The Implementation of the Landing Obligation in Small-Scale Fisheries of Southern European Union Countries

Chap e 5
The Implemen a ion o he Landing
Obliga ion in Small-Scale Fishe ies
o Sou he n Eu opean Union Coun ies
Sebas ian Villasan e, Manel An elo, Ma ia Ch is ou, Lau ence Fauconne ,
Ka ia F angoudes, F ancesc Maynou, Telmo Mo a o, C is ina Pi a,
Pablo Pi a, Kons an inos I. S e giou, Celia Teixei a, Geo ge Tse pes,
and Vassiliki Vassilopoulou
Abs ac In he Eu opean Union, disca ds ep esen a majo sou ce o undocu-
men ed mo ali y, con ibu ing o he o e fishing o Eu opean fish s ocks. Howe e ,
li le a en ion has been gi en by he scien ific communi y o disca ds in he
S. Villasan e (*)
Facul y o Poli ical and Social Sciences, Uni e si y o San iago de Compos ela, San iago de
Compos ela, Spain
e-mail: [email p o ec ed]
M. An elo · P. Pi a
Facul y o Economics and Business Adminis a ion, Uni e si y o San iago de Compos ela,
San iago de Compos ela, Spain
M. Ch is ou · K. I. S e giou
Ins i u e o Ma ine Biological Resou ces and Inland Wa e s, Hellenic Cen e o Ma ine
Resea ch, Ana yssos, G eece
A is o le Uni e si y o Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, G eece
L. Fauconne
Depa amen o de Oceanog afia e Pescas –Okeanos, Ins i u o do Ma (IMAR), Uni e sidade dos
Aço es, Ho a, Po ugal
K. F angoudes
Uni e si y o B es , I eme , CNRS, UMR 6308, AMURE, IUEM, Plouzané, F ance
F. Maynou
Ins i u de Ciències del Ma , CSIC, Ba celona, Spain
T. Mo a o
Ma ine and En i onmen al Sciences Cen e (MARE), Ins i u e o Ma ine Resea ch (IMAR) and
OKEANOS Resea ch Uni , Uni e sidade dos Aço es, Ho a, Po ugal
C. Pi a
Depa men o En i onmen and Planning & Cen e o En i onmen al and Ma ine S udies
(CESAM), Uni e si y o A ei o, A ei o, Po ugal
C. Teixei a
MARE –Ma ine and En i onmen al Sciences Cen e, Faculdade de Ciências, Uni e sidade de
Lisboa, Lisbon, Po ugal
©The Au ho (s) 2019
S. S. Uhlmann e al. (eds.), The Eu opean Landing Obliga ion,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/978-3-030-03308-8_5
89
Eu opean Union’s small-scale fishe ies (SSF). This is mainly due o he ac ha
disca ds a e mos ly gene a ed by indus ial fishe ies, while SSFs we e gene ally
hough o ha e lowe disca d a es han indus ial fishe ies. A Landing Obliga ion
(LO) is being in oduced in Eu opean wa e s wi h he e o m o he Common
Fishe ies Policy (CFP) (A icle 15, EU egula ion 1380/2013) o limi / educe
disca ding. Howe e , managemen ecommenda ions a e equi ed o suppo i s
implemen a ion. The eali y and challenges o en o ce he LO in SSF a e analyzed
in his chap e , ga he ing in o ma ion om di e en small-scale fishe ies and fishe s
om he A lan ic Ocean and Medi e anean Sea who we e asked abou hei pe cep-
ions owa d he LO. The objec i es o his chap e a e o (a) iden i y he easons o
disca ding and (b) in es iga e he mul iple ecological, economic, social, and ins i-
u ional d i e s which ac as a ba ie owa d he implemen a ion o he LO in SSF.
Gi en he high impo ance o SSF in he sou he n coun ies o Eu ope, di e en case
s udies o SSF om F ance, G eece, Po ugal, and Spain coas s a e used o illus a e
he easons o disca ding, he impac s o he LO on SSF, and he ba ie s o i s
implemen a ion.
