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Recommendation GFCM/37/2013/2 on the establishment of a set of minimum standards for bottom-set gillnet fisheries for turbot and conservation of cetaceans in the Black Sea









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    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Join the work towards cetacean-free turbot fisheries in the Black Sea
    Play a part in CetaByM, our pilot project to assess cetacean bycatch in Black Sea turbot gillnet fisheries and to test measures to mitigate the incidental catch of cetaceans
    2023
    Turbot is one of the most valuable fish species in the Black Sea. Its fisheries are very important to local communities, primarily to small-scale fishers. The main gear used in turbot fisheries is gillnets with a legal mesh size of 400 mm. Unlike the other two species of dolphins in the Black Sea, the harbour porpoise is unable to detect turbot gillnets at a distance. By the time it does, it is usually too late to avoid the net and it becomes entangled. Studies suggest high harbour porpoise mortality levels and relevant authorities have been asked to develop and apply measures to reduce bycatch levels. The pilot project CetaByM, which aims to assess cetacean bycatch in Black Sea turbot gillnet fisheries and to test measures to mitigate the incidental catch of cetaceans, is carried out in partnership with the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area (ACCOBAMS), whose main purpose is to reduce threats to cetaceans, notably by improving current knowledge on these animals.
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    Book (series)
    Dolphin depredation in Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries
    Methodology for data collection
    2022
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    When marine mammals come into physical contact with fishing gear, there can be harmful effects to both the animals and fishers. The animals may be incidentally caught in fishing gear, or in the case of depredation, marine mammals – usually dolphins – may remove and/or damage fish captured in nets or hooks, resulting in damage to fishing gear, loss of capture and consequently lower catch values and fisher revenues. Depredation can also lead to entanglement, which can in turn produce incidental catch. The competitive overlap between dolphins and humans at sea represents a worldwide issue, as it affects both the survival of wild dolphin populations and the livelihoods of fishers, and it is receiving growing attention from fisheries management organizations around the globe. Many gaps still remain, however, in the knowledge of the actual extent of the problem, including in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. In order to understand and mitigate dolphin depredation in the region through effective management measures, adequate regional/subregional and national monitoring programmes are required to obtain representative data on dolphin depredation events during sampled fishing operations. The purpose of this protocol, which allows for replicability and comparisons among fisheries across the region, is to facilitate and improve data collection in a harmonized and standardized way. Its aim is to improve understanding of the dolphin populations involved in depredation events, assess the regional magnitude of depredation to determine the economic losses suffered by fishers, identify the typologies of fishing practices that lead to depredation, as well as potential mitigation measures, and collect information for the conservation of marine mammals.
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