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DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES POLICY DEPARTMENT B: STRUCTURAL AND COHESION POLICIES

FISHERIES

FISHERIES IN

NOTE

This document was requested by the European Parliament's Committee on Fisheries.

AUTHOR

Irina POPESCU Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies European Parliament B-1047 Brussels E-mail: [email protected]

LINGUISTIC VERSIONS

Original: EN Translations: BG, DE, EL, ES, FR, IT, PT.

ABOUT THE EDITOR

To contact the Policy Department or to subscribe to its monthly newsletter please write to: [email protected]

Manuscript completed in February 2010. Brussels, © European Parliament, 2010.

This document is available on the Internet at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/studies

DISCLAIMER

The opinions expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament.

Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are authorized, provided the source is acknowledged and the publisher is given prior notice and sent a copy.

DIRECTORATE GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES POLICY DEPARTMENT B: STRUCTURAL AND COHESION POLICIES

FISHERIES

FISHERIES IN SICILY

NOTE

Abstract

This note was requested by the Committee on Fisheries for its Delegation to Sicily (29-31/03/2010). The note provides a review of the main characteristics of the Sicilian fisheries sector, with a focus on issues such as the legal and institutional framework, resource management, catches, the fishing fleet, fishing industry, external trade, employment, aquaculture and marine research.

IP/B/PECH/NT/2010-02 February 2010

PE 431.596 EN

Fisheries in Sicily

CONTENTS

Contents 3

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 4

LIST OF TABLES 5

LIST OF FIGURES 5

LIST OF MAPS 6

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7

1. INTRODUCTION 9

2. LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK 13 2.1. Law 13 2.2. Institutions 13

3. FISHERIES RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 15 3.1. EU level 15 3.2. National level 16 3.3. Regional level 16 3.4. Marine Protected Areas 17

4. CATCHES 19

5. FISHING FLEET 23

6. FISHING INDUSTRY, EXTERNAL TRADE, EMPLOYMENT 27

7. AQUACULTURE 31

8. MARINE RESEARCH 35

REFERENCES 39

ANNEX: Fishing ports in Sicily 41

3 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

CFP Common Fisheries Policy

CNR Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche

ENEA Ente per le Nuove tecnologie, l’Energia e l’Ambiente

FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations

IAMC Istituto per l’Ambiente Marino Costiero

ICCAT International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic

ICRAM Istituto Centrale per la Ricerca scientifica e tecnologica Applicata al Mare

IREPA Istituto di Ricerche Economiche per la Pesca e l’Acquacoltura

IRMA Istituto di ricerche sulle Risorse Marine e l’Ambiente

ISTAT Istituto Nazionale di Statistica

ITTP Istituto di Tecnologia della Pesca e del Pescato

MAGP Multi-Annual Guidance Programme

MIPAAF Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali

MPA Marine Protected Areas

STECF Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries

TAC Total Allowable Catches

4 Fisheries in Sicily

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Key data 7

Table 2: Marine Protected Areas in Sicily 17

Table 3: Species landed in Sicily in 2008 19

Table 4: Catches in Sicily in 2008 as a function of fishing methods 21

Table 5: Fishing gear used by the Sicilian fleet 23

Table 6 The main fishing ports in Sicily 25

Table 7 Trade figures in the fisheries sector in Sicily (in thousands of Euros) 28

Table 8. Inshore aquaculture farms in Sicily in 2008. 32

Table 9. Aquaculture farms in floating cages in Sicily in 2008. 32

Table 10. Hatcheries of euryhaline fish in Sicily in 2008. 33

Table 11. fattening farms in Sicily in 2008. 34

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Evolution of the Sicilian fishing fleet in terms of number of vessels, gross tonnage and engine power 26

Figure 2: Evolution of the trade balance in the fisheries sector in Sicily 28

Figure 3: Trends in exports of the fisheries sector in Sicily 29

Figure 4: Trends in imports of the fisheries sector in Sicily 29

Figure 5: Employment in fisheries and aquaculture in Sicily 30

5 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies

LIST OF MAPS

Map 1: Topography of Sicily 9

Map 2: Seafloor morphology around Sicily 10

Map 3: The Region of Sicily () and its provinces 11

Map 4: Italian territorial waters 11

Map 5: Location of Marine Protected Areas in Sicily 18

Map 6: The fleet capacity in the Sicilian provinces (% of the total gross tonnage) 24

Map 7: Location of the main fishing ports in Sicily. The gross tonnage is indicated. 25

Map 8: Location of the MEDITS hauls in the Mediterranean and around Italy 37

Map 9: Transect grid of the MEDIAS echosurvey in the (Italy and ) 37

6 Fisheries in Sicily

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Sicily is the largest region of Italy (Table 1) and has an autonomous special status with wide political, administrative and financial powers. Fisheries matters are among the competences of the Region of Sicily, under the responsibility of the Regional Ministry of Agriculture and Food Resources (Fisheries Department). The Region of Sicily can thus rule on fisheries-related issues, with the exception of the fleet policy, which is regulated at a national level.

Table 1: Key data

Area 25 711 km2 Population 5 040 301 (at 31/08/2009)

Flag

Capital , Caltanissetta, , Enna, Messina, Palermo, Provinces Ragusa, Siracusa and Seas , , Strait of Sicily

Source: Diverse

Sicilian total catches reached a total of 43 301 t in 2008 and include a large number of species, with a highly heterogeneous character. Fish species account for 69% of the total catches, while crustaceans and molluscs represent 10% and 21% of the catches respectively. Several stocks are considered by the STECF as overexploited (hake, red mullet, Norway lobster, deepwater rose shrimp). In terms of value of the landed catches, the Sicilian fisheries are dominated by bottom trawling and small scale fishing. • The largest volume of captures is small pelagic fish: anchovy (12.9%) and sardines (5.8%). • The main demersal species landed are hake (3.9%), red mullet (3.2%) and surmullet (3.4%). • The main large pelagic fish species are swordfish (6.8%), albacore tuna (4.3%) and bluefin tuna (2%). • The molluscs catches are shared between flying squid (2.3%), cuttlefish (1.9%), common octopus (1.6%), musky octopus (1.5%), squid (1.2%) and horned octopus (1.1%). • The large majority of crustacean landings consist of deepwater rose shrimp (14.5%), followed by red shrimp (3.3%) and Norway lobster (1.6%).

The Sicilian fishing fleet currently comprises 3323 vessels and represents by far the largest regional fleet in Italy, both in terms of number of vessels (24.4% of the national fleet) and total capacity (33.1% of the gross tonnage and 25.2% of the engine power).

• Most of the boats use set longlines, purse seines and bottom otter trawls.

• Only 16% of the vessels are considered to be specialised (no subsidiary gear is declared). This category represents 55% of the gross tonnage of the Sicilian fleet and includes mainly bottom otter trawlers and set gillnets.

7 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies

• The remaining 84% declare several types of gear. The most common combinations are set longlines (main gear) - set gillnets (39%), and purse seines (main gear) - set longlines (22%).

• The Sicilian fleet shows a high social and economic dependency on small scale fisheries. The small vessels (less than 12 m long) represent two thirds of the number of vessels, have a low level of specialisation and commonly use fixed gear.

• Sicily is an important area for trawling. Most of the bottom trawlers are based in , which is the main fishing port in Sicily, and also the most important landing point in Italy.

In the context of the regional Sicilian economy, fisheries and aquaculture represent 0.58% of the total economy, compared to a value of 0.17% in the other Italian Convergence Re- gions (Basilicata, Calabria, Campania and Puglia) and to 0.08% in the Italian Regions not considered under the Convergence Objective of the EU. In terms of processing, Sicily has the largest number of companies dealing with fish conservation in Italy (32%), and the highest number of jobs in this field (27%).

Sicily is one of the few regions in Italy where the fisheries sector has a positive trade balance. The most important export country for Sicilian products is Japan (more than half of the exports), followed by Spain, Greece and . Most of the imports to Sicily come from the EU, mainly from Spain and France, but also from Greece.

As regards employment in the fisheries sector, Sicily is the region which provides most jobs in Italy (26% of all seamen and 18% of those employed in the fishing industry). The fishing industry employs 18 135, of which 58% are employed directly by the sea fishing sector, 8% in processing, 1% in fish farming and 33% in connected activities such as sales, port services and other.

Aquaculture in Sicily represents ca. 20% of total Italian production, with an annual yield of about 4000 t. It is based almost exclusively on seabass and seabream production. Twelve aquaculture farms were active in 2008, using different types of floating cages. The regional demand for juvenile seabass and seabream is satisfied by two hatcheries. Bluefin tuna fattening developed rapidly following the high demand of the Japanese market.