Keywo ds Common Fishe ies Policy · Disca ds · Impac s · Landing Obliga ion ·
Small-scale fishe ies · Sou he n Eu ope
5.1 In oduc ion
In he Eu opean Union (EU), disca ds ep esen a majo sou ce o undocumen ed
(o poo ly documen ed) mo ali y, con ibu ing o he o e fishing o Eu opean fish
s ocks. Disca ding le els in EU fishe ies a y be ween loca ions, gea s, species, and
fishing g ounds (Uhlmann e al. 2013). Howe e , da a collec ion and es ima es o
disca ds o all comme cial species in EU wa e s unde he CFP a e a om being
comple e and gene ally ha e low p ecision. This eflec s he ela i ely low in ensi y
o disca d sampling and he high a iabili y in amoun s o fish disca ded, e en wi hin
a single fishe y. The omission and/o poo disca d da a om s ock assessmen s may
also esul in unde es ima ion o exploi a ion a es and can lead o biased assess-
men s and policy ecommenda ions, hampe ing he achie emen o esilien and
sus ainable fishe y esou ces uses (Aa s and Poos 2009).
The implemen a ion o a Landing Obliga ion (LO) was one o he key elemen s o
he ecen e o m o he EU Common Fishe ies Policy (CFP) (Regula ion (EU) No
1380/2013). A phased LO was o mally implemen ed in Janua y 2015, and by 2019
G. Tse pes
Ins i u e o Ma ine Biological Resou ces (IMBR), Hellenic Cen e o Ma ine Resea ch,
Ana yssos, G eece
V. Vassilopoulou
Ins i u e o Ma ine Biological Resou ces and Inland Wa e s, Hellenic Cen e o Ma ine
Resea ch, Ana yssos, G eece
90 S. Villasan e e al.
i will be in o ce in all EU wa e s, co e ing all fishe ies ha cap u e comme cial
species co e ed by he CFP egula ion, including SSF. Landings om EU SSF a e
wo h a ound €2 housand million eu os annually, i.e., 25% o he e enue gene a ed
by EU fishe ies, and SSF he e o e ha e a high alue in he sea ood supply chain.
A ound 80% o EU fishing boa s and mo e han 40% o EU fishe s (90,000) a e
engaged in SSF (Mac adyen e al. 2011), emphasizing ha SSF is a sec o wi h g ea
social, economic, and cul u al impo ance o coas al communi ies, especially in
sou he n Eu ope.
The small-scale flee has declined by 20% o e he las 10 yea s, o jus o e
70,000 essels. Small-scale essels a e on a e age be ween 5 and 7 m in leng h,
weigh 3GT, and ha e engines wi h a powe o 34 kW (Mac adyen e al. 2011). Mo e
han 90% p ima ily use passi e gea s (i.e., gea s ha a e no owed o d agged
h ough he wa e ) such as d i and fixed ne s, hook and lines, o po s and aps.
Despi e hei impo ance, o decades, EU fishe y policy (e.g., quo as, subsidies,
managemen sys ems) has ocused on la ge-scale fishing, and he e is a lack o
knowledge abou biological, en i onmen al, socioeconomic, managemen , and pol-
icy aspec s o SSF. SSF aces di e se challenges and p essu es, no leas o es ablish
app op ia e go e nance sys ems.
Howe e , li le esea ch has been done on he impac s o he LO on SSF
(Villasan e e al. 2015a; Veiga e al. 2016). The e o e, he specific objec i es o
his chap e a e o (i) iden i y he easons o disca ding among SSF, (ii) de e mine
he ac o s (ecological, economic, ins i u ional) ha ac as ba ie s o he success ul
implemen a ion o he LO, and (iii) iden i y he ins i u ional a angemen s and/o
ules ha ei he inhibi o acili a e an adap a ion o he LO.
