First record of Anachis aliceae (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Columbellidae) in the Algarve, south coast of Portugal

The marine gastropod Anachis aliceae (Pallary, 1900) is reported with certainty for the first time from the Algarve, south coast of Portugal from species-rich rocky priority biotope. Several live specimens of this species belonging to the Columbellidae family were collected and identified from by-catch samples, recovered from octopus traps set at depths between 50 and 70 m off Ponta da Piedade. Taxonomic validation of the newly recorded species is based on the comparison to other related species within the genus.

Quantifying recreational shore angling catch and harvest in southern Portugal (north-east Atlantic Ocean): implications for conservation and integrated fisheries management

Recreational shore fishing along 250 km of the south and south-west coast of Portugal was studied based on roving creel and aerial surveys. Surveys were conducted between August 2006 and July 2007, following a stratified random-sampling design and provided information on catch and effort, harvest and discards, angler demographics and fishing habits. Overall, 192 roving creel surveys, 24 aerial surveys and 1321 interviews were conducted. Based on the aerial surveys, a mean +/- s.e. total fishing effort of 705 236 +/- 32 765 angler h year(-1) was estimated, corresponding to 166 430 +/- 9792 fishing trips year(-1). Average time spent per fishing trip was 4.7 h. A total of 48 species, belonging to 22 families, were recorded in roving creel surveys. The most important species was Diplodus sargus, accounting for 44% of the total catches by number and 48% by mass. Estimated mean +/- s.e. total annual recreational shore fishing catch was 160.2 +/- 12.6 t year(-1) (788 049 +/- 54 079 fishes year(-1)), of which 147.4 +/- 11.9 t year(-1) (589 132 +/- 42 360 fishes year(-1)) was retained. Although overall shore-based recreational catches only corresponded to 0.8% of the commercial landings (only common species considered), D. sargus catches by recreational shore anglers were considerable, corresponding to 65% of the commercial landings. The implications of these results for integrated fisheries management and conservation are discussed, and future research proposed.

Trammel net catch species composition, catch rates and metiers in southern European waters: A multivariate approach

We identified and quantified the effect of season, depth, and inner and outer panel mesh size on the trammel net catch species composition and catch rates in four southern European areas (Northeast Atlantic: Basque Country, Spain; Algarve, Portugal; Gulf of Cadiz, Spain; Mediterranean: Cyclades, Greece), all of which are characterised by important trammel net fisheries. In each area, we conducted, in 1999-2000, seasonal, experimental fishing trials at various depths with trammel nets of six different inner/outer panel mesh combinations (i.e., two large outer panel meshes and three small inner panel meshes). Overall, our study covered some of the most commonly used inner panel mesh sizes, ranging from 40 to 140 mm (stretched). We analysed the species composition and catch rates of the different inner/outer panel combinations with regression, multivariate analysis (cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling) and other 'community' techniques (number of species, dominance curves). All our analyses indicated that the outer panel mesh sizes used in the present study did not significantly affect the catch characteristics in terms of number of species, catch rates and species composition. Multivariate analyses and seasonal dominance plots indicated that in Basque, Algarve and Cyclades waters, where sampling covered wide depth ranges, both season and depth strongly affected catch species compositions. For the Gulf of Cadiz, where sampling was restricted to depths 10-30 m, season was the only factor affecting catch species composition and thus group formation. In contrast, the inner panel mesh size did not generally affect multidimensional group formation in all areas but affected the dominance of the species caught in the Algarve and the Gulf of Cadiz. Multivariate analyses also revealed 11 different metiers (i.e., season-depth-species-inner panel mesh size combinations) in the four areas. This clearly indicated the existence of trammel net 'hot spots', which represent essential habitats (e.g., spawning, nursery or wintering grounds) of the life history of the targeted and associated species. The number of specimens caught declined significantly with inner panel mesh size in all areas. We attributed this to the exponential decline in abundance with size, both within- and between-species. In contrast, the number of species caught in each area was not related to the inner mesh size. This was unexpected and might be a consequence of the wide size-selective range of trammel nets. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.