Fisheries and aquaculture research is undertaken in a number of university laboratories in Sicily. Other institutes like IRMA and ICRAM are major players in the management of fisheries resources. Statistics of fisheries data are managed by IREPA. The main national funding for research projects on fisheries and aquaculture topics comes from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies and from the CNR.

In Sicily, Marine Protected Areas have been the focus of particular attention from both the scientific community and environmental interests, leading to the institution of 6 MPAs: Isole Ciclopi, Isole di , Isole Egadi, Isole Pelagie and Plemmirio. Each MPA includes a core area where both professional and recreational fishing is forbidden. Several other Sicilian reserves are also included in the global MPA database: the trawl ban area in the , the marine biological protection area of Isola di Ustica, and the nature reserves in Zingaro and Isola dello Stagnone di . Projects for future MPAs around Sicily include the and .

8 Fisheries in Sicily

1. INTRODUCTION

Sicily is the largest island in the and part of the Italian Republic. As an administrative entity it is designated as the Region of Sicily (Regione Siciliana), which also includes the seven Aeolian Islands and the island of Ustica to the north, the three to the west, and the Pelagian Islands to the south.

Sicily has been known since ancient times for its roughly triangular shape, which earned her the name Trinacria. Much of the northern portion of the island is mountainous, while the southern portion has lower hills and plains (Map 1). (3323 m), one of the largest active volcanoes in the world, is located north-eastern Sicily. The coastline is 1484 km long, and has a varied morphology with a mostly steep and rocky northern coast dotted with large inlets, a low and sandy southern coast, and a very diverse eastern coast divided by the Etna fluxes. The Strait of Messina separates Sicily from mainland Italy.

The seafloor around Sicily has a varied bathymetry (Map 2). To the east, the Ionian Sea has a very narrow continental shelf which falls sharply along the Malta escarpment to the Ionian abyssal plain at ca 3500 m depth. To the north, the narrow Tyrrhenian Sea shelf slopes down gradually to a series of distinct flat basins, with a maximum depth of 3785 m. To the south-west, the Strait of Sicily corresponds to the shallow Sicilian-Tunisian Platform up to 600 m deep which separates the Eastern and Western Mediterranean basins. The central part of the platform is incised by a succession of fault-bounded, NW-SE oriented troughs more than 1300 m deep. These troughs have a major significance in the Mediterranean oceanography, as they constitute the gateway for deep saline water flowing westward from the Eastern basin, while less dense surface water travels in the opposite direction (Reeder et al., 2002).

Map 1: Topography of Sicily

Source: Wikipedia

9 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies

Map 2: Seafloor morphology around Sicily

Tyrrhenian Sea

Strait of Sicily

Ionian Sea

Source: Global Multi-Resolution Topography www.marine-geo.org (Ryan et al., 2009)

Sicily is the largest region of Italy (25 711 km2)1 and has a population of just over five million inhabitants (5 040 301 at 31 August 2009). It is divided into nine provinces: Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Catania, Enna, Messina, Palermo, Ragusa, Siracusa and Trapani (Map 3). Sicily's capital city is Palermo. Sicily is an autonomous region with a special status (Regione a statuto speciale), with wide political, administrative and financial powers. Legislative power is exercised by the Sicilian Regional Assembly (Assemblea regionale siciliana), composed of 90 members elected for 5 years. Executive power is vested in the Regional Government (Giunta regionale) composed of twelve ministers (Assessori). The head of government is the President of the Region, elected directly by the citizens for a five-year term. Since 14 April 2008 the President of the Region is the centre-right Raffaele Lombardo. The special autonomy of Sicily involves a series of exclusive competences such as fisheries, agriculture, forestry, tourism, culture, among others.

Territorial waters around Sicily extend to 12 nautical miles (Map 4). Specific issues occur as regards the Tunisian and Maltese territorial waters. In 1951 demanded an exclusive fishing area marked out by the 50m isobath, which is a unique case in international fisheries relations. Given the shallow waters in the region, the limit of Tunisia’s exclusive area is 75 nautical miles from the Tunisian coast and only 15 nautical miles from the Italian island of (Map 4). On 20 August 1971 Tunisia and Italy signed a bilateral agreement on sharing the continental shelf. Tunisia’s exclusive area includes a very rich fishing ground (‘Il Mammellone’), traditionally fished by Italian fishermen, which is considered by Italy to be part of the high seas.

1 www.regione..it

10 Fisheries in Sicily

Map 3: The Region of Sicily (Italy) and its provinces

Source: Wikipedia

Malta has secured exemption from Community regulations, allowing it to maintain a fishing conservation area of 25 nautical miles. In this area, Malta’s Accession Treaty limits coastal fishing to vessels that are less than 12 metres long, except for a limited number of larger vessels that do specific types of fishing. This measure was transposed in Council Regulation (EC) No 1626/94 of 27 June 1994, laying down certain technical measures for the conservation of fishery resources in the Mediterranean.

Map 4: Italian territorial waters

EU Countries

Non-EU countries

Internal waters

Historical bay

Territorial waters

High seas

Source: University of Sevilla

11 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies

12 Fisheries in Sicily

2. LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK

2.1. Law

The main legislation governing Italian fisheries consists of Law 963/1965 and Decree of the President of the Italian Republic no. 1639/1968 regarding “Regulation for the execution of the law of 14 July 1965, no. 963, concerning the discipline of marine fishing”. These statutes also contain delegation provisions for the adoption of subsequent secondary legislation for specific sectors. The secondary legislation includes other regulations (decreti legislativi) adopted by the whole executive, and ministerial decisions (decreti ministeriali) adopted by the individual competent ministries.

As an autonomous region Sicily also has some legislative competencies through regional legislation (legi regionali, decreti assessore, decreti dirigente generale, circolari e directive).

Fishery management is based on Law no. 41 of 1982. This act is aimed at promoting the rational utilization and enhancement of marine biological resources through an equitable development of sea fishing. To these ends, the Ministry of Agriculture approves three-year national fisheries plans concerning the management of biological resources, the promotion of production and placing on the market of fishery products.

With regard to the legal framework regulating aquaculture activity and protecting the environment, the most significant act is Law no. 152, which deals with water quality management and control. Legislative Act no. 66 of 1993, Legislative Act no. 110 of 1995 and Legislative Act no. 47 of 1997 were promulgated in order to control the use of drugs in reared animals, with the primary aim being protection of the health of human consumers.

2.2. Institutions

In Italy overall responsibility for the fishery industry is in the hands of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies (MiPAAF - Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali), through its Directorate-General for Fisheries and Agriculture (Direzione Generale della Pesca e dell’Aquacoltura). In addition, other ministries supervise certain public activities related to fishery monitoring and control, i.e. the Ministry of Defence, with its Coast Guard, the Italian Navy and separate militia (Carabinieri) force; the Ministry of the Interior, with the State Police; the Ministry of Economy and Finance, with its own policy force for economic matters (Guardia di Finanza); and the Ministry of Health, responsible for public health and veterinary services.

Administrative duties are carried out at regional and local levels by the coastal administration (Capitanerie di Porto and Guardia Costiera), which is organized hierarchically.

Since 1997 administrative decentralisation aimed at consolidating of local authorities. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies is responsible for the central administration, managing the fleet and national fishery resources and for leading, coordinating and planning. The local authorities have responsibility for certain matters that were previously managed by the Directorate-General for Fisheries and Agriculture, such as the development and protection of resources, aquaculture, maintaining the fishing ports, processing, trade and fishing in internal waters.

13 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies

In Sicily, the Fisheries Department (Dipartimento degli Interventi per la Pesca) is part of the Regional Ministry of Agriculture and Food Resources (Assessorato regionale delle risorse agricole e alimentari). The Fisheries Department is responsible for:

• developing scientific and technological research applied to marine fisheries and to aquaculture in marine and brackish waters; • conservation and the optimal exploitation of the biological resources of the sea; • assessment and control of the pollution of the sea as regards marine fisheries and aquaculture; • development of aquaculture and mariculture; • regulation of the fishing effort in agreement with realistic assessments of the sea resources; • the restructuration of the fishing fleet and gear; • encouraging cooperation, through cooperatives consortia and associations of producers; • adoption of closure areas for fisheries; • modernization of land-based fisheries facilities; • reorganisation and development of the conservation and distribution networks for sea products; • improvement of the image of Sicilian fisheries products; • intervention for the valorisation and distribution of the Sicilian fisheries product; • recovery and use of underutilised and/or discarded resources; • support of the small scale fisheries; • management of community, national and regional fisheries funds.

