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Ref. Ares(2018)3460993 - 29/06/2018
Ref. Ares(2019)2387732 - 04/04/2019
ANNEX V Report to support the request for by-catches of anglerfish (Lophiidae), sole (Solea
spp.), turbot (Psetta maxima), red seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo), great forkbeard (Phycis
blennoides), a combined de minimis up to a maximum of 7% in 2019 and 2020, and up to a
6% in 2021 of the total annual catches of these species made by trawlers (gear codes : OTT,
OTB, PTB, OT, PT, TBN, TBS, TX, SSC, SPR, TB, SDN, SX, SV) in the Gulf of Cadiz part of ICES
subarea IXa.
In the framework of the landing obligation in accordance with article 15 of regulation (EU) N°
1380/2013, a de minimis exemption is requested for the following TAC and quota species
caught as by-catch: anglerfish (
Lophiidae), sole (
Solea spp.), turbot (
Psetta maxima), red
seabream (
Pagellus bogaraveo), great forkbeard (
Phycis blennoides) with demersal vessels
using bottom trawls (OTB, OTT, PTB, OT, PT, TBN, TBS, TX, SSC, SPR, TB, TBB, SDN, SX, SV) in
ICES subarea 9a in the Gulf of Cadiz, up to 7% in 2019 and 2020 and 6% after 2020 of the total
annual catches of those species caught by this fleet.
The request for an exemption for de minimis is based on article 15.c.i), due to difficulties to
further increase selectivity in this mixed fishery, and on article 15.c.ii), due to disproportionate
costs a total application of the landing obligation would cause in this fishery. The fleet is
particularly vulnerable for the risk of commercial catch losses an improvement in selectivity
would cause.
Summary
Motive ................................................................................................................................. 1
Definition of the species ..................................................................................................... 2
Definition of the management unit .................................................................................... 3
Specifying de minimis volume ............................................................................................ 4
Reference .............................................................................
¡Error! Marcador no definido.
Annexes ................................................................................
¡Error! Marcador no definido.
Motive
Vessels having a highly mixed activity catch simultaneously a diversity of species during the
same fishing operation, in the Gulf of Cadiz case more than 400 different species are founded
in the net. They are depending financially on several species, most them not included in the
TAC and quota regulation) but they can be choked for this species if the quota is exhausted
without being able to avoid this catches.
Thus, it is very difficult to improve selectivity without causing significant commercial losses as
the incomes from this fleets pend mainly on non TAC species which makes it very difficult to
introduce changes in the gears when the amount of TAC and quota species is very low and the
catch composition includes a great variety of species most of them marketable.
This complication is even truer regarding the differences of those species morphology.
Moreover, even with all scientists’ efforts on developing mixed species models, it is for now
unreal to find the appropriate balance between fishing opportunity taking into account
technical and biological interactions. That is why, besides the description of choke species
issues linked to this activity (mixed fisheries), it is highly necessary to establish suitable
solutions for this specific fleet.
This inherit circumstances of highly mixed demersal fisheries justifies this exemption request
due to this difficulty to improve the selectivity.
In addition to those situations of choke species, landing application enforcement may generate
disproportionate cost due to management of the undersized fish on port as the quantities are
very low, spread in many small ports with no possibilities to find operators that wants to use
this catches, but also hold overloading and increase the sorting time by the crew. Those
arguments justify this de minimis request also for disproportionate costs.
This specificity of mixed demersal fisheries justifies this exemption request due to this difficulty
to improve the selectivity. This de minimis request aims at giving some flexibility needed for
fishermen, exercising bottom trawler metier, to implement the landing obligation in the short
term.
Definition of the species
The following species are included in this de minimis:
Anglerfish (Lophiidae)
Sole (Solea spp.)
Turbot (Psetta maxima)
Red (black spotted) seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo)
Great forkbeard (Phycis blennoides)
Definition of the management unit
Characteristics of the bottom trawl fishery and its activity
The Spanish bottom trawl operating in IXa South Iberian waters (Gulf of Cádiz) targets a great
variety of molluscs like octopus (
Octopus vulgaris) and cuttle fish (
Sepia officinalis); and
crustaceans like white shrimp (
Parapenaeus longirostris) and nephrops (
Nephrops
norvegicus); but also some fishes as hake (
Merluccius merluccius) and (
Dicologoglosa
cuneata).
