Swordfish harpoon fishery in the Mediterranean Sea: Recent data to implement the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the EcAp (Ecosystem Approach) process

- Swordfish harpoon fishery is a typical artisanal and selective practice.
- Trends in fishing capacity for 2002-2011 highlighted stationary values over time.
- The proportion of mature females (>L50) landed showed positive significant trends.
- Catch of fish from pairs is higher in GSA 10 than in GSA 19 during June and July.
- Monitoring of the harpoon fishery adds important information for MSFD objectives.

This paper provides new data on the swordfish harpoon fishery carried out during 1999-2011 in Italian waters (central Mediterranean Sea), concerning fleet structure and its changes over the last decade, spatial distribution of fishing effort and catches, trend of catch rates, size composition of catches as well as fishing of other species. These data were partially used to implement the MSFD Initial Assessment of Descriptor 3 for Italian waters, and could be useful for the forthcoming application of the EcAp (Ecosystem Approach) process, regarding Ecological Objective 3.Swordfish harpoon fishery is a typical artisanal practice, characterized by selective catches as well as by cherished cultural traditions, being one of the most ancient fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea, with lengthy traditions and close links with local culture. Fishing capacity showed a low, stable level during the sampling period. Fishing effort, in terms of days at sea, was more intense in GSA 19 than in GSA 10, whereas CPUE often resulted higher during June and July in GSA 10 due to the occurrence of fish belonging to pairs during the reproduction period. Over the period 1999-2009, the percentage of females larger than L50 increased up to almost 100% of the catch in both GSA 10 and GSA 19, underlining the high selectivity of this fishing practice, and might be the result of enforcing strict management measures on Mediterranean swordfish stock in recent years. This study also provided some information on the catch of Tetrapturus belone, whose stock is today regarded as data-poor.