In the Sicilian Regional Assembly, the Parliamentary Committee III - Productive activities (Attività Produttive) is in charge with fisheries issues.

14 Fisheries in Sicily

3. FISHERIES RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

3.1. EU level

Italian fisheries policy is strongly conditioned by EU regulations through the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), based on the following principles: protection of resources; adjustment of structure facilities to the available resources; market organization; and definition of relationships with other countries. However, in the Mediterranean, the application of some of the measures under the monitoring policy has been postponed, and CFP conservation policy measures have been implemented in a different way in different areas. For example, the system of TACs (total allowable catches) and quotas, the main conservation tool of the CFP, has not been applied in the Mediterranean basin. Only bluefin tuna has been governed by this system in the Mediterranean, and only since 1998. Otherwise, some elements of the CFP, such as the logbook, have been introduced in the Mediterranean after the Atlantic.

This situation has traditionally been justified by the specific characteristics of the Mediterranean. After a process lasting almost three years, and with France abstaining, the Council adopted Regulation (EC) No 1967/2006 concerning management measures for the sustainable exploitation of fishery resources in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Regulation:

• introduces new technical measures to improve the selectivity of the current 40 mm mesh size for towed nets; • strengthens the current ban on the use of towed gear in coastal areas; • limits the overall sizes of certain fishing gear that affects fishing effort; • introduces a procedure for establishing temporary or permanent closures of areas to specific fishing methods, either in Community or international waters; • provides for the adoption of management plans combining the use of effort management with technical measures; • allows EU Member States to regulate, in their territorial waters and under certain conditions, fishing activities that do not have any significant Community dimension or environmental impact, including certain local fisheries currently authorised under Community law. The Regulation also:

• provides for the introduction of 40mm square mesh of bottom trawls and, under certain circumstances, diamond meshed net of 50 mm by 1 July 2008 at the latest; • authorises trawling activities under certain conditions, between 0.7 and 1.5 nautical miles, even though the general rule still involves a ban on the use of trawl nets; • authorises purse seines to be temporarily used until 31 December 2007 at a distance from the coast of less than 300 metres or at a depth less than the 50 metres isobath, but not less than the 30 metres isobath.

15 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies

3.2. National level

In conformity with subsidiarity principles decided within the EU, Italy has adopted complementary tools for the realization of specific management policy. The main management instrument for the sector is the National Plan for Fishing and Aquaculture, introduced under Act 41/82, which is reviewed every three years. The Programme for 2007-2009 defines strategic lines for coordination, restructuration and development of the sector, and is mainly structured around integrative measures designed to contribute directly to improving the competitiveness of the fisheries enterprises.

The national resource conservation policy is based on a general permit system. All boats, whatever gear they use, need a permit to fish, and for some fisheries, authorisation is needed from the Ministry of Agriculture Fishery Directorate. In 1989, the administration imposed a moratorium and no new permits have been granted.

For Italian fisheries quantitative restrictions have only been established for some sedentary species (some bivalves) or some highly migratory species (bluefin tuna). Tuna fishing is regulated by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which establishes annual maximum permitted catch quotas for the Italian fleet. The TAC for bluefin tuna is distributed between longline, seine, leisure fishing and unclassified (gear not reported). The boats that fish tuna with longlines or seines have to be registered with the Directorate-General for Fisheries and Aquaculture.

3.3. Regional level

Sicily is a region with autonomous status and it can rule on fisheries matters with the exception of the fleet policy which is regulated at national level. As such, the Region of Sicily can adopt plans for the protection of marine living resources designed to further reduce fishing mortality, over and beyond what is already enforced at national or Community level. These plans include temporary fishing bans and other measures, such as permanent reduction of fishing capacity or supplementary technical measures. The annual temporary fishing ban is one of the management measures regularly undertaken in Italy including Sicily since 1988, although it has been differently modulated with respect to timing and fisheries in the various Italian seas (SEC(2007)466).

Sicily undertook a temporary fishing ban for the whole fleet in 2004, 2005 and 2006. The Sicilian Plan in 2004 covered all the seas around Sicily, and had a 30-days time closure comprised in the time period August-October, different for the various maritime compartments, and a subsequent partial overlapping of the periods. The plan covered all the fisheries, but the fishing ban was mandatory only for bottom and pelagic trawlers while it did not cover the recreational fishery (pescaturismo). The 2004 Sicilian plan had no specific reference to single stocks or species (SEC(2007)466).

In the 2005 Sicilian plan the coverage of the fisheries was complete, with the exception of fishing vessels engaged in pescaturismo, and the 30-days closures were implemented at the same time in the various seas around Sicily, between August and November.

The Plan for 2006 had a more detailed list of fisheries, with various 45-days closures between September and November according to each fishing gear (or aggregation of different fisheries). In this plan, all the fisheries were included, except for the troll recreational fishing (usually targeting juveniles of large pelagic in autumn) that was allowed to operate during the same period when a closure was established for surface gear to

16 Fisheries in Sicily

protect juvenile swordfish. The ban for the netters for 45 days starting at 1st of April was proposed as an additional measure for the protection of spawners, considering that most of the coastal species spawn during this period (SEC(2007)466).

In 2008 the annual closure was optional. A mandatory temporary closure of 30 consecutive days has been established in 2009 for all trawling vessels registered in Sicily, between August and September (for bottom trawlers registered in Mazara del Vallo), between September and October (for bottom trawlers registered anywhere else in Sicily), and in September (for pelagic trawlers).

Fishing for juveniles (novellame) is also regulated by the Region of Sicily, in the case of sardines (Sardina pilchardus) and transparent goby (Aphia minuta). These traditional fisheries, which take place during the winter, are an important activity for small-scale fishing and have a high socio-economic impact at local level. In 2010 fishing for juveniles of sardines and transparent goby is allowed for 60 consecutive days as of 25 January.

3.4. Marine Protected Areas

In Sicily, Marine Protected Areas (MPA) have been the focus of particular attention from both the scientific community and environmental interests, leading to the institution of 6 MPAs, distributed along the island coastline (Table 2, Map 5). Each MPA includes a core area where both professional and recreational fishing is forbidden (together with other activities such as spearfishing, scuba diving, sailing and mooring). The MPA also comprises a buffer zone or general reserve, as well as a peripheral area, where fishing is regulated (except Isole di Ustica where recreational fishing is forbidden in the buffer zone, and Isole Egadi where professional and recreational fishing is allowed in the peripheral area) (Mabile and Piante, 2005).

Table 2: Marine Protected Areas in Sicily

MARINE PROTECTION DESIGNATION DATE TOTAL AREA AREAS Km2

Capo Gallo - Isola delle Natural Marine Protected Area 2002 21.73 Femmine

Isole Ciclopi Natural Marine Reserve 1989 6.230

Isole di Ustica Marine Natural Protected Area 1986 159.5

Isole Egadi Natural Marine Protected Area 1991 540.3

Isole Pelagie Natural Marine Protected Area 2002 32.30

Plemmirio Natural Marine Protected Area 1982 1840

Gulf of Castellammare Trawl Ban Area 1990 200.0

Isola di Ustica Zona di Tutela Biologica Marina 1986 42.80

Isole dello Stagnone di Regional/Provincial Nature 1984 20.12 Marsala Reserve

Zingaro Regional/Provincial Nature 1981 16.00 Reserve

Source: Wood (2007)

17 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies

Several other Sicilian reserves are also included in the global MPA database: the trawl ban area in the Gulf of Castellammare, the marine biological protection area of Isola di Ustica, and the nature reserves in Zingaro and Isola dello Stagnone di Marsala (Wood, 2007).

Projects for future MPAs around Sicily include the Aeolian Islands and Pantelleria.

Map 5: Location of Marine Protected Areas in Sicily

Isole di Ustica

Capo Gallo

Isole Egadi

Isole Ciclopi

Plemmirio

Isole Pelagie

Source: www.mpaglobal.org

18 Fisheries in Sicily

4. CATCHES

Sicilian catches reached a total of 43 301 tonnes in 2008, and include a large number of species of fish (69% of the total catches), molluscs (10%) and crustaceans (21%, Table 3).

