istituto Ricerche Economiche per la Pesca e l’Acquacoltura -IREPA). - Bozza di decreto presidenziale della Regione Sicilia per il piano di recupero della risorsa gambero (17.05.2002) 7 - Programma per l’arresto temporaneo relativo alla flotta non superiore a 24 metri di lunghezza fuori tutto (Università degli Studi di Salerno - Istituto Ricerche Economiche per la Pesca e l’Acquacoltura -IREPA). - Decreto 10 agosto 2001 N° 1482 - Bozza di decreto D.A. N22/Pesca del 29 marzo 2002 : disciplina dell’interruzione tecnica delle attività di pesca a decorrere dall’anno 2002 in poi.

17 The proposed Recovery Plan involves all the 423 Sicilian bottom trawlers over 18 m in length registered in the Sicilian maritime Departments fleet registers as of June 2001. The 423 boats, out of a fishing fleet of 3890(?), account for 37256 GRT, and represent, according to the report, "the most important productive segment in the Italian fisheries". Most of these boats are concentrated in the maritime Department of Mazara del Vallo and Porto Empedocle. Some vessels pertaining to this segment only have the bottom trawl fishing licence while others have the authorisation also for other fishing gears. This fleet segment has been reduced by more than 20% in number (from 536 to 423 vessels), in the last six years (1996-2001), resulting in a total fleet capacity reduction of about 12 % in GRT and 8 % in kW. However, notwithstanding this reduction, the likely expected increase in abundance did not occur because the overall production decreased by about 10% from 1998 to 2000. In the same period the fleet decrease of about 12.2% (from 531 to 466 vessels). Whilst, in the same period, an increase of fishing days per boat has been recorded. In fact, fishing vessels bigger than 18 m OAL have operated, on average, for 194 fishing days. From 1998 to 2000, a reduction of about 13.4% (or 4.5% depending on whether Tab.2 or Tab. 4 data sets are reliable in the report) in the overall CPUE (kg/day) per boat, that is considering not only the shrimps but all the species captured is reported. Albeit the numerous species captured by bottom trawlers only three shrimp species have been considered in the plan (Parapaeneus longirostris, Aristeus antennatus and Aristaeomorpha foliacea.) because of their importance in commercial value. These species are however shared stock in the Strait of Sicily. Furthermore, there are several fishing vessels, based in Adriatic ports, which are authorised to undertake a fishing season to catch shrimps in areas south of Sicily. The scientific report has some incongruities, between the CPUE reported in Tab.2 and those in Tab.4. There are also differences/discrepancies between the overall number of 3356 fishing vessels smaller than 18 m, as reported in Tab.1 and the information of 3467 reported in the main body text. This fact determines a dimension of Sicilian fishing, ranging from 3890 to 4001 vessels in 2001. Furthermore, the amount of 3467 vessels smaller than 18 mt coincide with the total number of 3467 smaller than 24 m, as reported in the proposals of temporary ban for socio-economic reasons. The WG is not clear on how to explain such differences.

4.1.2 Temporary fishing ban. Fishing fleet smaller than 24 m overall length The plan, according to the scientific report, regards all fishing vessels, smaller than 24 m overall length. Inspite of this the current draft Decree refers only to fishing vessels smaller than 18 m overall length which also have, in their fishing license, the authorization to use the bottom trawl gear. The scientific report points out the heterogeneity of these fishing vessels in terms of fishing practices undertaken. Furthermore, several of them are multipurpose vessels, that is the same vessels can use different gears along the years. The report states, without providing detailed economic and biological analyses, that this fleet segment is in an unhealthy situation due both to a serious impoverishment of fish resources and to a poor economic performance. The current poor state of marine resources cannot assure the optimal economic sustainability.

18 Fishing vessels smaller than 24 m overall length have operated an average of 161 days in 2000. Notwithstanding an increase of average price per unit of weight, this fleet segment has recorded a 14% and 7% decrease in catches and revenues respectively in comparison to 1998. The assumption of the proposal is that the temporary fishing ban alone will be sufficient to protect the fishing resources and improve the context of poor conditions at sea. However, no information is given on which species are expected to benefit from the temporary ban. The reported number of Sicilian fishing vessels, as at the year 2000, is 4329 that account for 68000 t. This fleet is, in number of vessels, about 11 % bigger than the one of 2001 as stated in the reports for the recovery plans for shrimps and swordfish. A total of 256 vessels out of 4329, including 220 bottom trawlers, are bigger than 24 m overall length. The number of 606 vessels, smaller than 24 m overall length, out of 4073, are bottom trawlers of which 203 are bigger than 18 m, 346 are between 12 and 18 metres and 57 are smaller than 12 m. About 2986 out of 3043 vessels smaller than 12 m, are not authorised for bottom trawling.