54,48% of the catches made by this métier corresponds to target species where cephalopods
and crustaceans and hake have the highest catch rates.
48% of catches are
by-catch some of
the regulated by TAC and quotas.
The trawl fleet is mainly composed of around 150 vessels. Their average characteristics are
about 17.9 m length, 31 HP and 212 GRT. The traditional trawl gear used is the “baca” trawl
gear with some modifications (Anom., 2001).
The bottom trawl fleet operating in the Division IXa South (Gulf of Cádiz) was classified by
Silva et al. (2007) in a unique métier. For proper management of this fishery, should be taken
into account that there are coastal trips targeting caramote prawn, wedge sole and
cephalopods, but also there are deeper trips targeting blue whiting, hake and deep rose
shrimp.
The vessels in this métier are allowed to use a minimum mesh size of 55 mm (from 2009).The
minimum trawl depth is established for a minimum distance to the coast of 6 nautic miles.
Trawl fleet must stop fishing during a temporary closure of 45 days between late September
and early November. The maximum activity period is 18 hours per day and they must stop
fishing for a 48-hour continuous period per week.
The minimum landing size (MLS) of hake is 27 cm and the MLS of Nephrops is 20 mm carapace
length (CL). Nephrops fishing may only be made in fishing periods expressly authorized by
national regulation, after hearing the affected fisheries.
Composition of catches, landings and discards
It was not possible to use the STECF data to establish a profile discard and to estimate which
quantity of every species could be discarded under the use of a de minimis as there was no
data fulfilled from our national observation programs.
Based on the estimates, catch estimations and discards estimations from samplings are
included for all the by-catch species listed before that were founded historically in the catch
composition of this fleet.
Specifying de minimis volume
Discard volume Based on the
IEO observer’s data of 2016, it was established a discard profile in order to
estimate maximum volumes of species that would be theoretically discarded under a de
minimis as presented in this case. All precautions shall be taken in interpreting and using those
estimates as discards as they can vary significantly from a year to another due to the random
behaviour of fishery activity very dependant to the weather and external factors.
Nevertheless, estimates presented hereafter can give a general idea of maximum volume
discard estimates that appears to be very low but can choke significantly in the fleet if no
flexibility is applied.
In the following table information form Gulf of Cadiz catches and discards obtained in the
observers programme are presented.
Estimated
Maximum
Estimated
discard
volume of
Estimate of
The Species
discard share
share
discard with
Applicable
Maximum
subject to
Total
composition on
composition a 7% DM ( in
rules for DM
Maximun
volume under a
DM
catch
overall catches
(DS)
tonnes)
use
discard share 7 % de minimis
Sole
12,90
1,00%
14,28%
0,90
17,85%
1,13
Red
25% of the
Seabream
0,66
0,05%
0,73%
0,05
0,92%
0,06
estimated
Great
discard share
Forkbeard
17,67
1,37%
19,56%
1,24
24,45%
1,55
composition
Anglerfish
59,11
4,58%
65,43%
4,14
81,78%
5,17
Total
90,34
7,00%
100,00%
6,32
125,00%
7,91
There was not information for turbot catches and discards in the time serial used form 2015
to 2017 but in previous studies this is one of the species that appears occasionally as by-catch
so the possibility to discard it will remain open in case the quota is exhausted and calculatios
will be revised in 3 years time to update this figures.
Safeguards
This de minimis would respond partly in how to implement landing obligation in specific
fisheries where it is difficult in a 2019 scenario to implement it. Also this de minimis has its
limits and its risks. It is true that the combination of several species can represent a high
volume of possible discards. Nevertheless, it will never be more than 7% of the catches
concerned.
As said before, volume and composition of catches can be unpredictable and vary from a year
to another. It is also important to emphasize that, because of the mixed character of the
fisheries it is highly unlikely that only one species would be discarded.
This is all the point of a combined de minimis: giving some flexibility needed for fisherman to
face the variability of by-catch stocks abundance.
Nevertheless, in order to limit the risk of discarding only one species and because discard rate
can be significantly different from a species to another it is propose to put in place safeguards.
According to the discard profile of the fishery (see annexe I), a margin on 25% shall apply. This
margin would allow the flexibility needed to face the variability of catches and discards. On the
overall discard volume permitted by this exemption, only the proportion calculated (+25%)
could be discarded on the overall discard.
Those safeguards should be revised if necessary and according to discard profile that can
evolve over the years.