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. 2014 Feb 28;9(2):e90542.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0090542. eCollection 2014.

From trap to nursery. Mitigating the impact of an artisanal fishery on cuttlefish offspring

Valentina Melli  1 , Emilio Riginella  1 , Marco Nalon  1 , Carlotta Mazzoldi  1
Affiliations

From trap to nursery. Mitigating the impact of an artisanal fishery on cuttlefish offspring

Valentina Melli et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Overexploitation and the impact of several types of human activities have caused declines of marine resources. The direct and active involvement of fishermen in the management of marine resources is effective not only for resource conservation, but also for changing fishermen's attitudes. In this study, we proposed and tested the efficacy and suitability of a measure for mitigating the impact of a trap fishery on cuttlefish eggs in the North Adriatic Sea. This measure directly involves fishermen in promoting the conservation of the early, and more vulnerable, stages of the cuttlefish life cycle.

Methodology/principal findings: Through surveys on fishing boats and interviews with fishermen, we found that traps placed in coastal areas during the cuttlefish breeding season have a high impact on cuttlefish eggs, with over 3 million eggs likely being destroyed by 3750 traps of 15 fishermen in less than 3 miles of coast. The use of removable ropes attached inside traps as an additional substrate for egg deposition allowed the recovery of 23.7% of the eggs deposited on the traps on average, without affecting the catch rate of adults. Experiments examining hatching success in the field highlighted the need for a careful choice of hatching sites to maximise the efficacy of the mitigation measure.

Conclusions/significance: The proposed mitigation measure reduced the impact of fishing on cuttlefish eggs, with no significant effect on the commercial catch. Fishermen showed a positive attitude towards the application of this measure, which is inexpensive and easy to employ. The direct involvement of fishermen in the management of this resource and the maintenance of traditional fishing methods are a novel aspect of the proposed measure and represent the basis for its success.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. The study site.
Red and blue bars indicate the fishery grounds of the two fishing boats involved in the experiments; M and L indicate the marine and the lagoon hatching sites, respectively.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Cuttlefish CPUE in the northern Adriatic Sea.
The catch per unit of effort (CPUE) of the fishing fleet of Chioggia (the major fleet in the northern Adriatic Sea) from 1951 to 2011 is reported . The landings are divided by the fishing capacity (total gross tonnage), which is the only available measure of fishing effort , . Other cuttlefish species registered in the same category as the common cuttlefish in the time series obtained from the fish market of Chioggia constitute less than 2% of this category on average; therefore, the time series reflects trends of common cuttlefish landings.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Traps and the mitigation measure.
A) trap with ropes; B) trap with cuttlefish and eggs; C) elastic rope inside a trap with cuttlefish eggs.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Cuttlefish catches.
Average cuttlefish catches (by weight) in traps with hemp ropes, elastic ropes and controls for the two fishing boats. Bars represent standard deviations. The colours are the same as in Figure 1.
Figure 5
Figure 5. Hatching rates in the field.
Percentage of eggs hatched, predated by gastropod, lost and degenerated from hemp and elastic ropes at the marine and lagoon hatching sites.
Figure 6
Figure 6. Fisherman interviews.
Answers obtained in interviews regarding egg deposition on traps, the occurrence of trap cleaning and trap cleaning procedures, and suggested alternatives to the cleaning procedures.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Grants and funding

This work was supported by the project CLODIA funded by the Veneto Region (Italy) Law 15/2007 (DGR n. 4069). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

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