5.2 The S a us o Disca ds in Small-Scale Fishe ies
To examine esea ch gaps ega ding disca ds in SSF, we did a sys ema ic li e a u e
sea ch o iden i y ele an scien ific pape s published up o Augus 2018 in Scopus,
by sea ching i les, abs ac s, and keywo ds using he ollowing e ms: “fishe *”o
“fishing”;“disca d*”; and “a isan*”o “small-scale”o “ adi ional”o “subsis-
ence”o “local”o “indus ial”o “comme cial”o “la ge.”The esul s ob ained
show ha he opic o disca ds in SSFs a ac ed li le a en ion among he scien ific
communi y. A o al o 1219 pape s ha e been published on he opic o disca ds om
1950 o Augus 2018, o which 952 a e ela ed o indus ial fishe ies (78%) wi h only
267 pape s ocused on SSF (21%) (Fig. 5.1). The e iew also showed ha he li le
a en ion paid by he scien ific communi y o disca ds in SSFs is due o he belie ha
disca d p oblems we e mainly concen a ed in indus ial fishe ies, while SSFs
gene ally ha e lowe disca d a es (Villasan e e al. 2016a).
Disca ding occu s no only due o poo gea selec i i y and he cap u e o
unwan ed “low alue”fish bu also due o he misma ch be ween ca ch composi ion
and egula o y ca ch o size limi s. Unde size fish may be disca ded due o he MLS
egula ions; o e -quo a fish can be disca ded in a mul i-species fishe y due o quo a
5 The Implemen a ion o he Landing Obliga ion in Small-Scale Fishe ies... 91
exhaus ion o one species, and less aluable size classes o a ge species may be
disca ded o make oom o mo e aluable size classes (high g ading). E en i high
g ading has been legally o bidden, i is s ill known o occu on a egula basis. All
hese issues a e epo ed o be p esen in EU SSF (Villasan e e al. 2016a,2016b,
2016c). These di e en easons o disca ding impac hea ily on he willingness o
comply wi h ules and egula ions.
5.3 Impac s o he Landing Obliga ion in Small-Scale
Fishe ies
The e m SSF implies small essel size and, some imes, low le els o echnology and
capi al in es men pe fishe . Fo he pu poses o he Eu opean Ma i ime and
Fishe ies Fund (Regula ion (CE) No 508/2014, “small-scale coas al fishing”was
o mally defined as fishing done by essels o an o e all leng h < 12 m and no using
owed gea . SSF a e hus ypically “a isanal”and coas al, using small boa s,
a ge ing mul iple species using adi ional gea s.
To in es iga e he impac o he LO in SSF, we will ocus on he impac o his
measu e on selec ed SSF in he EU –in F ance, G eece, Po ugal, and Spain. We will
desc ibe hese fishe ies, hei disca ds, he easons o disca ding, impac o he LO,
ac o s ha ac as ba ie s o he success ul implemen a ion o he LO, and he
ins i u ional a angemen s and ules ha inhibi o acili a e he adap a ion o he LO.
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
Publica ions (N)
Yea
Indus ial ishe ies
A isanal ishe ies
Fig. 5.1 Numbe o scien ific pape s published in ela ion o disca ds om indus ial and a isanal
fishe ies (1950–2018). (Sou ce: Scopus)
92 S. Villasan e e al.
5.3.1 F ance
Small-Scale Fishe ies in he B i ish Channel, Cel ic Sea, and Bay o Biscay
In F ance, he small-scale flee is no legally defined. The numbe o hou s spen a
sea is he main c i e ion o classi y he essels a he han leng h o use o passi e
gea s. Fo he pu pose o his chap e , only essels < 12 m o he leng h ope a ing
wi hin e i o ial wa e s (12 nm) in he B i ish Channel, Cel ic Sea, and Bay o
Biscay a e aken in o accoun . See Table 5.1 o he cha ac e is ics o his flee and
he main species landed. The majo i y o he a ge species in he A lan ic Coas /
Ocean a e subjec o To al Allowable Ca ch (TAC) egula ions.