• The largest volume of captures is small pelagic fish: anchovy (Engraulis encrasicholus) - 12.9% and sardines (Sardina pilchardus) - 5.8%. • The main demersal species landed are hake (Merluccius merluccius) - 3.9%, red mullet (Mullus barbatus) - 3.2% and surmullet (Mullus barbatus surmuletus) - 3.4%. • The main large pelagic fish species are swordfish (Xiphias gladius) - 6.8%, albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) - 4.3% and bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) - 2%. • A large volume of "other fish" (17.1%) reflect the highly heterogeneous character of the Sicilian fisheries. • The molluscs catches are shared between flying squid (Todarodes sagittatus) - 2.3%, cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) - 1.9%, common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) - 1.6%, musky octopus (Eledone moschata) - 1.5%, squid (Loligo sp.) - 1.2% and horned octopus (Eledone cirrhosa) - 1.1%. • The large majority of crustacean landings consist of deepwater rose shrimp (Parapenaeus longirostris) - 14.5%, followed by red shrimp (Aristeus antennatus, Aristeomorpha foliacea) - 3.3% and Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) - 1.6%.

Table 3: Species landed in Sicily in 2008

SPECIES CATCHES (t) CATCHES (%) Anchovy 5601 12,9 Sardine 2511 5,8 Chub mackerel 2 0,0 Mackerel 288 0,7 Albacore 1871 4,3 Bonito 253 0,6 Swordfish 2945 6,8 Bluefin tuna 859 2,0 Other tuna 66 0,2 Bogue 567 1,3 Tub gurnard 119 0,3 Poor cod 30 0,1 Mullet 15 0,0 Blotched picarel 636 1,5 Hake 1686 3,9 Pandora 434 1,0 Poutassou 9 0,0

19 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies

Rajiforms 232 0,5 Angler fish 336 0,8 Yellowtail 244 0,6 Turbot 31 0,1 Sole 67 0,2 Shark 112 0,3 Horse mackerel 893 2,1 Red mullet 1369 3,2 Surmullet 1481 3,4 Other fish 7393 17,1 Total fish 30052 69

Squid 499 1,2 Murex 14 0,0 Horned octopus 483 1,1 Musky octopus 660 1,5 Common octopus 697 1,6 Cuttlefish 814 1,9 Flying squid 991 2,3 Other molluscs 65 0,1 Total molluscs 4223 10

Crawfish and lobster 127 0,3 Deepwater rose shrimp 6296 14,5 Red shrimp 1438 3,3 Red and blue shrimp 212 0,5 Kuruma prawn 3 0,0 Mantis shrimp 93 0,2 Norway lobster 677 1,6 Other crustaceans 179 0,4 Total crustaceans 9026 21 TOTAL 43301 100

Source: MIPAAF-IREPA (2008), www.irepa.org

As regards the weight of different fishing methods in the Sicilian fisheries, bottom trawling dominates with 43.7% of the total catches, followed by purse seines (26.7%) and small scale fisheries (14.4%). Nevertheless, in terms of value of the catches, small scale fish

20 Fisheries in Sicily

landings account for 19.4% of the total value, more than all the other methods except bottom trawling (Table 4).

Table 4: Catches in Sicily in 2008 as a function of fishing methods

CATCHES VALUE VALUE GEAR CATCHES (%) (t) (mill. euro) (%)

Bottom trawlers 18907 43,7 145,11 50,6

Purse seiners 11578 26,7 30,55 10,7

Small scale fishing vessels 6221 14,4 55,51 19,4

Polyvalent vessels 2157 5 16,67 5,8

Longlines 1137 10,2 38,80 13,5

Total 43301 100 286,65 100

Source: MIPAAF-IREPA (2008)

Fishing effort in Sicilian waters considerably increased at the end of the 1980s, when the allocation of fishing permits was frozen. As a result, in the Sicily Strait catches per hour of trawling decreased by 30% to 50% between the beginning of the 1970s and the end of the 1990s. Another sign of overfishing was the change in discarded catches over the 1990s. While in the mid-1980s discarded catches were 60% to 70% of the Mazara del Vallo fleet catches, by the mid-1990s they decreased to 50%, and further dropped to 20% by 2000. Some species, such as the short-nose green-eye (Chlorophtalmus agassizi), the argentine (Argentina sphyraena) and scampi (Plesionika spp.), which were traditionally discarded by the Mazara del Vallo trawling fleet, are now landed and sold.

Resources in south-eastern Sicily benefit from Malta’s extensive exclusive zone, in which trawling is limited and mainly targets blue and red shrimp. In south-western Sicily there has been a reduction in the fishing effort over the last decade, due to structural changes and the Mazara trawlers moving to more distant fishing grounds (Iborra Martin, 2008).

The Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) considers that several marine living resources around Sicilian coasts are clearly overexploited (SEC(2007)466). The STECF recommendations regard the stocks of:

• Hake (Merluccius merluccius) Diagnosis: Hake is in a state of overexploitation both in the Italian and Tunisian coasts as well as in the international waters. The Sicilian trawler mesh-size at 2002 was 28 mm and should be increased to 40 mm (EC minimum size 2000). Recommendations: Avoid any increase in number of trawlers. Adopt the 40 mm minimum mesh size. Reduce the trawling time to decrease the fishing effort. Close the main nursery areas.

• Red mullet (Mullus barbatus) Diagnosis: The exploitation status of the stocks along the Sicilian coasts exceeds the equilibrium values. Stock assessment of red mullet inhabiting Tunisian continental shelf showed an overexploitation.

21 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies

Recommendations: Avoid any increase in number of trawlers. Enforce the 40 mm minimum mesh size. Eliminate the trawling on recruits inhabiting the coastal water enforcing the existing normative. Prohibit trawling during the night to contrast illegal fishery. Adopt a trawling ban to protect the recruit’s movements towards deeper waters.

• Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) Diagnosis: Assessment carried out in the late 1990´s suggested a status of overfishing. However the indices of biomass from trawl surveys are quite stable in the last years. The prolonged maturity and spawning period reduce the effectiveness of management tools such as seasonal fishing bans. Recommendations: Avoid any increase in number of trawlers. Enforce the 40 mm minimum mesh size. Reduce the trawling time to decrease the fishing effort. Improve the technological features of the gear in order to modify the selectivity and to protect the bottom.

• Deepwater rose shrimp (Parapenaeous longirostris) Diagnosis: Since 1980´s deepwater rose shrimp is showing an exploitation rate that is higher than the optimal. An evaluation carried out in the late 1990´s confirmed a situation of overfishing and assessed an increase of 4-6% in yield per recruit and of 25-30% of income per recruit if the 40 mm mesh-size was adopted. These results are not clearly confirmed by the increase in biomass from trawl surveys indices. Recommendations Avoid any increase in number of trawlers. Enforce the 40 mm minimum mesh size. Reduce the trawling time on the main nursery grounds. Apply a fishing ban to decrease the fishing effort.

22 Fisheries in Sicily

5. FISHING FLEET

At the beginning of 2010, the Sicilian fleet comprises 3323 fishing vessels and represents by far the largest regional fleet in Italy, in terms of number of vessels (24.4% of the national fleet), tonnage (33.1%), and power (25.2%). These figures show how important the regional productive sector is on a national level2. • The average size of a boat in Sicily is 19.3 tonnes, compared to a national average of 14.2 tonnes. This average figure is heavily affected by the high tonnage of the trawling boats, much higher than the national average for the same sector. • The average power of a Sicilian vessel is 86.6 kW, slightly higher than the national equivalent (83.8 kW). • With an age of 32 years on average, the Sicilian fleet is quite old. For comparison, the Italian fleet which has an average age of 30 years. • The vast majority of the boats are made of wood (90%). Vessels with a metal hull represent 5% of the number of vessels, but 43% of the capacity. The fishing gear most commonly used by Sicilian vessels is set longlines (43% of the boats), followed by purse seines (26%) and bottom otter trawls (21%). Driftnets and set gillnets account for 10%, whereas troll lines and hand lines are used by less than 1% of the vessels (Table 5). Nevertheless, vessels equipped with bottom trawls dominate as regards the gross tonnage and the engine power of the Sicilian fleet (74% and 58% respectively). Only 16% of the vessels are considered to be specialised (no subsidiary gear is declared). This category represents 55% of the gross tonnage of the Sicilian fleet and includes mainly bottom otter trawlers and set gillnets. The remaining 84% declare several types of gear. The most common combinations are set longlines (main gear) - set gillnets (39%), and purse seines (main gear) - set longlines (22%).