4.2 RECOVERY PLAN AND TEMPORARY FISHING BAN PROPOSALS

4.2.1 Recovery plan for shrimps trawl fishing fleet over 18 m overall length The recovery plan, as described in the scientific report, should start in 2002 and last 2 years. The main target species of the recovery plan is the deep-sea rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris). The plan regards all the 423 Sicilian bottom trawlers over 18 m in length and about 2,960 fishermen. The requested temporal ban of trawling fishery, for this segment of fleet, is mainly aiming to improve the recruitment of P. longirostris for which nursery areas are known. The scientific report identifies four major tasks to be achieved through the plan: 1. Knowledge and control of fishing effort targeting shrimps; 2. Reduction of the fishing effort; 3. Research of new fishing grounds and control of predators; 4. Technical measures of trawl nets.

The objective of the first point is the compilation of a list of trawlers, both Sicilian and of other Italian areas, mainly carrying out shrimps fishery around Sicily. A research Institute should monitor both the logbook and possibly the real activity of those vessels included in the list. Blue box will be used for vessels longer than 24 m. To be included in the above list, fishing vessels should be committed to provide data and allow logbook inspection. Both second and third tasks aim to reduce the fishing effort by enforcing two successive monthly temporary ban for bottom trawlers longer than 18m. A first ban of 30 days, in March, during which the boats will be tied up in the harbours. This month has been chosen to better protect the recruits of the pink shrimp. The plan foresees the establishment of possible closed areas for two months to avoid that fishing vessels of other Italian regions could come and fish for shrimps

19 where and when Sicilians are not allowed to do so. This temporary closed areas should be set up in coordination with the national Italian Administration. Then, a second period of 30 days of temporary trawl ban should be enforced in April. During this second period the bottom trawlers will not tie up in the harbours and they will be allowed to go to sea and towing the old trawl gear to remove obstacles from fishing grounds currently not suitable for bottom trawling. According to the statement included in the scientific report, although without any scientific justification, there are plenty of “predators” in this area which diminish the amount of shrimps trawl fishery target species. The fishermen want to eliminate ‘a large amount of predators’ which the fishermen state are currently protected in these areas. In fact, the same fishing grounds are also not exploitable by trawlers because of hard obstacles left by the FAD fishery. Supposed effects of the obstacle-removing task should be twofold: 1) to make workable new fishing grounds with supposed consequent reduction of the fishing effort on the currently fishing grounds in the near future 2) immediate reduction of fishing effort during the month of April because trawl vessels are not supposed to carry out fishing operations. The vessel monitoring system(VMS) and logbooks would ensure control of the bottom trawlers. The fourth task foresees a gradual adoption of bigger codend mesh sizes in the trawl, 36 mm from 1.5.2002 and 40 mm as from 1.5.2003. The annual financial compensation amount to 15,215,357 €, of which 8,215,357 € for the fleet and 7,400,000 € for the fishermen. However, the draft decree of the Sicily Government does not explicitly match most of the above points as foreseen in the scientific report. In particular, there is no mention of temporary closed areas, of augmentation of codend mesh size, of commitment for fishermen to provide data and allow logbook inspections, as well as of measures, coordinated at national levels, to impede the fishing activities to bottom trawlers of other areas etc…

4.2.1.1 Target species The report presents some biological information on the selected shrimps species. A. antennatus is found below 400 m in depth and is fished down to 700-800 m. It has a large reproductive period from Spring to Autumn. First maturity length (50%) is for the female 32-38 mm CL. Male maturity is slightly smaller. Maximum length is 65-70 mm CL for female and 40 mm for male. No significant genetic difference has been proved to demonstrate the existence of different populations. Different opinions exist on the life cycle of this species varying from 5 to 10 years. No information is known on nursery areas for this species. A. foliacea is found below 400 m in depth and is fished down to 700-800 m. The reproductive period is between May and September. The female reaches first maturity (50%) at 34 mm CL while the male is mature at 29 mm. The female reaches a maximum length of 65-70 mm CL and the male at 45-50 mm. The life cycle for the species is 6-7 years. The mortality estimates (M and F) have a high variability among different areas and years, not directly linkable with the fishing effort variation. There is no known information known on nursery areas for this species. P. longirostris in the presented document is reported to be found between 100 and 700, but it is well known that it is mainly found between 100 and 300 m in depth and below this its presence is only occasional. This aspect is quite relevant because the fishing ground of the deepsea rose shrimp are located in different areas contrary to the red shrimp grounds.

