Abstract:

The Marine Reserve of Fishing Interest (RMIP) “Ría de Cedeira”, implemented in 2009, comprises the internal waters of the Ría Cedeira. Within the scope of the marine reserve are three areas with different degrees of protection, a reserve, two areas of special protection, and an area marina. This study characterizes the distribution and abundance of fish in different areas of protection in order to monitor the possible effect that the degree of protection exerted on them.

Using a BACI-type design (before-after-control-impact) are established, depending on their degree of protection, 6 sampling stations. Seasonally, from 2008 to 2010, we determined the abundance of species through visual census conducted by scuba divers along fixed transects of 100m in length.

We analyzed the spatial and temporal differences in fish communities at different levels of protection, type of substrate and time of year, through nonparametric multivariate techniques, using the statistical package PRIMER v.6 (Clarke & Warwick, 2001). Furthermore, accumulation curves were made using the ESTIMATES program (Colwell, 2009) to determine species richness in each of the study areas.

We have also collaborated on two other presentations:

- Félix-Hackradt, F.C.; Werner-Hackradt, C.; García-Charton, J.A.; Treviño-Otón, J.; Segovia-Viadero, M.; Tubío-Gómez, A.; Pérez-Ruzafa, A. & Marcos-Diego, C. (2011). Factors influencing habitat selection by fish recruits at rocky reefs in Western Mediterranean Sea. [oral presentation]. World Conference on Marine Biodiversity, 26-30 September 2011. Aberdeen (Scotland, UK)

- Werner-Hackradt, C.; Félix-Hackradt, F.C.; Treviño-Otón, J.; Segovia-Viadero, M.; Pérez-Ruzafa, A.; & Marcos-Diego; Tubío-Gómez, A. & García-Charton, J.A. (2011). Density effect and habitat characteristics of the distribution of predators fish species (Perciformes: Serranidae) in Mediterranean rocky reefs. [digital object presentation]. World Conference on Marine Biodiversity, 26-30 September 2011. Aberdeen (Scotland, UK)

(Poster oral presentation)

Abstract: The Marine Reserve of Fishing Interest Os Miñarzos (Galicia, NW Spain) is the first marine protected area declared in the whole Iberian Atlantic coast. Although administrative declaration took place on May 2007, it did not become effective until December 2007. The reserve has an extension of 2074 ha and it is made up by two no-take zones (where it is forbidden to practise any activity, excepting scientific research), and by a partially protected area, where restrictive rules about fishing and gathering shellfish were instaured.

This study describes the distribution and abundance of the epibenthic megafauna in the different zones of the reserve to monitor the possible future effects of the protection measures. Here we present our first year monitoring results, which establish the baseline conditions to test the magnitude of the protection effects in the years to come.

We have employed a BACI design (Before-After-Control-Impact), contempling three different level protection zones and uses: a closed area, a partially protected area, and an adjacent non-protected area (control zone). For these three zones species abundance and distribution were estimated by means of 100 m long transects. Two different transect sampling took place in each zone, covering sandy and rocky substrates respectively. Species abundance and distribution have been seasonally estimated in each zone. A SCUBA diver identified and counted the epibenthic megafauna in situ inside a frame of 0.25 m2 each 10 m. Species that could not be identified in situ were photographed or brought to the laboratory for identification.

We analysed the spatial and temporal differences in the composition, diversity and abundance of the epibenthic megafauna assemblages between the zones, in function of protection level, type of substrate, and season of the year.

(version de alta resolución, en jpg 1.4 MB)

Abstract: Galicia is an autonomous Spanish region with full authority over the management of its coastal fisheries. In 2006 Galician shellfisheries targeted approximately 55 species (18,500 tons, $191 millions), involving nearly 16,000 fishers distributed in 62 fishers’ organizations known as “confrarías”. In 1992 the regional government introduced a new model for Galician small-scale, spatially structured fisheries targeting sedentary resources, so called “S-fisheries” (bivalves, equinoderms, gastropods, annelids and the crustacean gooseneck barnacle P. pollicipes). It promoted a co-management system between fishers’ organizations and the fisheries authority based on territorial use rights (TURFs). Under the new regime there is a requirement for any S-fishery to have an approved annual plan of exploitation and management. Since 2000 detailed information is obligatory, including a list of fishers and boats, a chart of exploited grounds, specification of production and economic objectives, a stock assessment, daily records from previous years (effort, catch, CPUE, sales and fishing area), harvesting, surveillance and trade plans, stock enhancement actions, and a financial plan. The management plan is normally prepared by a “barefoot ecologist” (sensu Prince 2003) working at the confraría with government funding thanks to an arrangement that started in 1996 (up to now 40 out of 62 confrarías are involved in this plan). The “barefoot ecologist” is usually a Biology or Marine Science graduate working as a shellfish resource management assistant, dealing with not only data collection and analysis but also on fishers´ organization improvement. The development, daily implementation and prospective of the Galician model are illustrated in this poster with the gooseneck barnacle fishery as an example. The role of the “barefoot ecologists” on the sustainability of these fisheries is highlighted.

Durante los días 11-13 de Noviembre tuve la oportunidad de asistir en Sarasota (Florida) a The Seventh William R. and Lenore Mote International Symposium in Fisheries Ecology sobre la dimensión espacial de las pesquerías.