Table 5: Fishing gear used by the Sicilian fleet

CODE GEAR VESSELS VESSELS TONNAGE TONNAGE POWER POWER No. % GT % kW % Bottom otter OTB trawl 690 21% 47.675 74% 166.915 58%

PS Purse seines 859 26% 9.862 15% 61.409 21%

LLS Set longlines 1.433 43% 5.591 9% 50.360 17%

LTL Troll lines 1 0% 18 0% 324 0%

LHP Hand lines 13 0% 68 0% 944 0%

GND Driftnets 56 2% 353 1% 3.740 1%

GNS Set gillnets 270 8% 460 1% 4.189 1%

Other 1 0% 1 0% 0 0% TOTAL 3.323 100% 64.028 100% 287.880 100%

Source: Community Fishing Fleet Register. Processing: J. Iborra Martin

2 All figures indicated in this chapter are for 2010.

23 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies

In terms of fishing methods, the Sicilian fishing fleet shows a high social and economic dependency on small-scale fishing. Apart from some specific areas such as Mazara del Vallo, small vessels are the most important segment in Sicily. In 2010, the boats less than 12 m long represent 67% of the number of vessels (a proportion virtually unchanged since the early 90's). Meanwhile, they cover only 6% of the gross tonnage of the Sicilian fleet, and 16% of its power. Most of the small-scale fishing is characterised by a low level of specialisation, and uses fixed gear (set gillnets and longlines) on non-trawling seabeds. This is intended to target a range of species with high market value on the rocky seabed, but also to protect the equipment from damage caused by bottom trawlers. Fishing areas are located on the continental shelf, generally down to 100 m depth, and within 6 nautical miles of the coast.

Also, Sicily is an important area for trawling. Bottom trawlers show a high variability in the fishing areas exploited, which may change in the same day from the continental shelf to the middle slope, up to 700 m depth. Trawler landings are therefore characterized by a high number of species of fish, crustaceans and molluscs, in various commercial categories. Most of the vessels that have bottom trawl licences are based in Mazara del Vallo and Porto Empedocle. The activity of the Mazara del Vallo trawlers is particularly significant, as they produce 57% of the total Italian trawling catches, mainly focusing on rose shrimp.

Sicily hosts ca. 40% of purse seiners in Italy, which target basically anchovy.

A total of 48 fishing ports are registered in Sicily in 2010 (see Annex). At a regional level, Sicily has 17% of the Italian ports, with more and larger boats than the average for the country. The western part of the island concentrates the bulk of the fishing fleet capacity (78% of the gross tonnage), in the provinces of Trapani, Agrigento and Palermo (Map 6).

Map 6: The fleet capacity in the Sicilian provinces (% of the total gross tonnage)

Data source: Community Fishing Fleet Register. Processing: J. Iborra and D.A. Popescu

24 Fisheries in Sicily

The main fishing port in terms of tonnage is Mazara del Vallo, which is also the most important landing point in Italy (Table 6, Map 7). Mazara del Vallo accounts for almost half of the gross tonnage of the Sicilian ports (43%), followed by Sciacca (9%). Porticello in Palermo, which has a large number of boats with lower individual capacity is the third Sicilian port (5% of the tonnage). Portopalo di Capo Passero, Catania, Trapani and Porto Empedocle also host fishing fleets with significant capacity, while high numbers of fishing vessels are registered in Scoglitti, Marsala and Licatta.

Table 6 The main fishing ports in Sicily

Province Port Vessels Tonnage Engine power

No. % GT % kW % Trapani MAZARA DEL VALLO 269 8% 27687 43% 74614 26% Agrigento SCIACCA 139 4% 5934 9% 22490 8% Palermo PORTICELLO 266 8% 3035 5% 18681 6% Siracusa PORTOPALO DI 129 4% 2652 4% 15182 5% CAPO PASSERO Catania CATANIA 96 3% 2407 4% 13098 5% Trapani TRAPANI 142 4% 2805 4% 12315 4% Agrigento PORTO EMPEDOCLE 59 2% 1867 3% 7575 3% Ragusa SCOGLITTI 160 5% 1584 2% 8958 3% Trapani MARSALA 107 3% 1482 2% 8803 3% Agrigento LICATA 104 3% 1335 2% 8541 3% Catania RIPOSTO 63 2% 1121 2% 7817 3%

Data source: Community Fishing Fleet Register. Processing: J. Iborra and D.A. Popescu

Map 7: Location of the main fishing ports in Sicily. The gross tonnage is indicated.

Data source: Community Fishing Fleet Register. Processing: J. Iborra and D.A. Popescu

25 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies

The evolution of the fishing capacity of the Sicilian fleet in the last two decades followed roughly the same pattern as the Italian fleet (for a detailed description of the structural adjustment of the Italian fleet see Iborra Martin, 2008). The number of vessels has fallen sharply since 2000 (Figure 1), particularly following the decommissioning scheme under the EU Multi-Annual Guidance Programme (MAGP IV), which aimed to reduce fishing fleets to adjust fishing effort to the volume of available fishery resources. Reductions also took place after the 2002 reform of the Common Fisheries Policy, which introduced a new system for limiting the fishing capacity of the EU fleet that replaced MAGP IV.

Figure 1: Evolution of the Sicilian fishing fleet in terms of number of vessels, gross tonnage and engine power

Sicily's Fisheries fleet. 1991=100

105

100

95

90 Vessels GRT 85 Pow er

80

75

70 1991 1995 2000 2005 2010

Data source: Community Fishing Fleet Register. Processing: J. Iborra Martin

26 Fisheries in Sicily

6. FISHING INDUSTRY, EXTERNAL TRADE, EMPLOYMENT

In the context of the regional Sicilian economy, fishery and aquaculture represent 0.58% of the total economy3, compared to a value of 0.17% of the other Italian Convergence Re- gions (Basilicata, Calabria, Campania and Puglia) and to 0.08% in the Italian Regions not considered under the Convergence Objective of the EU (MIPAAF, 2007; Santulli et Modica, 2009).

The Sicilian fish and seafood market encompasses a multitude of businesses throughout the production and distribution process, including fishing companies, processing plants, distributors and wholesalers. This fragmentation is forcing businesses to form groups (fishing districts) in order to ensure economies of scale and obtain greater market strength on the world market, thereby creating a strong brand and image immediately recognizable by consumers.

Recently, there has been a significant shift in the market towards "high added-value" fish products, ready to eat or on sale in delicatessens. Furthermore, in the future a large increase in processed fish products is expected, such as fillets and other cuts, on a market which has traditionally been dominated by "whole" fish consumption.

There is also an overall upward trend in the global consumption of fish products due to the recent move towards healthier eating, with ever increasing demand for a range of products (ready meals or partially pre-cooked, and tinned fish salads) to suit new lifestyle trends (more women working, less regular meal times etc; Sprint Sicily4).

In Italy, the domestic consumption of fisheries products reached 455 600 tons in 2006 (an average annual consumption of 20.9 kg per family), out of which the highest regional consumption is concentrated in Southern Italy (37.5%), with an average annual consumption per family of 26.3 kg. Southern Italy is characterised by high consumption of fresh and unprocessed defrosted products (58.7% of the total fisheries products in the region, the highest figure among the Italian regions) and low consumption of conserved and semi-conserved products (16.1%, the lowest percentage in Italy; ISMEA, 2007).

Nevertheless, in terms of processing, conservation activities predominate in Southern Italy. Despite a 10% drop in its activity, Sicily has the largest number of companies in this field (32%), and the highest number of jobs (27%). However, the companies in Sicily are smaller than their equivalent in other regions (14 employees on average; Iborra Martin, 2008).

Sicily is one of the few regions in Italy where the fisheries sector has a positive trade balance with great potential not yet fully realised (Table 7, Figure 2). For comparison, the overall trade deficit of the sector in Italy has been increasing since 1995 and reached 3 124 million Euros in 2006 (ISMEA, 2007).

3 In consideration of the fact that Sicilian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per inhabitant is less than 75% of the average value of the EU, Sicily is considered eligible by EU for funding under the Convergence objective. This economic support involves also the fisheries and aquaculture sector. 4 www.internationalsicily.com

27 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies

Table 7 Trade figures in the fisheries sector in Sicily (in thousands of Euros)

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

EXPORT 15579 18068 21199 25286 22615 14172 16293 22508 22036

IMPORT 15183 16796 17481 22201 26062 38845 18057 15220 21249

BALANCE 396 1272 3718 3085 -3447 -24673 -1764 7288 787

Source: internationalsicily.com

Figure 2: Evolution of the trade balance in the fisheries sector in Sicily

50000

40000

30000

20000 EXPORT 10000 IMPORT BALANCE 0 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 -10000

-20000

-30000

Source: internationalsicily.com

Since 2004 the most important export country for Sicilian products is Japan, with an increasing trend that reached 53% in 2006 (Figure 3). Spain is the second export country with 26% - although decreasing after an absolute maximum of more than 70% in 2001, followed by Greece (11%) and France (8%).

Most of the imports of fisheries products to Sicily come from the EU, mainly from Spain (37%) and France (28%), but also from Greece (Figure 4). The 2006 figures record a noticeable increase of imports from African countries like Tunisia, and .

