Monitoring methodology for small-scale fisheries within and around MPAs

Successful MPA management practices should properly address the complexity of Small-scale Fisheries (SSF) and their impacts, not only on the environment through the extraction of fishing resources, but also on dependent social and economic systems. In this regard, there is clearly a need to collect relevant data concerning multiple aspects of SSFs management in order to develop and adapt sound management plans and strategies. This document adopts an overall multidimensional approach, and suggests different and integrated methodologies to collect data on the specific variables that should be monitored to support the development of sound SSF management in and around MPAs, the goal being to attain a win-win scenario for both conservation and fisheries goals.

Technological infrastructure

• A combination of an Underwater Visual Census (UVC) and Horizontal Baited Underwater Video systems (H-BUVs) is suggested to monitor fish assemblages; UVC using strip transects of 25 × 5 m (a standard surface largely used globally, and in the Mediterranean Sea in particular) are performed by divers swimming at constant speed, identifying, counting, and estimating the size of all individuals within 2.5 m on either side of the transect line. Each H-BUVs unit consists of a stainless steel frame with a mesh bag on one end containing a fixed amount of bait (i.e., crushing sardines to ensure greater dispersion of the plume, usually 400 gr of Sardina pilchardus per replicate), and supporting, on the other end, two GoPro Hero 3 high-resolution (720p) stereo-video cameras located in a waterproof housing. Each H-BUVs unit is attached by a rope to a large buoy on the surface, along with two small buoys in proximity of the unit.
• Squidpops are also recommended to assess predation intensity related to mesopredatory fishes. Squidpops consist of a 1.3-cm diameter disk of dried squid mantle tethered to a 30-60 cm rod, which is either inserted in the sediment in soft-bottom habitats or secured to existing structures. Underwater, tethered rods are spaced 1-2 m apart in single or double rows and filmed by an underwater camera for the first hour. Monitoring methodology for small-scale fisheries within and around MPAs Monitoring tool Cap Roux (France) Cote Bleue (France) Portofino (Italy) Telascica (Croatia) Strunjan (Slovenia) MPA Torre Guaceto (Italy) Egadi (Italy) Bonifacio (France) Es Freus (Spain) Cabo de Palos (Spain) Zakynthos (Greece) Pilot areas Photo by: Romanos Senikidis on Unsplash FISHMPABLUE2
• A photo camera to take pictures of fish landings and catches, and image-analysis software (e.g., ImageJ) to assess the length and wet weight of each specimen in the laboratory

Training

Specific training is required to design monitoring activities and to use the above-mentioned techniques.

Investment

Specific equipment (cameras, software, reels etc.) has to be purchased to perform the suggested methodologies. In addition, normal costs for activities at sea should be planned for.

Concept

• The Guidelines cover the monitoring of the following variables and techniques: Environmental factors: Fish Assemblages, using an underwater visual census with strip transect and Horizontal Baited Underwater Video systems (H-BUVs); and assessing the potential effect of MPAs on predation intensity and related top-down ecological control using squidpops.
• Economic factors: comparison between the catches per unit of effort (CPUE) and the revenue per unit of effort (RPUE) obtained within the MPA, with those obtained in open fishing areas outside the MPA using the same gear and approximately within the same bathymetric range and habitats.
• Other social, cultural, governance, and health factors: other domains (and specific variables) of the human dimension were assessed, related to the human wellbeing of small-scale fishers’ communities, using extensive literature review and expert knowledge assessment through two questionnaires.
  
  Recommended implementation frequency
  
  Multi-year monitoring studies are recommended in order to evaluate the temporal trends of the assessed outcomes. In this context, it is fundamental to stress the importance of planning robust sampling strategies and designs that highlight the effects of MPAs on a set of variables, while accounting for natural and spatial variability in the investigated system.
  

Fishers may be unwilling to participate and answer the questionnaire; hence, some best practices have been identified, which include the recommendation to have a neutral and objective stance, to interview fishers when they are not too busy, and to ensure the confidentiality of the interview. A similar problem could arise for monitoring small-scale fisheries catches at landing.

It is advisable, therefore, that scientific studies and monitoring be conducted in partnership between MPAs scientific or technical personnel and scientific institutions, to make sure that the methods chosen, the way the monitoring is actually conducted in the field, and the way data are analysed, allow for proper conclusions to be drawn.

Quantitative results

By implementing these methods, essential data can be collected that describes environmental, economic, and social aspects related to SSFs, which are fundamental to support effective management strategies.

Transfer potential

These Guidelines are ready to be adopted and applied by any MPA in the Mediterranean.

Representative example of the methodology to collect small-scale fisheries catch data.