In e iews we e done wi h small-scale fishe s ope a ing in he English Channel,
Cel ic Sea, and Bay o Biscay as pa o he EU Disca dLess p ojec (h p://www.
disca dless.eu). All F ench fishe s in e iewed pe cei ed he LO nega i ely no only
because hey el ha i will educe hei ac i i y and inc ease expendi u e on hei
boa s bu ha i also shows ha decisions we e made a he op le el wi hou aking
in accoun he good managemen p ac ices implemen ed by he fishe ies commi ees
o POs o e he las 15 yea s ( an Hoo e al., his olume). Tha is, F ench small-
scale fishe s eel ha Eu opean decision-make s sa is y claims and in e es s o
lobbies (conse a ionis s, aquacul u e) a he hose o fishe s (De Vos e al. 2016).
Acco ding o in e iewed fishe s, he main easons o disca ding a e egula o y,
such as quo as, o bidden species, e c. Low ma ke p ices and high g ading a e also
gi en as easons o disca ding (Table 5.2). Damaged fish was also men ioned by
ne e s o long-line s. I is p obably ha because SSF implemen ed a quo a sys em
la e han he la ge flee , and he ac ha hey ha e smalle amoun s o quo a, hese
fishe s disca d mo e. New fishe s, who do no own quo as, ha e o fish unde an open
na ional quo a sys em, managed by he na ional fishe ies adminis a ion, and because
hese quo as a e apidly filled, hey a e obliged o disca d all fishes o e quo a.
Young fishe women using ne s as he main fishing gea say: “As soon as he na ional
quo a closes, all fish caugh unde he quo as sys em a e disca ded. We a e no
membe s o he local PO, and we canno access mo e quo as.”In some egions, POs
manage quo as collec i ely; hus, he quo a can be swapped among fishe s, wi h he
esul ha i is easie o hem o a oid high disca d a es.
Unde size fish, when men ioned, did no eally ep esen a cons ain o F ench
small-scale fishe s. They all say ha he gea s hey use a e mo e selec i e han hose
used by he indus ial flee . Bu hey canno a oid all unde size fish as “ he e is no a
fishing gea which doesn’ ca ch unde size fishes.”Fo hose using handline o aps,
unwan ed fish can easily be e u ned ali e o he sea. The “lack o a good p ice” o
some species, o example, Eu opean plaice (Pleu onec es pla essa) in he Eas e n
Channel and Eu opean hake (Me luccius me luccius) o A lan ic ho se macke el
(T achu us achu us) in he Bay o Biscay, is gi en as ano he eason o
disca ding. Fo fishe s, disca ding species wi hou comme cial alue is no pe cei ed
as disca ds. I is he same when i comes o high g ading p ac iced by fishe s o
5 The Implemen a ion o he Landing Obliga ion in Small-Scale Fishe ies... 93

Table 5.1 Case s udies cha ac e iza ion
Case s udy Coun y Fishing flee Gea used
Main species
landed
Rules and
egula ions
SSF in he
B i ish
Channel,
Cel ic Sea,
and Bay o
Biscay
F ance Vessels less
han 12 m
ope a ing
mainly wi hin
e i o ial
wa e s (12 nm)
using mainly
passi e gea
Gillne s, am-
mel ne s, long-
lines,
handlines, ne s,
po s and aps,
some SSF es-
sels using
d edges o
awls
Common sole,
Eu opean sea
bass, pollack,
and monkfish;
o al landings
80,000 ons
(in 2013)
Mos a ge
species subjec
o TAC and
MLS
SSF in he
The maikos
Gul
G eece Poly alen pas-
si e gea s
Ne s, po s,
longlines, aps
Lands a wide
a ay o spe-
cies, he mos
impo an
being hake,
common cu le-
fish, mulle s,
annula
seab eam, sad-
dled seab eam,
common oc o-
pus, common
pando a, and
sco pionfish;
accoun ed o
18,152 ons
(in 2016)
Mos a ge
species ha e
minimum
landing size
(MLS). Plus
spa ial es ic-
ions and em-
po al es ic-
ions (e.g.,
essels
a ge ing hake
and exceeding
he limi o
>20% o land-
ings a e no
au ho ized o
fish in
Feb ua y)
SSF in
Ca alonia
Spain Poly alen pas-
si e gea s
ope a ing
wi hin 6 nm
T ammel ne s,
gillne s, boa
seines, po s o
oc opus, and
longline
Lands o e
200 species, he
mos impo an
being deme sal
species (cu le-
fish, hake, pan-
do a, sole,
golden
seab eam),
sand-eel, oc o-
pus, and
boni o. A e -
age landings o
3000 on/yea
Some species
subjec o
MLS (e.g.,
hake, sole,
Spa idae,
oc opus).
