When non-target wildlife species and alien species both affect negatively to an artisanal fishery: the case of trammel net in the Alboran Sea

In the Northern Alboran Sea, artisanal small-scale fisheries using trammel nets suffer economic losses, and local fishermen see their way-of-life endangered, due to interactions with wildlife species such as alien species and dolphins. On the one hand, the alien seaweed Rugulopteryx okamurae, which was first recorded in the Alboran Sea in 2015, has undergone an intensive expansion in the sub-region, monopolizing the available seabed, causing radical changes in the underwater seascape and clogging the trammel nets. On the other hand, the damage caused to the fishing nets by dolphin fish predation is an ancient problem worldwide, but it is intensifying in the last years. The main objective of this study is to understand the main environmental and technical conditions that favor damages of fishing trammel nets in the Alboran Sea, which entails an important loss of catchability, due to (i) the clogging of the artisanal fishing trammel nets by invasive seaweed, and (ii) the breaking of the nets by dolphin predation. Through close monitoring of fishermen in port, we obtained direct information of 548 sets. Our results indicate that approximately 30% of trammel sets suffered a damage due to unwanted interaction with alien seaweeds and dolphins. As seaweeds invasion is a global problem while dolphin-fishing gear interaction is more local, we concluded that only a large-scale management of exotic algae, together with the involvement of local fishermen, could solve the economic problems of this activity.

Automated summary

In the Northern Alboran Sea, artisanal small-scale fisheries using trammel nets are facing economic losses and threats to their way of life due to interactions with alien species and dolphins. The invasion of alien seaweed Rugulopteryx okamurae and the predation of dolphins have caused damage to fishing nets, resulting in a significant loss of catchability. Close monitoring of fishermen revealed that approximately 30% of trammel sets experienced damage from unwanted interactions with seaweed and dolphins. To solve the economic issues of this activity, a large-scale management of exotic algae, involving local fishermen, is necessary.