Premium small scale: the trap fishery for Plesionika narval (Decapoda, Pandalidae) in the eastern Mediterranean Sea

Small-scale fisheries (SSFs) constitute a substantial component of European fisheries and have a high socioeconomic importance, especially for remote insular areas. Traps produce catches of high quality and value, associated with limited bycatch and low habitat impact. Long-standing trap SSFs in both the Mediterranean and the Atlantic showcase the potential of such SSFs to support remote fishing communities; however, trap SSFs remain relatively understudied. Here, we investigate the spatial and temporal dynamics of a Greek trap SSF targeting Plesionika narval (Fabricius, 1787) in the eastern Mediterranean, by means of Generalized Additive Models fitted on fishers' logbook data from 2005 to 2014. The dynamics of both catch per unit effort (CPUE) and profits suggest a pronounced seasonality for this fishery, while there are also signs of local overexploitation in the traditional fishing grounds. Additionally, small vessels (< 12 m) report higher CPUEs than larger vessels. Our results point to management measures that could improve the sustainability of this valuable SSF, such as changes in the spatial and temporal allocation of fishing effort, and in fleet composition. The insights gained from this study are relevant to other localized trap SSFs and illustrate the socioeconomic potential of such fisheries for remote fishing communities.