Technical lim-
i a ions o he
size o fishing
gea (e.g.,
maximum
leng h o ne s;
maximum
numbe o
hooks; maxi-
mum numbe
o aps)
SSF in
Galicia
Spain Vessels less
han 12 m
ope a ing
mainly wi hin
Gillne Hake, ho se
macke el,
macke el,
pou ing,
su mulle .
Mos a ge
species subjec
o TAC, MLS,
and fishing
e o
(con inued)
94 S. Villasan e e al.
ob ain be e p ices. Only he bigges indi iduals a e landed; all he o he s, including
hose ha ing legal size, a e disca ded.
The impac s o he LO will be di e en o fishe s using di e en gea s. Ne e s
hink ha in some seasons hey will ha e high a es o disca ds (e.g., A lan ic ho se
macke el), ha hey will ha e o come o he ha bo o land be o e e u ning back o
hei fishing a eas. Handling and so ing fish will ake longe , and hey do no know
i c ew membe s will do i . Fo hem, he need o employ one mo e c ew membe o
deal wi h longe handling imes means less income o he c ew. All fishe s wan o
know who will pay he di e en axes ela ed o auc ions, dealing wi h ash, e c.
Ne e s and long-line s conside ha he LO will ha e a nega i e economic impac
on hei ac i i y. Bu o he mo e selec i e handline s, he LO was el o ha e li le
economic impac .
Table 5.1 (con inued)
Case s udy Coun y Fishing flee Gea used
Main species
landed
Rules and
egula ions
6 nm using
passi e gea
A e age daily
ca ch o
3000 kg
(in 2018)
Deepwa e
hook-and-
line fishe y
in he
Azo es
Po ugal Deepwa e Bo om long-
lines, handlines
Blackspo
seab eam,
Eu opean
conge ,
Fo kbea d, sil-
e
scabba dfish,
bluemou h
ockfish,
w eckfish.
To al landings
o 4070
(in 2014), 15–
21 M€be ween
2010 and 2017
Ta ge and
seconda y
species subjec
o TAC (e.g.,
blackspo
seab eam,
al onsinos).
Deepwa e
sha ks subjec
o TAC ze o.
MLS o se -
e al species,
minimum
hook sizes,
a ea and em-
po al closu es,
and bans on
he use o spe-
cific gea
Beach seine Po ugal Pu se seine T awling ne o
he beach;
small fishe y
consis ing o
solely 143 es-
sels in he
en i e coun y
Small pelagic
fish such as
macke el,
A lan ic ho se
macke el, and
sa dine
Ho se mack-
e el
(T achu us
spp.) subjec
o TAC
No e: SSF, small-scale fishe ies; MLS, minimum landing size; nm, nau ical miles; TAC, To al
Allowable Ca ch
5 The Implemen a ion o he Landing Obliga ion in Small-Scale Fishe ies... 95
Table 5.2 Reasons o disca ding and ba ie s o implemen ing he Landings Obliga ion (LO)
Case s udy Coun y
Main easons
o disca ding
Ba ie s o he implemen a ion o he LO
Ecological Economic Ins i u ional
SSF in he
B i ish
Channel,
Cel ic Sea,
and Bay o
Biscay
F ance Mainly egu-
la ions
(quo as, MLS,
and o bidden
species). Also,
low ma ke
alue, lack o
comme cial
alue/ma ke ,
high g ading,
and damaged
ca ch
Mix fishe ies,
in some sea-
son’s abun-
dance o some
species a e no
easy o a oid.
Few essels
loca ed in
es ua y a eas
deal wi h
unde size fish
The LO will
inc ease ope a-
ion cos s o
ne e s and
long-line s
(mo e ips o
land all ca ch,
inc ease in c ew
o deal wi h
ex a wo k).
Wo ies abou
who will pay o
axes ela ed o
he auc ion,
ash, e c.