20 The first maturity is reached in the first year of life at 22-24 mm CL for female and smaller for male. The reproductive period is in Autumn and Winter and after a pelagic phase, juveniles reach nurseries located between 100 and 200 m in depth. A direct correlation between depth and size is known for this shrimp. Maximum observed length for females is 44 mm CL and 34 mm for males. The life cycle for the species is 3-4 years . The mortality estimates (M and F) show an high level of variability.

4.2.1.2 Status of the stocks Scientific information on the status of shrimps stocks is insufficiently presented in the report, albeit the long list of scientific papers listed in the bibliography section. Therefore the WG is not able to evaluate the correctness of the diagnosis upon which the recovery plan is based. However, the report provides catch rates that show different trends for the three species in the various seas around Sicily. In particular, A. antennatus shows a very low abundance indices in the Strait of Sicily if compared to the southern Tyrrhenian and Ionian sea. And there is evidence of decreasing catch rate only in the Ionian Sea. The abundance indexes of A. foliacea present a rising trend in the southern Tyrrhenian, a decreasing trend in the Strait of Sicily and a low abundance in the Ionian sea. Abundance indexes of P. longirostris have a similar trend with a decrease both in the Strait of Sicily and in the Ionian sea. In conclusion, these data suggest a high variability of the yield experimental catch rates in most areas and a decreasing trend for A. foliacea and P. longirostris both in the Strait of Sicily and the Ionian Sea.

4.2.1.3 Economic Data The report provides overall daily revenue data per boat of the trawling fleet segment over 18-m length. Nevertheless, neither shrimp yields nor economic data are reported to show the relative importance of the three shrimps species in comparison to the total catch.

4.2.2 Temporary fishing ban. Fishing fleet smaller than 24 m overall length The temporary ban has two objectives: C preserve the resources allowing their replenishment C support economically the fishing sector The draft Decree proposal foresees, starting from 2002, a recurring implementation of a temporary total fishing ban that will last 45 days of which 30 consecutive days per boat in the period from 1 August to 31 October. Then, a further 15 days to be fractioned for no more than 5 days per month in the period between May and November. During the temporary ban period, both routine and exceptional maintenance of the vessel is authorized. The plan, as defined in the scientific report, regards all fishing vessels, smaller than 24 m overall length. Furthermore, the ban is obligatory for vessels smaller than 12 m whilst is non-compulsory for vessels between 12 and 18 m overall length. Notwithstanding the scientific report, the current draft Decree which however endorses the whole scientific report, refers only to the fishing vessels smaller than 18 m overall length which have in their fishing license also the authorization to use the bottom trawl gear (N° of vessels 403). Furthermore the ban is compulsory.

21 However, the draft Decree includes a clause that allows, between 1 and 31 March of each year, modifications of the current text. The possibility for modifications is not envisaged and presented neither in the report nor in the draft decree.

