|
|
 Concern over the possible
effects of trawls on the seabed has existed almost as long as the fishing method
itself, with early concerns being voiced by fishermen themselves as far back as
the 14th century. With the advance in techno-logical developments of trawling gears
(i.e. weight and size), particularly over the latter part of the 20-th century,
the increase in the number of fishing vessels, engine power etc. these concerns
are increasingly gaining international public and political importance. The heavier
gears now in use might have a greater impact on benthic communities. In Italy most
of the fishing effort occurs in the Adriatic Sea, which for its morphological characteristics
such as flat sea bottoms has always favoured the development of trawl-fishing. In
fact, fifty-five per cent of overall Italian commercial demersal fisheries catch
comes from the Adriatic Sea In particular bottom trawling damages living seafloor
habitats by overturning boulders, crushing other habitat-forming structures and
altering biological communities. The impact of fishing operations on benthic habitats
can be detrimental to conservation objectives. Hence, there is a need to reduce
this impact, either by developing new gears/fishing techniques or by introducing
alternative measures. Development of habitat-friendly gears could be an alternative
to area closures. The Fishing Technology Unit is a partner of some Research Project
aimed to develop new gears/fishing techniques that have a low impact on benthic
habitats, to quantify the possible reduction of
the physical impact as well as the
negative effects on benthic communities and to weigh the socio-economic consequences
of these changes against those of alternative management measures, e.g. closing
of areas.
|
|