A new report from WWF encourages the switch from the unselective diamond-mesh nets currently used by bottom-trawlers in the Mediterranean to more selective square-mesh nets, sooner than the obligatory deadline of 2010.
European legislation (EU Council Regulation 1967/2006) stipulates that by 2010 all Mediterranean trawlers are obliged to implement the square-mesh codend, but WWF is advocating that these changes should be carried out as soon as possible, to immediately reduce the detrimental impact of trawl fishing in the region.
The WWF report, ‘Squaring the diamond mesh - how square-mesh trawl nets will benefit fish and fishermen in the Mediterranean’, is based on new ecosystem-based management analyses that use computer models to assess the effects of square-mesh nets on marine ecosystems and fishing fleets.
Results show that square-mesh nets will make trawling more selective - meaning the capture of less immature juveniles and non-target species, and reducing discards - thus allowing the Mediterranean's fragile marine life, damaged by years of indiscriminate trawling, to begin recovery.
The proposed 40mm square mesh is also easy to phase in and does not reduce catches of most target species - it can even increase yield in the long term.
“WWF’s new report shows that squaring the diamond mesh on Mediterranean trawlers will bring marked benefits to both fish and fishermen. What's not to like?”, comments Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean.
WWF also advocates that further management measures, such as one-day-a-week closures and a reduction in fishing capacity, are needed in parallel to the mesh change for a meaningful recovery of severely depleted stocks.
WWF's report can be found at:
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/europe/what_we_do/mediterranean/publications/index.cfm?uNewsID=133381