28 Fisheries in Sicily

Figure 3: Trends in exports of the fisheries sector in Sicily

Japan 53%

Spain 26%

Greece 11%

France 8%

Source: internationalsicily.com

Figure 4: Trends in imports of the fisheries sector in Sicily

Spain 37%

France 28%

Tunisia 14%

Source: internationalsicily.com

29 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies

Sicily is the region which provides most jobs linked to the fisheries sector in Italy, as it is home to 26% of all seamen and 18% of all those employed in the fishing industry. Overall, the fishing industry employs 18135, of which 10535 are employed directly by the sea fishing sector and 217 in fish farming (Figure 5). Also, there are 105 processing plants in Sicily, employing a total of 1424 workers (full-time equivalent). Connected activities (sales, port services and other) employ approx. 6000 (Sprint Sicily).

Figure 5: Employment in fisheries and aquaculture in Sicily

33% Sea fishing Processing Fish f arming 58% Connected activities 1% 8%

Source: internationalsicily.com

30 Fisheries in Sicily

7. AQUACULTURE

Aquaculture in Sicily5 represents ca. 20% of total Italian production, with an annual yield of about 4000 t (IREPA, 2008; MIPAAF, 2007). It is almost exclusively based on seabass and seabream production, with an average ratio of 54 to 46%. Small and variable quantity of other marine species are produced, such as: sharpsnout seabream (Diplodus puntazzo), red porgy (Sparus pagrus) common dentex (Dentex dentex), amberjack (Seriola dumerili), meagre (Argyrosomus regius), Mediterranean bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) (ARTA, 2008; Modica et al., 2008). Commercial shellfish culture is limited to small mussel farms in the Provinces of Palermo, Messina and Syracuse (Prioli, 2008; ARTA, 2008); however, most of them seem to be purification centres for bivalve molluscs. The Regional Pilot Centre for Aquaculture of Assessorato Agricoltura e Foreste of the Sicilian Region coordinates research, development and pilot scale production in fresh water aquaculture. This production is represented by small quantities of Sicilian autochthons trout (Salmo cettii) (Schöffmann et al., 2007), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), euryhaline species (Morone spp.) in sea cages and crayfish (Cherax spp.) (ARTA, 2008; Milano, 2008). This sector is expected to grow rapidly in the next few years, in consideration of the high number of fresh water reserves present in the Region.

Sicilian aquaculture started at the end of the ‘70s in Marsala (Trapani), where the hatchery technologies for seabass and seabream production were introduced. This area has a long tradition of fish rearing, with the salt works in Trapani being used for the breeding of marine fish species for centuries, both in the canals running down to the sea and in the ‘cold pans’ used for the initial stages of salt making. The salt pans cover 1400 ha along the western coast of Sicily between Trapani and Marsala. These environments, generated by human work, are characterized by significant peculiarities from ecological, cultural and etno-anthropological points of view, and are protected by two Regional Natural Reserves. In addition to salt production, in the first storage basins of the salt works, where the salinity reaches maximum values of 60‰, self recruited seabass and seabream are now reared in extensive (Santulli, 2007; Santulli and Messina, 2008). The yield of the 350 ha of storage basins is very low (from 50 to 90q) but it has a very high economic value (18-22 €/kg) (Santulli, 2007).

Following the pioneering preliminary phase, in the ‘80s and the ‘90s three inshore farms, provided with hatcheries, were active in the area. After the price crisis, all these aquac- ulture plants were closed and the inshore aquaculture in the almost completely disappeared.

Currently, two inshore Sicilian fish farms are active, with an annual production of 600/650 t (Table 8). • a fish farm realised in the basins of an abandoned salt work near the Stagnone Lagoon (Marsala). This farm produces in semi-intensive and in intensive seabass, seabream and other fish species, that are commercialized directly in the farm or in the local catering market. • a second fish farm is located in the . This plant belongs to the biggest Sicilian fish farm, and is also provided with a hatchery and with floating cages.

5 This part is based on the recent review of Santulli and Modica (2009).

31 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies

Table 8. Inshore aquaculture farms in Sicily in 2008.

Province Municipality Surface ha Species

seabass, seabream, sharpsnout seabream Trapani Marsala 65 and shellfish seabass, seabream, meagre, sharpsnout Siracusa 10 seabream Source: Santulli and Modica (2009)

After the crisis of the inland farm in the Province of Trapani, the axis of aquaculture in Sicily moved offshore and towards the western part of the Island. In 2008 twelve aquaculture farms were active in Sicily (ARTA, 2008; Modica et al., 2008; Table 9), using different typologies of floating cages. Some farms, localized in a sheltered area, utilise the simpler floating cage system, represented by net pens suspended from plastic floating collars; other farms, localized in more exposed zones, are provided with semi submersible and submersible flexible cages, or the more complex and expensive submersible rigid cages, such as Farmocean (Modica et al., 2008).

Table 9. Aquaculture farms in floating cages in Sicily in 2008.

Cage Province Municipality Surface m2 Species number Agrigento Lampedusa 7 225 seabass, seabream 4 Licata 11 206 seabass, seabream 9 Licata 21 000 seabass, seabream, 17 sharpsnout seabream, red porgy Siracusa Pachino 249 18 seabass, seabream, 12 meagre, sharpsnout seabream Augusta 250 000 seabass, seabream 10 Messina Messina 12 000 seabass, seabream 6 Gioiosa Marea 20 000 seabass, seabream 6 3 000 seabass, seabream, 7 sharpsnout Venetico 10 000 seabass, seabream, 6 sharpsnout Patti 20 000 seabass, seabream, 10 sharpsnout Villafranca Tirr. 150 000 seabass, seabream, 8 sharpsnout Palermo Trappeto 1 500 000 seabass, seabream, 14 sharpsnout seabream, red porgy Source: Santulli and Modica (2009)

In the Region of Sicily, two main classes of farms can be recognized: the first one represented by medium-large farms, consolidated from economical and technological point of view, with a high and stable production of high quality fish; the other one includes small farms, characterized by reduced investments, small production and, generally, economic

32 Fisheries in Sicily

difficulties. This situation could explain the large variability in farm number that characterized the regional aquaculture sector (Modica et al., 2008).

Supermarket chains are the dominant force for aquaculture production also in Sicily (Modica et al., 2008), as this market is accessible only to the biggest farms that can satisfy the pressing request in terms of constancy of size, quality and availability of the produced fish. The Sicilian producers are starting to negotiate and trade with organizations much larger than their own, also through producer cooperation.

In other European markets, multiple retailer chains increasingly dominate the retail market and the market of traditional fishmongers decreases. In Sicily, most of the production of the smallest farms is destined to the local market by traditional channels (specialist retailers, fishmongers and wholesalers) that use the expressed preference of consumers for locally grown products over imports. The catering market is of particular importance in Sicily. However, the increasing demand seems to be met by fish of small size produced locally or by relatively cheap imported fish. Imports are commonly unbranded and quality is reported to be highly variable due to long transit times and post-harvest handling. This encourages the efforts of some Sicilian fish farms to improve the image of local products, enhanced through quality assurance schemes. Sicilian farmers are committed to make Regional farmed fish easily identifiable, by individual fish tagging indicating the place of origin and the farming brand, being aware that in a context of intense competition branding the product can be a winning strategy (Monfort, 2006).

The regional demand for juvenile seabass and seabream is satisfied by two hatcheries (Table 10). The two Sicilian hatcheries are also able to export more than 10 000 000 fingerlings per year. They are involved in research programs to develop the reproduction technology for autochthonous new species. The amberjack represents one of the main objectives, due to its particular favourable biological and commercial characteristics.

Table 10. Hatcheries of euryhaline fish in Sicily in 2008.

Province Municipality Fry number

Siracusa Pachino 16/18 000 000

Agrigento Lampedusa 7/9 000 000

Source: Santulli and Modica (2009)

In 2001, the first floating cage farm devoted to the fattening of bluefin tuna in Italy started its activity in the Gulf of Castellammare, Trapani (Table 11), followed by the farm of San Pier Niceto, Messina two years later. Bluefin tuna fattening is a particular aquaculture technology that developed rapidly in the Mediterranean following the high demand of the rich Japanese market, which requires high quality tuna, with a high fat content, for sushi and sashimi. Sashimi grade tuna only constitutes 30% of the overall quantity of caught fish and, therefore, the fattening period in the cages satisfies the requirements of the Japanese market, even in the period when the wild tuna fish are leaner, assuring a stable and consistent production in more favourable periods (Messina, 2009). This technology, however, cannot be consider “farming”, since the fish are not bred and reared in captivity (Ottolenghi, 2008; Messina, 2009).