Mos a ge
species subjec
o quo a and
many small-
scale fishe s
ope a e unde
he na ional
open quo a
sys em, which
ends as
SSF in he
The maikos
Gul
G eece Low ma ke
alue o he
landings,
damaged
ca ch,
mishandling
on boa d,
unde size fish,
small ca ch
Many ac o s,
mos ly caused
by he na u e
o he G eek
SSF (mul i-
flee and mul i-
species).
Recen da a
show ha dis-
ca ds ha e
isen and a e
domina ed by
alien species
Economic
incen i es seem
o con ibu e o
disca ding p ac-
ices; high local
ma ke demand
o fish con ib-
u es o he egu-
la selling o
unde sized fish
in he black
ma ke
Loose en o ce-
men ; lack o
spa ial moni-
o ing sys em
o essels
< 12 m ( he
majo i y o SSF
flee ).
Unknown
numbe o ec-
ea ional es-
sels ha dens he
ole o fishe ies
manage s
Fishe s do no
pe cei e an
inc ease in
ope a ion cos s
due o he LO
because hey
ha e li le
disca ds
Fishe s oppose
he LO because
i will dec ease
hei ca ch.
The e is he
need o
dec ease he
MLS o some
species o a oid
disca ds
SSF in
Ca alonia
Spain Damaged
ca ch; low
ma ke alue
La gely mixed
fishe ies wi h
ela i ely
small quan i-
ies o disca ds
o egula ed
species; e y
Inc eased cos
o so ing; inex-
is ence o eco-
nomic ou le o
unwan ed
ca ches b ough
o land
Loose moni o -
ing, con ol,
and en o ce-
men capaci y
by he fishe ies
adminis a ion;
lack o
(con inued)
96 S. Villasan e e al.
Table 5.2 (con inued)
Case s udy Coun y
Main easons
o disca ding
Ba ie s o he implemen a ion o he LO
Ecological Economic Ins i u ional
di ficul o
op imize ope -
a ions o
comple ely
a oid
unwan ed
ca ches
incen i es o
compliance
SSF in
Galicia
Spain Lack o quo as
o ha es ed
comme cial
species
La gely mixed
fishe ies wi h
ela i ely
small quan i-
ies o disca ds
o egula ed
species; e y
di ficul o
op imize ope -
a ions o
comple ely
a oid
unwan ed
ca ch
The hold space
on boa d is cu -
en ly op i-
mized, and i
would no be
possible o
expand he hold
space wi hou
a ec ing he
na igabili y o
he fishing es-
sels. Small-scale
fishing essels
hold hei
ca ches on
boa d in boxes
classified by
species and size,
and he po en ial
inc ease on hei
numbe would
inc ease insecu-
i y o he
essels
Fishe s
s ongly
oppose he LO
and he manda-
o y measu e o
anno a e all
ca ches in he
elec onic log-
book, because
i will be e y
di ficul and
imp ac ical
du ing he fish-
ing ac i i ies
Deepwa e
hook-and-
line fishe y
in he
Azo es
Po ugal Unde size fish
(< MLS),
quo a in he
case o
“al onsinos,”
low ma ke
alue, dam-
aged ca ch
Di ficul o
a oid
unwan ed
ca ch due o
mixed
esou ces,
especially
ju eniles o
blackspo
seab eam;
fishe s pe -
cei ed high
abundance o
deepwa e
sha ks
Fishe s s ongly
oppose ha
unwan ed
unde size ca ch
canno be sold
o di ec human
consump ion;
Rep esen a i es
o fish auc ions
conce ned abou
he economic
cos s o
collec ing and
dealing wi h he
unwan ed ca ch
Fishe s
s ongly
oppose ha
ca ch will coun
agains quo a;
limi ing quo a
o
“al onsinos”
and TAC ze o
o deepwa e
sha ks could
p ema u ely
choke he
fishe y
(con inued)
5 The Implemen a ion o he Landing Obliga ion in Small-Scale Fishe ies... 97
Compa ed o o he segmen s o he flee , SSF is highly selec i e, and he amoun
o disca ds is ela i ely low. The ac ions o he ca ch ha a e disca ded a e usually
noncomme cial species, such as epiben hic in e eb a es, o damaged fish. Com-
