Page 5 - Maccarrone_etal_2014

V. Maccarrone et al. / Turk. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 14: 173-181 (2014) 177

damaged nets and an estimate of the corresponding (€ kg h-1 m-1) after 24 days of fishing with a temporal

economic damage were performed. We assess the advantage of 5 days compared with the control net.

total damage to the net as following: Figure 3 shown the Advantage of Production of the

Total Net Damages = Cost of 1 m2 Fishing Net * Net pinger net with respect to the control net, which was
Surfaces Damages in m2 found to be 25.69 € kg h-1 m-1. This value indicates

Moreover, we distinguish between two that, after 29 hauls (with a duration of 1 hour), each
categories of damage, as described by Buscaino et al. 50 m of net exhibits a difference of 25.69 € with
(2009): holes with a diameter of less than 20 cm and
holes/tears with a diameter of more than 20 cm. respect to the control net.

The values of the AP allowed us to calculate the

trendline that represents the difference in the net

incomes between the pinger net and the control net.

Results The trendline obtained from the values of the AP of
the pinger net intercepts the two lines (break-even

Economic Results for Catching line) that indicate the pinger cost for each 50 m of net
with (22.1 €) or without (44.2 €) the incentive

A total of 52.2 km of net was monitored through provided by the European Fisheries Fund. The
intersection between the break-even line and the
58 hauls: 26.1 km of the net was equipped with linear regression line of the AP allows the
identification of the number of days needed to reach
pingers and 26.1 km did not have pingers. A total of the break-even point between the investment in the
26 fish species (Table 2) with a value of 6,431.2 € net equipment and the revenues derived from this
(pinger net: 3,434.8 €; control net: 2,996. 4 €) and a technical choice. In particular, 50 of fishing days
(considering a mean duration of 1 hour per haul) are
weight of 588 kg (pinger net: 317.6 kg; control net: required to reach the break-even point between the
costs of the pingers technology and the AP. In
270.4 kg) were caught (see Table 1). The mean contrast, if the fishing company takes advantage of
EFF aid, the break-even point corresponds to 25
economic value of the catch during the 29 fishing fishing days.
days was 118.44±72.5 € for the pinger net and 103.32
± 69.0 € for the control net (mean ± SD). Seven of the 26 fish species caught by the pinger
net represent 84.59% of the total value, with an
Considering all fishing species catch in 29 hauls, economic value of 2,825.74 €, whereas the
corresponding percentage for the control net is
the mean PPUE across the two nets was found and 75.83%, which corresponds to a value of 2,152 €. The

higher values were recorded for the net equipped with
pingers (3.35±2.52 € kg h-1 m-1; mean±SD) compared
with the control net (2.47±1.63 € kg h-1 m-1;
mean±SD).

Figure 2 shows the Production Trend of the

control and pinger nets during the 29 fishing days. remaining species represented 15.41% of the catch
value with an economic value of 609.08 € for the
The PT after 29 days of experimental fishing were
97.24 € kg h-1 m-1for the pinger net and 71.55 € kg h-1 pinger net and 24.17% of the catch value with an
m-1 for the control net. Moreover, Figure 2 economic value of 843.36 € for the control net.
demonstrates that the PT of the pinger net was 71.55 €
The Economic Damage (ED) due to dolphin

Figure 2 Production Trends of the pinger and control nets during 29 fishing days based on 50 m of net.