33 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies

Table 11. Tuna fattening farms in Sicily in 2008.

Province Municipality Surface m2 Cage number Situation

Trapani 122 500 6 Active

Messina San Pier Niceto 480 000 10 Active

Source: Santulli and Modica (2009)

34 Fisheries in Sicily

8. MARINE RESEARCH

In Sicily most of the marine research focusing on fisheries and aquaculture is undertaken in university laboratories, e.g. University of Palermo (Institute of Zoology), University of Catania, University of Messina (Department of Animal Biology and Marine Ecology), as well as Istituto del Ambiente Marina e Costiera in Castellammare del Golfo (Laboratorio di Ecologia della Fascia Costiera) and Istituto di Biologia Marina - Consorzio Universitario di Trapani in .

Other public institutes carry out research on applied aspects and organize data collection: • The Institute of Research on Marine Resource and the Environment (IRMA - Istituto di ricerche sulle Risorse Marine e l’Ambiente), is a National Research Council institute (CNR – Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche). When founded in 1982 it was named Institute of Technology for Fisheries and Fish (ITTP - Istituto di Tecnologia della Pesca e del Pescato). Since 2002 the Institute is the territorial section Mazara del Vallo of the Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC - Istituto per l’ambiente marino costiero) in Napoli. IRMA is one of the main reference points in Italy for fisheries management, dealing with marine biological resources with the triple aim of managing them, increasing them and modelling their resources. In 1994 the institute opened the Laboratory of Marine Biology in Castellammare del Golfo. Other territorial sections of IAMC in Sicily are Messina and Capo Granitola. • The Central Institute for Scientific and Technological Research Applied to the Sea (ICRAM – Istituto Centrale per la Ricerca scientifica e tecnologica Applicata al Mare) is a public body affiliated with the Ministry for the environment and protection of territory, with a role in supporting national and regional decision-making concerning the marine environment, for sustainable development and biodiversity preservation in the coastal and marine environment, and for a sustainable policy of fisheries and aquaculture. The ICRAM has a subsidiary technical and scientific structure in Palermo, while the headquarters is in Rome. • The Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and the Environment (ENEA – Ente per le Nuove tecnologie, l’Energia e l’Ambiente), in particular through its Department of Environment, Global Change and Sustainable Development. Among its missions, ENEA provides technical and scientific support to Ministries as well as to regional and local administrations, for defining regulations requiring specific technical and scientific expertise, defining environmental, social, climate change, coastal erosion and hydrogeological risk, and making pollution assessments. The ENEA Station for Climate Observations on the island of Lampedusa is a research facility dedicated to measurement of climatic parameters and to oceanographic observations. Nevertheless, marine research is mainly based at Santa Teresa Marine Environment Research Centre in La Spezia.

Economic data on fisheries, as well as financial, operating and marketing information are collected by the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT - Istituto Nazionale di Statistica), ICRAM, and the private agency IREPA (Institute for Economic Research in Fishery and Aquaculture – Istituto di Ricerche Economiche per la Pesca e l’Acquacoltura).

IREPA is a specialist research institute founded in 1982, with the purpose of providing advisory services to national and international public bodies involved in fisheries and aquaculture management. The development of a wide and reliable statistical system represented one of the most relevant missions of IREPA, and over the last few years the

35 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies

institute has been entrusted with the responsibility of producing statistical national and regional data related to the fishing sector in Italy. IREPA operates within the National Statistical System SISTAN.

Starting in 2002, there has been a National Programme for the collection of fishery data relevant to the CFP on the basis of EU Regulations 1543/2000 and 1639/2001. As a result, after 2005 data on catches and average prices ceased being the responsibility of ISTAT, and is collected by IREPA.

The main national funding for research projects on fisheries and aquaculture topics comes from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies (MiPAAF) and from the CNR.

The MiPAAF has also funded a regional project focused on Sicily - MedSudMed "Assessment and Monitoring of the Fishery Resources and the Ecosystems in the Straits of Sicily", with four participating countries (Italy, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malta and Tunisia), executed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) since 2001. MedSudMed aims to support scientific communities and countries in the development of a monitoring system for the studies of fisheries resources and ecosystems. The main objectives of the project is to increase the scientific knowledge on the ecosystems of the Strait of Sicily, to strengthen national and regional expertise, and to develop scientific cooperation in order to promote the standardization of the methodologies used in fisheries research.

The Italian national programme for the collection of fishery data for the years 2009 and 2010 is in agreement with the new legal Community framework put in place in 2008 with the adoption of a Council Regulation6, a Commission Regulation7 and a Commission Decision8 laying down the detailed rules of application. A scientific Committee, composed of the national correspondent and of other members experts in the fields of biology, economy and statistics, manages the national program for the gathering of fishery data. Also, a central co-ordination unit composed of researchers in the fields of economic and fishery biology has been established, with a view to managing and co-ordinating both the operational and technical aspects of the national data collection program.

The Italian National Program for 2009 and 2010 includes two survey programmes:

• MEDITS (Mediterranean International bottom trawl survey) The MEDITS programme aims to conduct co-ordinated surveys from bottom trawling in the Mediterranean (Map 8). This survey derives from a EU project started in 1994 at European Mediterranean level (Bertrand, et al., 2002).

The basic protocol (MEDITS, 2007), common to all the Mediterranean partners, includes the design of the survey, the sampling gear (feature and handling), the information to be collected, and the management of the data as far as the production of common standardized analyses of the data.

The working zone is defined as the totality of the trawlable areas off the Italian coasts from 10 to 800 m depth, on the continental shelves and along the upper slopes (Map 8). These limits have been adopted to cover at best the distribution areas of the main exploited - or potentially exploitable - species, considering the administrative and technical constraints of the project.

6 Council Regulation (EC) No. 199/2008. 7 Commission Regulation (EC) No. 665/2008. 8 Commission Decision 2008/811/EC.

36 Fisheries in Sicily

• MEDIAS (Pan-Mediterranean pelagic survey) The MEDIAS echo-survey was carried out for the first time in 2009. It targets small pelagic fish such as anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus), and sardine (Sardina pilchardus) and it covers a series of areas in the Mediterranean EU member states (Spain, France, Italy Malta, Slovenia and Greece) with a standardised methodology. The aim is to gain knowledge of biomass levels and spatial distribution of small pelagic fishes. Italy is responsible for the performance of two cruises in the Adriatic Sea and in the Strait of Sicily. The study area of the strait of Sicily is covered following systematic parallel grids for a total of about 900 nautical miles identifying an area of about 4500 square nautical miles in the Sicilian Channel (Map 9).

Map 8: Location of the MEDITS hauls in the Mediterranean and around Italy

Source: MIPAAF (2009)

Map 9: Transect grid of the MEDIAS echosurvey in the Strait of Sicily (Italy and Malta) 38.5

38.0

N W E 37.5 S

37.0

36.5

36.0

35.5 12.0 12.5 13.0 13.5 14.0 14.5 15.0 15.5 16.0 Source: MIPAAF (2009)

37 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies

38 Fisheries in Sicily

REFERENCES

• ARTA, Assessorato regionale del territorio e dell’ambiente, 2008. Linee guida per la realizzazione di impianti di maricoltura in Sicilia. Gazzetta Ufficiale della Regione Siciliana 6 (suppl. ord.), 37 pp. • Bertrand J. A., Gil de Sola L., Papaconstantinou C., Relini G., Souplet A., 2002. The General specifications of the MEDITS surveys. Scientia Marina 66 (Supl.2), 9-17. • Commission Decision (2008/XXX/EC) adopting a multi annual Community programme pursuant to Council Regulation (EC) No 199/2008 establishing a Community framework for the collection, management and use of data in the fisheries sector and support for scientific advice regarding the Common Fisheries Policy. • Commission Regulation (EC) No 665/2008 of 14 July 2008 laying down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 199/2008 concerning the establishment of a Community framework for the collection, management and use of data in the fisheries sector and support for scientific advice regarding the Common Fisheries Policy. • Council Regulation (EC) No 199/2008 of 25 February 2008 concerning the establishment of a Community framework for the collection, management and use of data in the fisheries sector and support for scientific advice regarding the Common Fisheries Policy. • Iborra Martin J., 2008. Fisheries in Italy. Brussels, European Parliament, Policy Department Structural and Cohesion Policies, Fisheries, 30pp. • IREPA, 2008. Osservatorio economico sulle strutture produttive della pesca marittima in Italia. Milano Franco Angeli ed., 198 pp. • ISMEA, 2007. Il settore ittico in Italia e nel mondo: le tendenze recenti. ISMEA, Roma, 390 pp. • Mabile S., Piante C., 2005. Global Directory of Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas. Foundation WWF-France. Paris, France, 132 pp. • MEDITS, 2007. International bottom trawl survey in the Mediterranean - Instruction manual. Version 5. IFREMER, Nantes, 60 pp. • Messina C., La Barbera L., Arena R., Mistretta G., Santulli A., 2009. By-products from wild and reared Dicentrarchus labrax as a potential source of polyunsaturated fatty acid. Food Research International, submitted. • Milano A., 2008. Gambero yabby e trota macrostigma: le nuove strategie dell’acquacoltura. Terra e Vita 17, 60-61. • MIPAAF, Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, 2007. Programma Operativo FEP per il settore pesca. CCI: 2007IT14FPO001, 178 pp. • MIPAAF, Ministero delle Politiche Agricole Alimentari e Forestali, 2009. Italian national Program under Council Regulation EC No. 199/2008 and Commission Regulation EC No. 665-2008. National program 2009-2010, 100 pp. • Modica A., Santulli A., Scilipoti D., 2008. Acquacoltura. In: Relazione sullo Stato dell’Ambiente in Sicilia 2007. Regione Siciliana, Assessorato Regionale del Territorio e dell’Ambiente. Palermo, 69-89. • Monfort M.C., 2006. Markets and Marketing of Aquaculture Finfish in Europe, Focus on the Mediterranean Basin, FAO Fisheries division, www.marketing-seafood.com, 84 pp.

