Pesca SOS: methodology
During the months of May through August, between the years 2008 and 2022, catches were monitored: species, number of individuals and sizes of individuals caught. Until 2017, three fishermen were sampled while in 2021 and 2022 the fishing sampling was intensified. In 2021, 14 fishermen from Port de la Selva, Cadaqués and Roses and a total of 680 fishing trips were sampled. In 2022, a total of 14 fishermen from Port de la Selva, Cadaqués and Roses and 592 fishing trips were sampled.
In addition to the catches, the depth, fishing hours, meters of net (in the case of net gears), number of hooks (in longline) and units (in traps and pots), bottom type, location and fishing gear were also recorded. The gears sampled were trammel nets, longlines, gillnets, and pots and traps targeting octopus. The “bonitolera”, a seasonal gear exclusive to Port de la Selva and Cadaqués for bonito fishing, was also sampled, although it was not taken into account in the study due to the small volume of data. From the catch data, the temporal and spatial variability of catch per unit effort (CPUE) was analyzed.
The supervision of the sampling program has been carried out by the Oceans and Human Health Chair, and consisted in monitoring tasks on board and in the port, as well as data processing and developing the report of the results. The representation of the results in the form of maps has been done with the collaboration of the Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing Service (SIGTE) of the University of Girona.
In order to produce maps, a point has been placed on a map for each sampling data; then the study area has been divided into different hexagons according to the position of the sampled data. Finally, average CPUE values of all the points located within each area have been calculated to give each hexagon a color according to the CPUE value of each studied species.
Based on results, recommendations for fisheries management have been drafted within the framework of the Co-Management Committee for Artisanal Fishing in Cap de Creus.
