Performance of a northwestern Mediterranean bottom trawl fleet: How the integration of landings and VMS data can contribute to the implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management P. Martín a,n , A. Muntadas a , S. de Juan b , P. Sánchez a , M. Demestre a a Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), Passeig Marítim 37-49, 08003 Barcelona, Spain b National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Gate 10 Silverdale Rd, PO BOX 11115, Hamilton, New Zealand article info Article history: Received 18 March 2013 Received in revised form 7 May 2013 Accepted 7 May 2013 Keywords: Fishing fleet management Mediterranean fisheries Ecosystem approach Fishing strategies Target species dynamics Bottom trawl abstract The European Union has established a framework to achieve or maintain good environmental status in the marine environment by 2020. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive requires the application of the ecosystem approach to the management of human activities, covering all sectors having an impact on the marine environment. However, fisheries in the Mediterranean are far from a systematic implemen- tation of an ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM). Aiming to address this issue, this study explores the potential of the relationship between daily yield by vessel (landings and income by species) and vessel position (known via vessel monitoring system) as a tool for fleet management. This approach is possible due to the current dynamics of Mediterranean fleets, with vessels returning daily to the harbour where landings are registered as weight and income by vessel. Moreover, vessels of 415 m total length have been compulsory monitored by VMS since 2005. A bottom trawl fleet that operates in the northwestern Mediterranean was chosen to develop this approach. Different groups of trawlers were identified, which could be linked to the strategies displayed by the fishermen that were mainly driven by the target species dynamics. Accurate knowledge of the fishing targets driving the fleet dynamics and of the fishing strategies at the vessel level (i.e. fishing ground habitat where the fishing pressure is exerted and corresponding landings) are shown to be a feasible tool for fleet management. & 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The Reykjavık Declaration, adopted at the 2001 Reykjavık Con- ference on Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosystems, included the commitment “to advance the scientific basis for developing and implementing management strategies that incorporate ecosystem considerations and which will ensure sustainable yields while conserving stocks and maintaining the integrity of ecosystems and habitats on which they depend”. One of its main tasks is to translate the generic and conceptual Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) framework (i.e. extension of the conventional principles for sustainable fisheries development to cover the ecosystem as a whole), into an operational framework at regional, national, or local scales (e.g. ecosystem or fishery levels [1,2]). To date, practical application of this approach by competent regional organisations for fisheries and for the marine and coastal environment is still in early development stages. It is worth mentioning the pioneering initiatives undertaken in Australia (e.g. [3,4]). In consonance with the EBFM conceptual framework, the European Union (EU) has established a framework to achieve or maintain good environmental status (GES) in the marine environ- ment by 2020. To this aim, criteria and methodological standards to identify or achieve a GES of marine waters have been defined. These include, among others, descriptors at the species, habitat and ecosystem levels, as well as descriptors related to the fishing activity (EC Directive 2008/56, Marine Strategy Framework Direc- tive (MSFD; [5])). The activity of the EU fishing fleets is governed by numerous regulations based on the Common Fisheries Policy, which at present is under revision. In any case, environmental concerns must be integrated in the fisheries management, in line with the MSFD. Regarding the implementation of EBFM in the Mediterranean, the General Fisheries Commission for the Medi- terranean (GFCM), composed of EU and non-EU signatory coun- tries, launched in 2012 a revision process aimed at modernising its legal and institutional framework. This revision includes among its objectives the promotion of the ecosystem-based approach for the conservation of the marine environment and the sustainable use of marine living resources [6]. Bottom trawling is the fishing activity with the highest impact on marine ecosystems [7], hence, in order to achieve a GES, it is Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/marpol Marine Policy 0308-597X/$ - see front matter & 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2013.05.009 n Corresponding author. Tel.: +34 93 2309552/00. E-mail address: paloma@icm.csic.es (P. Martín). Please cite this article as: Martín P, et al. Performance of a northwestern Mediterranean bottom trawl fleet: How the integration of landings and VMS data can contribute to the implementation of.... Mar. Policy (2013), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2013.05.009i Marine Policy ∎ (∎∎∎∎) ∎∎∎–∎∎∎