39 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies

• Ottolenghi F., 2008. Capture-based aquaculture of bluefin tuna. In: Lovatelli A., Holthus P.F. (Eds.), Capture-based aquaculture. Global overview. F.A.O. Fisheries Technical paper 508, FAO, Rome, 169-182. • Prioli G., 2008. La molluschicoltura in Italia. In: Lovatelli A., Farías A., Uriarte I., (Eds), Estado actual del cultivo y manejo de moluscos bivalvos y su proyección futura: factores que afectan su sustentabilidad en América Latina. FAO Actas de Pesca y Acuicultura 12. FAO, Roma, 159–176. • Reeder M.S., Rothwell R.G., Stow, D.A.V., 2002. The Sicilian gateway: anatomy of the deep-water connection between East and West Mediterranean basins. In: Stow D.A.V., Pudsey C.J., Howe J.A., Faugeres J-C., Viana, A.R. (Eds.) Deep-water contourite systems: modern drifts and ancient series, seismic and sedimentary characteristics. Geological Society Memoir 22. London, UK, Geological Society of London, 171-189. • Regione Siciliana, www.regione.sicilia.it • Ryan W. B. F., Carbotte S.M., Coplan J., O'Hara S., Melkonian A., Arko R., Weissel R.A., Ferrini V., Goodwillie A., Nitsche F., Bonczkowski J., Zemsky R. (2009), Global Multi- Resolution Topography (GMRT) synthesis data set. Geochemisty Geophysics Geosystems 10, Q03014. • Santulli A., 2007. Acquacoltura in salina: promozione protezione e valorizzazione: definizione ed applicazione di una metodologia a impatto ridotto per l’allevamento semi intensivo in saline ricadenti all’interno di riserva naturale. Consorzio Universitario della Provincia di Trapani, POR Sicilia 2000/06, N°1999. IT.16.1.PO.011/4.17B/8.3.7./0063, 326 pp. • Santulli A., Messina C., 2008. Quality of fish reared in extensive in the salt works of Trapani and Marsala (Western Sicily). Sea salt and fish as flag products to promote territory and Natural Reserves. In: IFOAM Conference on organic aquaculture, Cattolica Italy, 20 June 2008, 29-31. • Santulli A., Modica A., 2009. Aquaculture in Sicily: the state of the art. Italian Journal of Animal Science 8, Suppl. 2, 829-837. • Schöffmann J., Sušnik S. Snoj A., 2007. Phylogenetic origin of Salmo trutta L 1758 from Sicily, based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA analyses. Hydrobiologia 575, 51–55. • SEC(2007)466. Commission Staff Working Document. Scientific Technical Economic Committee of Fisheries Opinion on Evaluation of Plans for Protection of Marine Living Resources on the Italian Mainland, in Sicily and . Delivered at Plenary Meeting of STECF 3-7 April 2006, 31 pp. • Sprint Sicilia office, www.internationalsicily.com • Wood L. J., 2007. MPA Global: A database of the world's marine protected areas. Sea Around Us Project, UNEP-WCMC & WWF. www.mpaglobal.org

40 Fisheries in Sicily

ANNEX: FISHING PORTS IN SICILY

Province Port Vessels Tonnage Engine power No. % GT % kW % Messina MESSINA 70 2% 374 1% 2597 1% Messina LIPARI 138 4% 685 1% 8737 3% Messina MILAZZO 85 3% 405 1% 3829 1% Messina SANTO STEFANO DI CAMASTRA 22 1% 50 0% 437 0% Messina SANT'AGATA DI MILITELLO 73 2% 288 0% 2881 1% Messina PATTI MARINA 47 1% 173 0% 1469 1% Messina SPADAFORA 33 1% 64 0% 712 0% Messina TORRE DI FARO 67 2% 209 0% 2730 1% Messina SANTA TERESA A RIVA 20 1% 27 0% 214 0% Messina GIARDINI 54 2% 308 0% 2023 1% Messina SALINA 14 0% 37 0% 506 0% Catania CATANIA 96 3% 2407 4% 13098 5% Catania RIPOSTO 63 2% 1121 2% 7817 3% Catania POZZILLO 25 1% 411 1% 3747 1% Catania SANTA MARIA LA SCALA 44 1% 760 1% 5619 2% Catania ACI CASTELLO 41 1% 762 1% 5051 2% Catania OGNINA 15 0% 264 0% 1778 1% Siracusa AUGUSTA 59 2% 330 1% 2614 1% Siracusa SIRACUSA 88 3% 801 1% 5570 2% Siracusa PORTOPALO DI CAPO PASSERO 129 4% 2652 4% 15182 5% Siracusa 24 1% 41 0% 467 0% Agrigento PORTO EMPEDOCLE 59 2% 1867 3% 7575 3% Agrigento LICATA 104 3% 1335 2% 8541 3% Caltanissetta 21 1% 43 0% 335 0% Agrigento SCIACCA 139 4% 5934 9% 22490 8% Agrigento LAMPEDUSA 81 2% 1119 2% 9040 3% Trapani MAZARA DEL VALLO 269 8% 27687 43% 74614 26% Trapani TRAPANI 142 4% 2805 4% 12315 4% Trapani MARSALA 107 3% 1482 2% 8803 3% Trapani PANTELLERIA 19 1% 50 0% 411 0% Trapani 30 1% 144 0% 1227 0% Trapani 17 1% 38 0% 507 0% Trapani 2 0% 8 0% 71 0% Trapani 32 1% 183 0% 1309 0% Trapani CASTELLAMMARE DEL GOLFO 32 1% 78 0% 705 0% Palermo PALERMO 71 2% 1538 2% 4084 1% Palermo TERMINI IMERESE 75 2% 349 1% 3205 1% Palermo BALESTRATE 31 1% 45 0% 531 0% Palermo TERRASINI 39 1% 767 1% 3771 1% Palermo ISOLA DELLE FEMMINE 123 4% 556 1% 4168 1% Palermo MONDELLO 59 2% 86 0% 840 0% Palermo USTICA 8 0% 95 0% 767 0% Palermo PORTICELLO 266 8% 3035 5% 18681 6% Palermo TRABIA 20 0 22 0 137 0% Palermo CEFALU' 59 0 230 0 2100 1% Messina CAPO D'ORLANDO 1 0% 1 0% 0 0% Ragusa POZZALLO 150 5% 778 1% 5619 2% Ragusa SCOGLITTI 160 5% 1584 2% 8958 3% TOTAL 3323 100% 64028 100% 287880 100%

Data source: Community Fishing Fleet Register. Processing: J. Iborra

41 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies

NOTES

42

Directorate-General FOR Internal Policies POLICY DEPARTMENT Directorate-General FOR Internal Policies STRUCTURAL AND COHESION POLICIESB

POLICY DEPARTMENT AgricultureAgriculture and Rural and Development Rural Development STRUCTURAL AND COHESION POLICIES B CultureCulture and Education and Education Role

The Policy Departments are research units that provide specialised advice Fisheries to committees, inter-parliamentary delegations and other parliamentary bodies. Fisheries RegionalRegional Development Development Policy Areas TransportTransport and andTourism Tourism Agriculture and Rural Development Culture and Education Fisheries Regional Development Transport and Tourism

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