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422 V. Borsellino et al.

equivalent to 81.8% of total tonnage), gillnets (in 36.4% of boats, with tonnage equivalent to
5.2% of the total), and purse seines (9.1% of boats, equal to 4.9% of total GRT).

The figures for other types of gear are much lower, both in numerical terms and in tonnage
(towed lines, fixed longlines, beach seines), or almost none (other fixed gear and other types).
As far as tonnage is concerned, based on the type of fishing equipment used, it is clear that
while fishing fleets that use trawls are made up mostly of medium to large vessels, the use of
gillnets is used almost exclusively by smaller boats.

A close look at the data for each single port reveals the importance of Mazara del Vallo,
both from a numerical point of view and in terms of ‘capacity’ (see table 7). Its 264 vessels,
equivalent to 25 274.8 GRT and 77 478.5 kW, make up about a quarter of boats, almost half of
engine capacity and just under two-thirds of fleet tonnage for the area in question. In fact, the
average tonnage and engine capacity are markedly higher than those of the rest of the fleet.

The second most important area, numerically and due to the fleet’s engine capacity, is the
port of Trapani whose 212 craft represent 19.6% of the fleet in question, 12.7% of total engine
capacity, and 9.5% of total GRT, followed by the ports of Porto Empedocle, Licata, Sciacca
(on the coast of the Province of Agrigento), and Marsala. These ports, although similar in fleet
numbers (about 10.0% of the total), have different fishing capacities; principally Sciacca, but
also Porto Empedocle, registers the highest figures for GRT and engine capacity, even when
referring to average figures.

More limited fishing activity takes place on the small islands: Lampedusa, Pantelleria,
Favignana, Marettimo and Levanzo.

The most frequently occurring register tonnage in the fleet under examination is of less than
3 GRT (which covers 25.3% of the entire fleet in the area being studied), including many of
the fleets from Marsala, Trapani, Licata, and Mazara del Vallo (see table 8).

Of the entire fleet in question, 29.4% has a tonnage of 3–9.99 GRT. It is significant that there
is a high concentration (21.0%) of boats with tonnage of over 100 GRT; this group, second in
numerical terms, is made up almost exclusively of Mazara and Sciacca boats (equivalent to
48.1% and to 77.0%, respectively, of the relative fleets).

The small island fleets represent a tonnage of less than 10 GRT, apart from Lampedusa,
whose boats in any case have a tonnage capacity of less than 100 GRT. Therefore, among and
even within the different ports in question, clear differences emerge in figures regarding size

Table 7. Sicilian fishing fleet in the ports of the Channel of Sicily by structural characteristics (2004).

Vessels Gross tonnage Engine power Age of
hull (yr)
Ports No. % GRT % x¯ kW % x¯
28
Mazara del 264 24.44 25 274.80 62.95 95.70 77 478.50 48.77 293.50
30
Vallo 9.52 18.00 20 174.20 12.69 95.20 30
7.07 23.10 15 721.00 9.90 127.80
Trapani 212 19.63 3821.00 27
11.39 2837.30 3.82 13.10 9762.80 6.15 83.40 36
Porto 123 9.66 34.30 15 855.70 9.98 140.30 28
3.96 15.00 9430.00 5.93 29
Empedocle 2.45 11.70 8444.80 5.32 89.00 28
0.33 0.69 100.50 24
Licata 117 10.83 1532.60 0.13 4.90 1096.40 0.33 30
10.46 3879.00 0.09 2.60 519.80 0.19 41.00 34
Sciacca 113 1591.10 – 2.90 296.00 – 26.00 29
9.81 100.00 5.20 76.20 100.00 22.80
Marsala 106 7.78 981.80 37.20 158 855.40 38.10
2.41 131.97 147.10
Lampedusa 84 1.85 51.60
1.20 38.10
Favignana 26 0.18
100.00 10.40
Pantelleria 20 40 149.67

Marettimo 13

Levanzo 2

Total 1080

Source: Our processing on the EU Fishing Fleet Register database.