Page 38 - Fishery_Regimes_2005

EMPAFISH Booklet nº 2 Fishery regimes in Atlanto-Mediterranean European MPAs

Description of the fisheries in and around the MPA:

The primary purpose of Medes Marine Reserve is conservation,
scientific research and ecotourism. At present the MPA is managed by
the Environment Department of the Autonomous Government of
Catalonia.
Within the integral reserve all fishing activities are forbidden.
Professional artisanal fishing is allowed for licensed boats inside the
Restricted Use area. Only the fishing boats with base in L'Estartit, a
small village very close to the MPA, can go fishing into the nearby area
of Medes Islands. Although the artisanal fleet of this port consists of 30
vessels, only a small number, 4 to 6, go fishing regularly all year
round. The boats are small and operate close to the base port of
L’Estartit. Most fishing activity concentrates in an area of around 4 km
from the MPA border, mainly within 2 km from the MPA border. Fishing
is allowed 5 days a week. Fishing activity is low by the end of autumn
and winter because of weather conditions.

Area Gear Seasonality Target Species Bycatch No. of
Species Vessels
IR
gillnet All seasons, Pagellus erythrinus 4
main season: winter
trammel May-Oct Palinurus elephas
Inside 4
RU net
trammel June-Aug Mullus surmuletus 4
net
Traps Octopus vulgaris 1
gillnet All seasons, Pagellus erythrinus 4
main season: winter
trammel May-Oct Palinurus elephas 4
net
trammel June-Aug Mullus surmuletus 4
net
traps Octopus vulgaris 1
gillnet All seasons, Merluccius merluccius 3-4
Outside main season: April to Oct
trammel Jan-April Sepia officinalis 3-4
net
trammel Dec-Feb Solea vulgaris, 3-4
net Psetta maxima
trammel All seasons Dicentrarchus labrax 3-4
net
longline All seasons, Sparus aurata 1
main season: Mar-Sept
hand line July-Mar Loligo vulgaris 1

Bibliographic referentes:

Lleonart J., 1990. La Pesquería de Cataluña y Valencia: descripción global y planteamiento de
bases para su seguimiento. EC DG XIV Contract Reference 1989/3, 1634 pp.
(Available at the library of the CSIC-Institut de Ciències del Mar, Barcelona).
García-Rubies A. & Zabala M., 1990. Effects of total fishing prohibition on the rocky fish
assemblages of Medes Islands marine reserve (NW Mediterranean). Scientia Marina 54:
317- 328.
García-Rubies A., Zabala M. & Hereu B., 2003. Seguiment de la població de meros (Epinephelus
marginatus) i d’altres espècies vulnerables de Les Illes Medes i la costa veïna
parcialment protegida (1991-2003). In: Seguiment Temporal de l’Àrea Marina Protegida
de Les Illes Medes. Informe Anual, any 2003. Edited by Generalitat de Catalunya,

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