me cial species ha could be o he wise sold a e disca ded when hey a e damaged
due o sca enge s p eying on he ca ch. This p oblem is pa icula ly acu e o se ne
fishing gea ( ammel ne s and longlines). Unde size fish a e usually no disca ded
bu sold on he black ma ke . Field s udies ca ied ou in he MINOUW p ojec show
ha he amoun o ca ches below legal size is gene ally low, bu o ce ain species
and ce ain gea deploymen s, he p opo ion o ca ches ha will all unde he emi
o he Landing Obliga ion can be high. T ammel ne s employing inne panels o
40–60 mm mesh can p oduce a ela i ely high p opo ion o unde size Eu opean
seabass (Dicen a chus lab ax), Sand s eenb as (Li hogna hus mo my us),
blackspo seab eam (Pagellus boga a eo), o common sole (Solea solea). In he
case o he blackspo seab eam, i s la ge legal size (33 cm TL) esul s in all ca ches
om all fishing gea s s udied being unde size. Se e al ba ie s o he implemen a-
ion o he LO ha e been iden ified such as low quan i ies o disca ds, he lack o
capaci y o moni o SSF by he egional adminis a ion, and inc ease cos s o so ing,
among o he s (Table 5.2).
5.3.4.2 The Gillne Fishe y in Galicia
Fishing is a majo con ibu o o g oss domes ic p oduc in Galicia (an au onomous
communi y in no hwes e n Spain), he main fishing egion in Spain (Villasan e
2012). The a isanal/SSF flee is comp ised mainly o small essels (on a e age 6 m
long), fishing wi h a g ea a ie y o passi e gea s, he so-called a es meno es
( aps, hooks and lines, gill and ammel ne s, and small seines), and exploi ing a
di e se ange o species, mos o which a e subjec ed o TACs.
The flee using gillne s comp ises 1000 fishing essels, ope a ing in a
mul ispecific SSF, mainly ha es ing Eu opean hake, pou ing (T isop e us luscus),
ho se macke els, and su mulle a dep hs o 30–140 m and up o 8–10 miles om he
coas . Based on esul s om in e iews s a ed in 2015 and upda ed un il 2018, he
easons o disca ding a e he p ecau iona y closu e and he ull closu e o he fishe y
due o he ull ha es o he TAC (Villasan e e al. 2016a,b).
Recen ly, Villasan e e al. (2015b) es ima ed he o al emo als o fishe ies
ca ches (including IUU ca ches, subsis ence ca ches, and disca ds o comme cial
and ec ea ional fishe ies) o he 1950–2010 pe iod. The au ho s demons a ed ha
he disca d a e o SSFs anges be ween 5–18% depending on he ype o comme -
cial species ha es ed. Howe e , he au ho s also ound ha he disca d a e o some
seden a y esou ces (e.g., goose ba nacle (Pollicipes pollicipes) 74% and azo clams
Ensis spp. 49%) can be significan ly highe han o o he SSFs.
Howe e , he species unde TAC and quo a egula ions p esen high disca d a es
which anged be ween 0 and 50% (Eu opean hake, macke els) and/o 50200%
104 S. Villasan e e al.

(ho se macke els). Ca ches o ho se macke els and macke els a e highly a iable due
o mig a o y mo emen s om Po uguese o Galician wa e s and can some imes lead
o high disca d a es. Ha es ing o imma u e indi iduals was epo ed o be e y
low o nonexis en o all species caugh by his fishe y (Villasan e e al. 2015b,
2016c).
Rega ding he compliance o he LO, he expe ’s opinion and he pa icipa o y
consul a ion made wi h he small-scale fishe ies sec o show ha changing he
fishe ies managemen sys em based on he TAC egula ion would be he mos
impo an eason o comply wi h he LO (Villasan e e al. 2016a,b) (Table 5.2).
