Seabirds and demersal longliners in the northwestern Mediterranean: factors driving their interactions and bycatch rates

Bycatch mortality in longline fisheries is considered the main threat at sea for numerous seabird species. These incidental catches occur worldwide, but mortality levels are mainly determined by the specific traits of the fishery operating in each area and the feeding behaviour and local abundance o...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Authors: Cortés Serra, Verònica, Arcos Pros, José Manuel, González-Solís, Jacob
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2017
Country:España
Institution:Universidad de Barcelona
Repository:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
OAI Identifier:oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/120551
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/2445/120551
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Pesca sostenible
Ocells marins
Sustainable fisheries
Sea birds
id ES_e158b84abb68aa10740c357b181d4e1c
oai_identifier_str oai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/120551
network_acronym_str ES
network_name_str España
repository_id_str
spelling Seabirds and demersal longliners in the northwestern Mediterranean: factors driving their interactions and bycatch ratesCortés Serra, VerònicaArcos Pros, José ManuelGonzález-Solís, JacobPesca sostenibleOcells marinsSustainable fisheriesSea birdsBycatch mortality in longline fisheries is considered the main threat at sea for numerous seabird species. These incidental catches occur worldwide, but mortality levels are mainly determined by the specific traits of the fishery operating in each area and the feeding behaviour and local abundance of seabirds. In the Mediterranean, demersal artisanal longliners are known to catch several seabirds, but bycatch rates and the main factors influencing both the probability and the level of seabird bycatch are poorly known. From 2011 to 2015 we conducted 220 trips onboard demersal longline vessels of the Balearic Sea, aiming to study their interaction with seabirds, as well as to understand the detailed procedures of the fishery and the factors that might influence seabird bycatch. Additionally, we recorded bird catches reported by fishermen. We found an average overall bycatch rate of 0.58 birds per 1000 hooks (0.13-1.37, 95% CI), which would imply a conservative estimate ranging from 274 to 2198 seabirds caught annually on demersal longliners in the study area. The most affected species were the 3 endemic and threatened Scopoli's, Balearic and Mediterranean shearwaters of the Mediterranean (Calonectris diomedea, Puffinus mauretanicus and P. yelkouan, respectively), likely due to their highly aggregative behaviour and diving capabilities. Overall, the main factors influencing bycatch risk were season and time of day. Other influential factors were bait type, wind conditions, gear configuration (specifically, distance between weights), proximity to the breeding colony and the number of hooks. This study shows that mortality caused by demersal longliners is high and may be jeopardizing the viability of the shearwater populations. Therefore, the identification and implementation of mitigation measures is urgently required.Inter-Research2017info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/2445/120551Articles publicats en revistes (Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals)reponame:Dipòsit Digital de la UBinstname:Universidad de BarcelonaInglésReproducció del document publicat a: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12026Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2017, vol. 565, p. 1-16https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12026(c) Inter-Research, 2017info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:diposit.ub.edu:2445/1205512026-05-27T06:46:51Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Seabirds and demersal longliners in the northwestern Mediterranean: factors driving their interactions and bycatch rates
title Seabirds and demersal longliners in the northwestern Mediterranean: factors driving their interactions and bycatch rates
spellingShingle Seabirds and demersal longliners in the northwestern Mediterranean: factors driving their interactions and bycatch rates
Cortés Serra, Verònica
Pesca sostenible
Ocells marins
Sustainable fisheries
Sea birds
title_short Seabirds and demersal longliners in the northwestern Mediterranean: factors driving their interactions and bycatch rates
title_full Seabirds and demersal longliners in the northwestern Mediterranean: factors driving their interactions and bycatch rates
title_fullStr Seabirds and demersal longliners in the northwestern Mediterranean: factors driving their interactions and bycatch rates
title_full_unstemmed Seabirds and demersal longliners in the northwestern Mediterranean: factors driving their interactions and bycatch rates
title_sort Seabirds and demersal longliners in the northwestern Mediterranean: factors driving their interactions and bycatch rates
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Cortés Serra, Verònica
Arcos Pros, José Manuel
González-Solís, Jacob
author Cortés Serra, Verònica
author_facet Cortés Serra, Verònica
Arcos Pros, José Manuel
González-Solís, Jacob
author_role author
author2 Arcos Pros, José Manuel
González-Solís, Jacob
author2_role author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Pesca sostenible
Ocells marins
Sustainable fisheries
Sea birds
topic Pesca sostenible
Ocells marins
Sustainable fisheries
Sea birds
description Bycatch mortality in longline fisheries is considered the main threat at sea for numerous seabird species. These incidental catches occur worldwide, but mortality levels are mainly determined by the specific traits of the fishery operating in each area and the feeding behaviour and local abundance of seabirds. In the Mediterranean, demersal artisanal longliners are known to catch several seabirds, but bycatch rates and the main factors influencing both the probability and the level of seabird bycatch are poorly known. From 2011 to 2015 we conducted 220 trips onboard demersal longline vessels of the Balearic Sea, aiming to study their interaction with seabirds, as well as to understand the detailed procedures of the fishery and the factors that might influence seabird bycatch. Additionally, we recorded bird catches reported by fishermen. We found an average overall bycatch rate of 0.58 birds per 1000 hooks (0.13-1.37, 95% CI), which would imply a conservative estimate ranging from 274 to 2198 seabirds caught annually on demersal longliners in the study area. The most affected species were the 3 endemic and threatened Scopoli's, Balearic and Mediterranean shearwaters of the Mediterranean (Calonectris diomedea, Puffinus mauretanicus and P. yelkouan, respectively), likely due to their highly aggregative behaviour and diving capabilities. Overall, the main factors influencing bycatch risk were season and time of day. Other influential factors were bait type, wind conditions, gear configuration (specifically, distance between weights), proximity to the breeding colony and the number of hooks. This study shows that mortality caused by demersal longliners is high and may be jeopardizing the viability of the shearwater populations. Therefore, the identification and implementation of mitigation measures is urgently required.
publishDate 2017
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2017
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv https://hdl.handle.net/2445/120551
url https://hdl.handle.net/2445/120551
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv Reproducció del document publicat a: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12026
Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2017, vol. 565, p. 1-16
https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12026
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv (c) Inter-Research, 2017
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv (c) Inter-Research, 2017
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv Inter-Research
publisher.none.fl_str_mv Inter-Research
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv Articles publicats en revistes (Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals)
reponame:Dipòsit Digital de la UB
instname:Universidad de Barcelona
instname_str Universidad de Barcelona
reponame_str Dipòsit Digital de la UB
collection Dipòsit Digital de la UB
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
_version_ 1869422284457902080
score 15,301603

Similar Items