Este simposio fue decidado a la memoria de Bob Johannes (1936-2002), ecólogo marino que fue el primero en reconocer la importancia del conocimiento tradicional de los pescadores a la hora de gestionar pesquerías (Words of the Lagoon: Fishing and Marine Lore in the Palau District of Micronesia. 1981).

Entre los temas recurrentes que surgieron a lo largo del simposio estuvieron la zonación o creación de zonas marinas con usos diferenciados, la asignación de derechos de uso a los pescadores y el papel de las reservas marinas como elementos ‘control’ .

Hunter Lenihan

Además, los principios de Elinor Ostrom acerca de la gestión de recursos colectivos estuvieron presentes a lo largo de buena parte de las presentaciones. Se hizo hincapié en la importancia de no ‘reinventar la rueda’ y mirar más a los avances que se han hecho en otras disciplinas como la sociología y la economía que pueden ser directamente aplicables a la gestión de pesquerías.

La perspectiva legal la puso Chad J. McGuire y la orientación más económica Martin Smith y James Sanchirico. El punto de humor lo puso el barril de cerveza donado por el ausente Hunter Lenigan (foto).

En general el ambiente fue bueno y las mesas redondas y preguntas dieron lugar a problemas interesantes.

Hubo varias ausencias importantes (aparte de Lenihan). Ray Hilborn y Steve Martell no pudieron asistir. Carl Walters asistió, pero en general estuvo bastante ausente, apareciendo sólo para sus charlas y en momentos muy localizados.

Nuestro grupo de investigación participó con un póster presentado por Gonzalo Macho:

Gonzalo Macho presentando su póster.

- Gonzalo Macho, Juan Freire and José Molares. Development and prospective of the Galician TURF system (NW Spain): The case study of the gooseneck barnacle (Pollicipes pollicipes) fishery.

Por otro lado, se entregaron dos premios a jovenes investigadores. Uno al mejor póster (Ronald Maliao – Impacts of comanagement of marine protected areas in the Philippines) y otro a la mejor charla (Geoffrey Shester – Empirical analysis of fine-scale spatial behaviour and fishing strategies in the Baja California lobster fishery) .

Además, se discutieron los posibles temas para el siguiente simposium que se celebrará dentro de dos años. Entre los más probables están:

• Relación entre acuicultura y stocks salvajes.
• La importancia de la pesca recreativa en la gestión de pesquerías.
• Cambio climático.

Pablo Pita & Juan Freire. Preliminary analyses of the status of the Galician subtidal
seabed after the Prestige oil spill assessed through direct observations by
scuba divers. Poster (jpg). Working paper (pdf).

VERTIMAR 2005 – Symposium on marine accidental oil spills. 13 – 16 july 2005, Universidade de Vigo. Vigo (Spain).

Paper also available at FEDAS website

INTRODUCTION
On the 13th of November 2002, the
oil–tanker Prestige, with a cargo of 77000 tons of oil, sunk 120 miles off
Islas Cies. During the shipwreck of the tanker, outstanding political and
social circumstances took place which have greatly influenced the effects
derived from the accident, bringing on the uninterrupted emission of oil in
consecutive spills in an unusually large scale in space and time. The
Federación Gallega de Actividades Subacuáticas (FEGAS) [Galician Federation of
Recreative Scuba Diving], a private organisation concerned with the integral
protection of the Galician marine environment, undertook fieldwork to establish
the initial degree of pollution by hydrocarbons in the seabed in a series of
coastal areas at a time when the the mismanagement of the authorities
highlighted the need and value of private iniciatives. A total of 50 scuba and
free divers, all of them voluntaries and coordinated by FEGAS, made a
considerable sampling effort including 4500 m of underwater transects, covering
a sampling area of 25500 m² (see fig.1) of seabed prospected during
the 9 months (10/12/2002 to 5/08/2003).

METHODOLOGY
The Galician coast was divided in sections under
the supervision of one of the diving clubs affiliated to FEGAS which was in
charge of collecting the information generated by the divers. Each diver
prospected a transect during 10 minutes at a constant depth (see fig. 2),
collecting standardised data about observed macroscopic pollution (fig. 3).
Observations of oil were aproximated to simple geometric forms to allow the
estimation of the total volume of hydrocarbons observed. These estimates used
values of 0.99 g.cm^-3 provided by CSIC (2003). Sampling areas were calculated using a band
of variable width for each transect, depending of the diver´s estimated
visibility of the diver and an average length of 75 m by transect.

RESULTS
For all the sampling stations, the
total oil found was 6064.4 kg. This quantity, estimating an average visibility
of 3.15 m, would suppose 0.80 kg·m^-2 both in the water column and
the seabed of the sampling stations in which the presence of oil was
noticed. It could be concluded that the
most affected area corresponded to the Parque Nacional Marítimo-Terrestre de
las Islas Atlánticas de Galicia. The quantitative results obtained in the Isla
de Sálvora were especially high (see fig. 4). The dives performed in Costa da
Morte showed high amounts of oil in the water column, which agrees with several
pieces of information which point out that this area was the most affected coastal area (fig. 4). Considerable
quantities of oil have been obtained in the Caldebarcos beach, near Carnota (A
Coruña), and in the Rías de Ferrol and Aldán (fig. 4). Among the organisms
affected by the acute phase of oil spill, we should highlight the high number
of oiled specimens of the spider crab Maja
brachydactyla observed during the various dives (fig. 5) and considerable
extents of affected Zostera marina
beds, a habitat protected by the current legislation (fig. 2).