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EVOLUTION OF THE ARTISANAL FISHERY IN CILENTO, ITALY - CASE STUDY - F. COLLOCA, V. CRESPI, S. COPPOLA Preliminary report Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Rome, May 2002 ii INDEX Page 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 1.1 Definition of artisanal fishery ................................................................... 2 1.2 General situation of the Italian fishery ..................................................... 3 1.3 Italian fisheries legislation ........................................................................ 3 1.4 Situation of Campania fisheries ............................................................... 4 2. STUDY AREA .................................................................................................. 5 2.2. Environmental characteristics .................................................................. 8 2.3 Main ports of Cilento ............................................................................. 10 3. MATERIALS AND METHODS ..................................................................... 13 3.1 Sampling design ..................................................................................... 13 3.2 Data collection ........................................................................................ 14 3.3 Data analysis ........................................................................................... 15 4. CATCH AND EFFORT DATA ...................................................................... 18 4.1 Fishing fleet ............................................................................................ 18 4.2 Fishing metiers ........................................................................................ 23 4.3 Catch and landings ................................................................................. 32 4.4 Fishing effort .......................................................................................... 37 5. SOCIO-ECONOMIC STRUCTURE OF ARTISANAL FISHERY ............... 44 5.1 Ownership and working conditions ........................................................ 44 5.2 Social structure ....................................................................................... 45 5.3 Invested capital ....................................................................................... 46 5.4 Costs-Incomes of artisanal fisheries ....................................................... 46 6. CLASSIFICATION OF CILENTO ARTISANAL FISHERIES .................... 52 7. CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................. 54 8. RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................. 56 9. REFERENCES ................................................................................................. 58 iii PREPARATION OF THIS DOCUMENT Artisanal fishery in the Mediterranean area is a very attractive and interesting tradition. Because of its unpredictable operational pattern and its constant adaptation to internal and external phenomena it is difficult to really assess its status over time. The need to improve our knowledge of artisanal fishery and how it is conducted in the Mediterranean has been highlighted on many occasions and, in a way, still remains an ongoing issue. The FAO Copemed Project took up the challenge to initiate a sub-regional project activity to assess the situation of artisanal fisheries in the eight countries participating in the project in order to contribute regionally to an issue which, to our knowledge, is normally treated only at the national level (see reference). It is also believed that more knowledge and, in particular, results from case studies based on actual circumstances, could help to envisage changes, highlight similarities and dissimilarities, interpret the evolution and propose options to managers and authorities in the sector. The whole study consists of the planning and realization of the following major components: (a) the methodological design, (b) the data collection (field work), (c) the data base (ArtFiMed), (d) the case studies, (e) the processing and analysis, (f) the CD output, (g) appropriate documentation, and (h) a power-point presentation. This paper concerns the implementation of one of the first two case studies launched on conclusion of the inventory of artisanal fishery communities in the Mediterranean in accordance with the main objective of the project activity, i.e., to "launch some studies aiming at defining management strategies for artisanal fisheries to benefit fishermen’s communities and administrations, and not just be the statistical component”. The authors wish to thank Ms. Merlyn Homer for the editing of this document. 1 1. INTRODUCTION Even though the offshore industrial or semi-industrial fisheries are the most productive, small-scale coastal fisheries have a much greater social significance. Mediterranean artisanal fishing is a very variable activity. Catches are highly multispecific and fishing intensities and strategies show very rapid fluctuations in space and over time. The variation of active fishermen and boats by area, sometimes over very short periods of time, is also a significant characteristic of the artisanal fishery sector. This sector involves several countries and encompasses many types of fishing gear and methods. Its resources, shared among various parties, move from one region to another, and the size of the fish catch varies from country to country, as does its economical value. The FAO Copemed Project, through its initiatives, offered the possibility of starting a programme of work to study this sector in depth in its area of competence (Algeria, France, Italy, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Spain and Tunisia). At present, the various official national statistical systems cannot take into account the high variability of all the components in this sector. Information on artisanal fishery, in the wide sense, is fundamental for planning and management purposes provided it also takes into account most of the interacting elements. It is, therefore, extremely important to document all the factors in the related sectors which interact directly or indirectly with artisanal fisheries, and describe synergies, conflicts or friction and possible interaction and relationship. Once the preliminary phase of the project had been completed (inventory of artisanal fishery communities in each country involved) the research activities passed from a qualitative and generic inventory to timely and precise studies (case studies). These were undertaken in areas where the conditions permitted in-depth and detailed data collection and analysis. The FAO Copemed project funded the case study in Cilento because this region’s characteristics are common to most of the Italian and Western Mediterranean coastal areas, where various activities overlap and traditional fishing activities suffer from environmental degradation and significant fishing effort. The aims of the case study are the following: S Definition of sampling strategies and data collection routines for the selected site. S Analysis of short-term and long-term temporal changes in artisanal fishing activities. S Identification of biological and socio-economic indicators that could be used as a tool to assess the status of the local Artisanal Fisheries. S Elaborate methodologies and routines that can be applied in similar areas of southern Mediterranean Sea. The Cilento area, situated in the Campania region, was selected on the basis of several factors. First of all, its structural, economical and social importance within the artisanal fishery communities in the Western and Central Mediterranean, especially vis-à-vis the southern part of the Mediterranean. Secondly, the proved interest of the fishermen to collaborate and, thirdly, the availability of and access to detailed data from a previous survey carried out in 1994-1995. 2 As far as the availability of historical data is concerned, this refers to a study on traditional fishing activities in the Italian region of Cilento (southern Tyrrhenian Sea) supported by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture Resources carried out during 1994-1995 through periodic surveys at the main landing sites. The main objectives of the study were: 4 to assess dimensions and characteristics of fishing activities (fleet, fishing gears, target species, fishing areas and periods, catch composition, landings and CPUEs); 4 to identify management measures to enforce artisanal fishing activities. In the last 20 years artisanal fishery has been reducing its economic importance in the area, as can generally be seen along the Italian coasts. The main factors in this process are linked to the socio-economic development of coastal areas with the growth of the tourism industry. During the five year period (1995-2000) traditional fishing activities in the coastal zone have been partially replaced by new activities, such as aquaculture, fishing-tourism (“pesca- turismo”), and tourist pleasure-boating along the coasts. In the forthcoming years the creation of Marine Reserves will accelerate these changes. This study was undertaken because of the: S Acknowledged importance of artisanal fisheries in the region. S Reduction of artisanal fishing activities along the Italian coasts over the last 20 years. S Lack of quantitative data on fishing activities. S Inadequate knowledge of the factors involved in the development process.

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