4.3 COMMENTS

4.3.1 Recovery plan for shrimps trawl fishing The scientific report upon which the recovery plan is based lacks thorough economic, fishery and stock assessment analyses. In fact the report cites quite summarily some information available in the literature and does not give an account either of the overall catches of the three shrimps species or the economic value of the catches. It is not possible to evaluate the relative importance of the shrimps catches against the overall catch. The plan is mainly based on suppositions and does not allow a quantitative evaluation of the expected results. Furthermore, scientific information reported in the annexes is not thoroughly commented upon and not linked to the main body of the report. It is quite clear, although not sufficiently explained in the report, that the three shrimps species are caught within a multispecies fisheries and that the Sicilian fleet, over 18 m, does not target only those species all year round. This is due, either both because more species can be caught in the same hauls or because the same fishing vessels can exploit different depths in the same fishing trip. However, it is also known that there are specialised fishing vessels targeting deep sea red shrimps that undertake two weeks fishing trips. However, the number of these fishing vessels does not coincide with the whole fleet of vessels bigger than 18 m. The WG notes the lack of information on Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) that is one of the main target species among crustaceans. More than thirty fish species, regularly fished on the same fishing grounds, are likewise important target species and cannot be considered only as auxiliary species (“contribuiscono al risultato economico della pesca”, pag. 31). Therefore, the WG thinks that it would be advisable either to limit the recovey plan to those vessels only targeting deep sea shrimps or to conceive a more integrated and revised proposal of the recovery plan which also includes the other main species of the bottom trawl fishery. It is a fact that several other species exploited by the same fleet segment are overexploited. The WG thinks that, since the goal of the recovery plan is the protection of recruitment, at least for P. longirostris, one of the first steps should be an immediate enforcement of the current legal mesh size of 40 mm. To this end, the WG considers that its postponement, as indicated in the report, is not in line with the necessity of a recovery plan. In particular, scientific studies carried out in the said same area have proved that a mesh size of 56 mm in bottom trawl fishery to be an optimal exploitation gear for deep sea shrimps. However, the application of 40 mm mesh size in a multispecies fisheries often exploiting small size fishes or juveniles, not necessarily concerned by minimum landing size, might produce reduction of capture, at least enough to give the main populations time to reach the size corresponding to a greater mean mesh size. A temporary ban of the fishery linked to the application of the legal mesh size can help the main fish species reach a longer length structure of the stocks avoiding the reduction in the total amount of capture by trawlers. This could be applied in different periods of the year in the various main recruitment areas. Firstly for the fast growing

22 species (pink shrimp, red mullet, cephalopods) but also for species important from the economic point of view, such as hake and common pandora whose nurseries are well known. The proposed fishing ban does not seem to be of great significance for the two species of Aristeidae. Furthermore, being that the selected shrimps species are of mid to long-term life-span, the WG is sceptical that the enforcement of only the proposed fishing ban will allow a realistic improvement of the status of the stocks, as well as of the economic performance of the fleet. The second temporary ban of 30 days is a way to improve the accessibility of fishery to new fishing grounds, instead of a measure for the recovery of stocks. The WG thinks that the presence of untrawlable areas is a positive factor that, so far, has impeded an even more rapid and dramatic collapse of some Mediterranean resources exploited with small mesh size fisheries. In fact these “refugium” areas could be important areas of protection for reproduction and recruitment of several species. The lack of data on shrimps’ relative economic importance, particularly of the deep sea rose shrimp which is supposed to benefit from the trawl ban, as well as the lack of yield and economic expected results, does not allow for the evaluation of the congruity of financial compensation against the supposedly expected results. Clearly, the fact that the Sicilian Government also put forward a proposal, although under Article 12(6) of the EC Reg. 2792/1999 which refers to socio-economic measures, for a temporary fishing ban of boats smaller than 24 meters, demonstrates that there is a more general problem for bottom trawling and other fisheries in Sicily. In actual fact, the joint action of both proposals will affect the whole bottom trawl fleet in Sicily but in different periods of the year. Therefore, a more integrated analysis of the resources exploited by the whole trawl fisheries in Sicily, should improve the proposed plan in order to achieve more important and lasting improvements of the overall status of the main resources . The mismatch between the draft decree of the Sicilian Government and the actions foreseen in the scientific report should be eliminated. In particular, the draft legislation should take into consideration also the setting-up of temporary closed areas, the possible further augmentation of codend mesh size and the enforcement and compliance with current legal mesh size of 40 mm, as well as measures, coordinated at national level, to impede the fishing activities to bottom trawlers of other areas etc… Furthermore STECF thinks that actions to be taken to monitor the “recovery plan” should be more thoroughly detailed and duly reported also in the draft Decree. Some discrepancies of the dimension of the Sicilian fishing fleet have been detected in the different scientific reports, the STEFC WG recommends that the same year, preferably 2001 or 2002, be used to provide statistics on the dimension of Sicilian fishing fleet and number of fishermen. The relative number of bottom trawlers which are bigger than 24 m, 18 m and 12 m should also be included. Vessels that carry out shrimps fishery on a more continuous way shouyld be more clearly identified. It is also recommended to provide a trend of the fleet dimension and capacity, by the chosen segments and fishery, of the latest 3-5 years.

