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overfishing (S Donato 2013, pers. comm. 3 July). He said that the whole sector is in

difficulty. ‘The fishermen who form the small coastal fishing industry here, work with fixed

nets…they are allowed even within the protected zones’ (S Donato 2013, pers. comm. 3

July). On the other hand industrial fishing is prohibited in these zones. But nonetheless there

are:

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...a lot of boats coming from Trapani and so on, that throw in this area,
especially during night, especially when the sea is very strong and when the coast
guard and other police cannot control. (S Donato 2013, pers. comm. 3 July)

Not only are these fleets destroying marine ecosystems but they are reducing the availability

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of fish for local fishermen. As Alberto , a pescaturismo (fishing tourism) operator said,

every year there are less fish. This I saw firsthand. While his clients swam around before

lunch, we chatted on his boat. He asked me if I noticed this poor situation by the catch we

had just pulled up. Indeed I had, the net that had sat out all night had returned a piddle of sea

life. Within this situation, exclaimed Stefano, it is ‘the fishermen who are suffering the most’

(S Donato 2013, pers. comm. 3 July).

One of the MPA’s solutions to illegal fishing was the installation of ‘anti-throwing’

structures, which they had recently placed on the bottom of the sea to destroy the illegal nets.

The fishermen's general sentiment was that the structures were not helpful because they were

not positioned in the most effective placed. One evening I attended a meeting at the MPA

where staff presented stage one of the project to the local fishermen. They played footage

taken underwater that showed the locations of the structures. A long desk divided the meeting

room, which soon filled with fishermen who stood on one side of the table opposite the MPA

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staff and Andrea (representative of the local council). For about ten minutes, enraged
fishermen talked over each other. Then Stefano interrupted and asked the fishermen to listen

to Andrea and himself speak before they speak and respond. This proved to be difficult. At

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