5.4 Conclusion
Despi e he inc eased ecogni ion o SSFs, he e is a s ill need o ensu e ha policy-
make s ecei e obus scien ific da a abou such fishe ies on which o base decisions
and hus ensu e cohe en policy. Ou esul s show ha only 21% o 1219 pape s ha
ha e been published un il 2018 ocused on he disca d p oblem in SSF.
Key SSFs om a ound Eu ope selec ed o in es iga e he easons o disca ding,
impac , and ba ie s o implemen ing he LO illus a e ha disca d a es a y g ea ly
om fishe y o fishe y and species o species. Howe e , he main easons fishe s
disca d a e ela i ely simila om fishe y o fishe y and a e mos ly due o egula ions
(mainly TACs, quo as, and MLS), low ma ke alue o some ca ch componen s,
cap u e o noncomme cial species, high g ading, and damaged ca ch.
Small-scale fishe s pe cei e ha i will be di ficul o comply wi h he LO and
could iden i y ecological, economic, and ins i u ional ba ie s o he implemen a ion
o he LO. F om an ecological pe spec i e, mos fishe s a e o he opinion ha
esou ces a e la gely mixed, and unwan ed ca ch is e y di ficul o a oid. Fo
example, he ac ha he beach seine fishe y in Po ugal is ca ied ou in a eas o
g ea ecological sensi i i y, such as nu se y a eas, esul s in he cap u e o la ge
numbe s o ju eniles. F om an ins i u ional pe spec i e, he lack o moni o ing,
con ol, and en o cemen capaci y by fishe ies ju isdic ions, combined wi h lack o
incen i es o compliance, a e c i ical ba ie s pe cei ed by fishe s o he imple-
men a ion o he LO in all case s udies. Plus, some fishe s iden ified ha he
implemen a ion o he LO equi es he adop ion o mo e selec i e gea echnology
(Galicia and Azo es). Azo es fishe s hink hey a e al eady using one o he mos
selec i e gea in Eu opean fishe ies and as such ha he LO should no apply o
hem.
F om an economic pe spec i e, fishe s s a e ha he LO will inc ease he ope a-
ional cos s o fishing ac i i ies. They s ongly oppose he ac ha unwan ed
unde size ca ch canno be sold o human consump ion and ha his ca ch will
coun agains hei quo a. In gene al, he po en ial socioeconomic impac s o he
LO could be high o SSF. Fo example, i is es ima ed ha he u u e yield (ca ches)
unde he LO in Galicia (Spain) would be only 50% o ca ches expec ed in he
absence o he LO, ega dless o he o al olume o quo as alloca ed o he flee .
5 The Implemen a ion o he Landing Obliga ion in Small-Scale Fishe ies... 105
Acknowledgmen The au ho s acknowledge he financial suppo om he Eu opean COST
Ac ion “Ocean Go e nance o Sus ainabili y –challenges, op ions and he ole o science”and
by he ICES Science Fund P ojec “Social T ans o ma ions o Ma ine Social-Ecological Sys ems”,
and MINOUW (G an Ag eemen 634495). C. Pi a acknowledges FCT/MEC na ional unds
and FEDER co- unding, wi hin he PT2020 pa ne ship Ag eemen and Compe e 2020, o he
financial suppo o CESAM (G an no UID/AMB/50017/2013). C.M. Teixei a had he suppo o
he Fundação pa a a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) (Pes -OE/MAR/UI0199/2011); and C.M.
Teixei a and C. Pi a we e suppo ed by he Resea ch P ojec “LESSisMORE –LESS disca ds
and LESS fishing e o o BETTER e ficiency on he small-scale fishe ies”(Re . “LISBOA-01-
0145-FEDER-028179”), suppo by he FEDER Funds h ough he COMPETE 2020, by he
PIDDAC h ough FCT/MCTES. TM hanks he suppo om he Eu opean Union’s Ho izon
2020 esea ch and inno a ion p ojec Disca dLess (G an Ag eemen No 633680), he Fundação
pa a a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) s a egic p ojec UID/MAR/04292/2013 g an ed o MARE. He
is also suppo ed by he P og am In es igado FCT (IF/01194/2013/CP1199/CT0002).
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