4.3.2 Temporary fishing ban. Fishing fleet smaller than 24 m overall length The WG thinks that the scientific basis upon which the recurrent temporary ban is based are not clearly explicated. The few data reported refers to an heterogeneous

23 fleet segment. That is, all vessels smaller than 24 m, irrespective of the fishery actually carried out. Thus, they are not suitable to give a real picture of the different fisheries. In particular, it is not clear which is the current nominal fishing effort of bottom trawlers smaller than 18 m and of 24 m, and therefore it is not possible to evaluate the relative importance of the 45 days of temporal ban. In fact, the average number of 161 fishing days does not refer to trawl fishery only but it is an average of vessels carrying out different fisheries. Information should be provided by fleet segments carrying out different fisheries. To be effective and solve specific problems a temporary fishing closure needs to address particular species or group of species. Actually, due both to the heterogeneity of fisheries carried out by different vessels included in this segment and the variety of species, it might be advisable to have different closure periods for different fisheries along the year. Furthermore, several important species for bottom trawl fishery do not spawn in the selected period as otherwise indicated in the proposal. From the draft Decree it is not clear whether these fishing vessels, which should be authorised also for trawl fishery, will be tied up in the harbours or whether they could continue fishing with a gear other than bottom trawl. The WG thinks that the possibility of carrying out routine and extraordinary maintenance of the vessels, as well as the renewal of the safety control permits, during the temporary ban, will limit the possible expected reduction of nominal fishing effort. In fact, days spent to accomplish maintenance and bureaucratic duties are already normally discounted from the nominal annual fishing effort. The given expected results are too general and therefore difficult to evaluate. A more clear and formalised definition of expected results is needed. The WG thinks that alone the seasonal closure will hardly give, at the current level of fishing effort and exploitation pattern exerted by Sicilian trawl fleet, conservation results in the absence of other congruent management measures ( e.g. mesh size, etc.) Furthermore, different portions of trawl fleet, although they practice mainly the same multispecies fishery, will stop their fishing activities in different periods of the year, in particular 423 trawlers, longer than 18 m, might stop in March, while 606 trawlers, smaller than 18 m, could stop in groups for 30 days, between August and October, both months included. Therefore trawl fishing activities, although reduced in number of fishing vessels, will never completely stop along the year. Moreover, the WG thinks that the possibility that the Decree could be modified, by allowing, in the near future, non compulsory adhesion to the temporary ban for fishing vessels bigger than 12 m, makes the temporary ban even weaker. The WG understands that there might be the possibility of a discriminatory financial compensation. In fact, in case both the recovery plan and the protection plan (temporary fishing ban) are approved vessels smaller than 18 m will receive a financial compensation only for the fishermen (socio-economic measures), while trawl vessels bigger than 18m might benefit of a financial compensation for both the fishermen and the boat (recovery plan).

4.4 STECF OPINION The scientific reports annexed to both proposals do not give enough scientific details and trends to support the request for neither a recovery plan nor a temporary ban. The documents are mainly based on statements and assumptions that are difficult to evaluate. However, although the scientific diagnosis provided does not scientifically highlight the urgency of a recovery plan, the STECF Working Group recognizes the importance of improving the status of the resources exploited by the Sicilian trawl

24 fleet. In fact, it is well known that the current exploitation pattern is not adequate for sustainable fisheries. The WG believes that realistic and effective management measures, possibly also including recovery plans, are needed to improve the exploitation pattern, the poor state of several stocks, as well as the economic performance of the interested fleets. The WG understands that the shrimps recovery plan proposal, particularly its limitation to the segment over 18 m, has to be read in conjunction with the draft proposal on temporary fishing ban, presented by Sicily Region under Article 12 (6) of Council Regulation 2792/1998, which refers to fishing vessels smaller than 18 m overall length8. In other words the shrimps recovery plan is not self-sufficient and its conservation results also depend on whether the latter proposal will enter into force and vice-versa. However, STECF notes that the two proposals of fishing ban include two different periods of the year, thus demersal trawl fishing is never completely stopped. The WG believes that the proposal for recovery plan, as it stands now, cannot achieve realistic conservation results for shrimps fisheries. Furthermore, the WG is of the opinion that the proposal of “cleaning” bottom fishing grounds will hardly provide conservation results. On the contrary, it is in contradiction with the “refugium” hypothesis. Moreover, considering that trawl fishing will never completely stop throughout the year and that the overall period of recurrent trawl ban needs to deduct both the days of bad weather as well as days committed to vessel maintenance and bureaucratic duties, the WG envisages a possible limited reduction in fishing mortality due to the limited reduction in fishing effort. The WG doubts that the possible limited reduction of fishing mortality could counteract negative effects of current long-term overexploitation. The WG suggests the Commission may wish to give a positive approval either of the recovery plan and/or temporary ban proposals under the following conditions: - a more thoroughly biological analysis of the status of the most important species exploited by trawl fisheries. This study should provide a more clear diagnosis of the main species as well as their relative importance within different fisheries. Technical interactions should be taken into consideration. Objectives and timeframe of the plan should be more thoroughly presented and justified. A simulation analysis of the expected results from a biological and economic point of view, be included in a revised proposal of the recovery plan; - conservation and fishery management objectives should be more extensively and clearly outlined; - a more accurate economic analysis showing the relative importance of the species in over-fishing condition in relation to the total fisheries. Trends of economic performance by fleet segment should be provided; - the same year, preferably 2001 or 2002, be used to provide statistics on the dimension of Sicilian fishing fleet and number of fishermen by fleet segment. It is also recommended to provide a trend of the fleet dimension and capacity,

8 - Programma per l’arresto temporaneo relativo alla flotta non superiore a 24 metri di lunghezza fuori tutto (Università degli Studi di Salerno - Istituto Ricerche Economiche per la Pesca e l’Acquacoltura -IREPA). - Decreto 10 agsto 2001 N° 1482 - Bozza di decreto D.A. N22/Pesca del 29 marzo 2002 : disciplina dell’interruzione tecnica delle attività di pesca a decorrere dall’anno 2002 in poi.

25 by the selected segments, of the latest 5-10 years. Furthermore the factual error on the dimension of the fleet smaller than 18 m should be corrected in the report; - both proposals of recovery plan and recurrent temporary fishing ban could need to be part of a more comprehensive and integrated management plan of Sicilian trawl fisheries aiming to improve the conservation status of several species. Enforcement of adequate technical measures need to be clearly planned. For example, an immediate enforcement of the 40 mm codend mesh size (Council Regulation EC No 2550/2000) is recommended. - a more articulated plan for temporary fishing ban, divided by fleet segments and different periods of the year, and focused on a real benefit of important species (mainly recruitment) in relation both to their abundance and to to their economic importance in the fisheries. The fishing ban be extended, for the same period, to all fishing vessels authorized to use bottom trawl, irrespective of vessel dimension and target species. A detailed comprehensive list of authorised fishing vessels needs to be included within the framework of the recovery plan; - actions aiming to clean sea bottom from obstacles should not be counted as temporary cessation of fishing activities; - if the aim is to recover only deep sea shrimps resources ( e.g. red shrimp and blue and red shrimp), mainly targeted by certain specialized vessels, either based in Sicily or in other Italian ports, a more focussed approach on control and reduction of fishing effort needs to be conceived. Such an approach could also foresee the listing of vessels authorized to carry shrimps fishery, irrespective of port of base and vessels’ length, as well as the issuing of special fishing permits (Regulation 1627/94). Furthermore, according to the most recent scientific advice, consideration should also be given to possible further enlargement of the mesh size of specialised Sicilian shrimps trawlers (e.g. 56 mm); - considerations should also be given to limit fishing activities to 5 working days per week in the months not included in the recurrent fishing ban. Eventually, this permanent limitation of the fishing effort will help avoid a tremendous foreseeable increase of fishing effort, just after the end of the temporary ban, to catch possible increment of abundance at sea; - the shrimps recovery plan should be enforced for a period longer than three years, five years preferably, and the monitoring should last a further two years following the plan ends; - considerations should also be provided on clear objectives and complementary actions to reduce the structural effort by fleet segment/fishery; - identification of both an adequate control legal framework ( special fishing permits, authorized landing port, logbook etc.) and market measures to assure, also after the temporary ban, compliance with the current legislation (minimum landing size, 40 mm codend mesh size, etc. ); - a legal commitment to enforce, for the main species, closed areas of adequate dimension according to the current information should be included in the shrimp recovery plan legislation; - a clause should be included in the draft legislation which obliges fishing vessels to provide data and allow logbook inspection. - Whereby only the recurrent temporary fishing ban (article 12(6) of FIFG) for vessels smaller than 24 m overall length were accepted by the Commission,

26 the WG thinks that the seasonal closure alone will hardly give conservation results. Especially in the absence of other congruent management measures ( e.g. enforcement of legal mesh size of 40 mm, shorter working week, etc.) at the current level of fishing effort and exploitation pattern exerted by the Sicilian trawl fleet. Furthermore, the current Sicilian Govern Decree of 29 March 2002 includes only trawl vessels smaller than 18 m.

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