Catches of the sport fishing competitions along the Algarve coast (Portugal): species, sizes, catch rates, and trends

Background. Stocks of many marine fishes are in decline and a number of studies suggest that for some species the impact of recreational angling may be important. To date, only recreational (leisure) fishing surveys have been conducted in Portugal, with no studies on beach angling competitions, dynamically increasing in number over the past 10 to 20 years. In view of the above, we decided to evaluate the impact of such events on the Algarve coast (southern Portugal) in terms of the abundance, diversity, and respective weight of fish species caught and outline some conservation measures and recommendations for the management of the targeted species. Materials and methods. Participants of 22 angling competitions taking place between February and June 2007 were surveyed. In each competition a random sample of anglers was interviewed, and the specimens caught by each participant were identified, weighed, and measured. Results. Thirteen taxa belonging to eight families were identified, and the most common were: garfish, Belone belone (Linnaeus, 1761); mullets, Mugilidae (not identified); and mackerels, Scomber spp. A total of 563 specimens were sampled, totalling 75.4 kg of weight, with the average catch per angler weighing 0.5 +/- 0.05 SE (n = 153) kg. Differences were also observed between the length at first maturity (L(50)) of the specimens caught and their respective Minimum Landing Size (MLS) and Allowed Minimum Size (AMS), most particularly in the case of the European seabass, Dicentrarchus labrax (L.), with almost all individuals caught measuring below the species-specific L50. Analysis of time series of competition results (1996-2009) showed no evidence of a decrease in catches or in mean weight. Conclusion. Based on the results we propose that the AMS for beach angling competitions should be increased to the MLS in order to prevent the capture of juvenile fishes, especially the sea bass. Future studies should address the size selectivity of the hooks used in beach competitions, with a view to the implementation of a minimum hook size for competitions.

Unexpectedly high catch-and-release rates in European marine recreational fisheries: implications for science and management

While catch-and-release (C&R) is a well-known practice in several European freshwater recreational fisheries, studies on the magnitude and impact of this practice in Europeanmarine recreational fisheries are limited. To provide an overview of the practice andmagnitude of C&R among marine recreational anglers in Europe, the existing knowledge of C&R and its potential associated release mortality was collected andsummarized. The present study revealed that in several European countries over half of the total recreational catch is released by marine anglers. High release proportions of > 60% were found for Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), pollack (Pollachius pollachius), and sea trout (Salmo trutta) in at least one of the studied European countries. In the case of the German recreational Baltic Sea cod fishery, release proportions varied considerably between years, presumably tracking a strong year class ofundersized fish. Reasons for release varied between countries and species, and included legal restrictions (e.g. minimumlanding sizes and daily bag limits) and voluntary C&R. Considering the magnitude of C&R practice among European marine recreational anglers, post-release mortalities of released fish may need to be accounted for in estimated fishingmortalities.However, as the survival rates of Europeanmarine species aremostly unknown, there is a need to conduct post-release survival studies and to identify factors affecting post-release survival. Such studies could also assist in developing species-specific, best-practice guidelines to minimize the impacts of C&R on released marine fish in Europe.

Semi-pelagic Longline and Trammel Net Elasmobranch Catches in Southern Portugal: Catch Composition, Catch Rates and Discards

In Portugal, elasmobranch landings have decreased substantially in recent years. In this work, elasmobranch catches in semi-pelagic longlines (1997 and 1998) were compared with those in trammel nets (2000) in the Algarve, southern Portugal areas. In the semi-pelagic longline fi shery, 7 elasmobranch species represented 33.4% (2 185 specimens) of the total fi sh catches. Among the elasmobranch species, the most abundant were Galeus melastomus (63.3%), Etmopterus pusillus (21.7%) and Scyliorhinus canicula (14.2%). Most of these elasmobranchs were discarded (68.3% in total). In the trammel net fi shery, 16 different elasmobranch species represented 4.3% (597 specimens) of total fi sh catches and the most important species were Raja undulata (43.6%) and S. canicula (10.2%). The majority of the elasmobranchs caught in trammel nets had commercial value, and only 5.4% were discarded. In both fi sheries, intra-specifi c catch rates varied with depth. Length-frequency distributions for the only species with relatively high catches in both fi sheries, S. canicula, showed that, in general, trammel nets catch larger specimens and in a narrower length range than do longlines.

Catch composition, catch rates and size selectivity of three long-line methods in the Algarve (southern Portugal)

Three long-line methods have been studied in the Algarve: 1) small-hook long-line for inshore (less than 30 m) ‘white’ sea breams (Sparidae); 2) small-hook long-line for deeper water (40-60 m) ‘red’ sea breams; and 3) deep water (500-700 m) semi-pelagic long-line for hake Merluccius merluccius (Linnaeus, 1758). Selectivity studies were carried out with three hook sizes in the first two cases: Mustad round-bent Quality 2369 hooks, numbers 15, 13, and 11, baited with a standardsized razor-shell Ensis siliqua (Linnaeus, 1758). Four hook sizes (numbers 10, 9, 7, and 5) of Stell round-bent, eyed hooks were used in the semi-pelagic long-line selectivity study, baited with a half of a standard-sized sardine. Some factors affecting catch composition and catch rates of the small hook long-lines were also evaluated: bait, gangion length, setting time, fishing ground, and depth. Species diversity was relatively high, with 40, 36 and 27 species, respectively, in the three studies. However, the catches were dominated by a limited number of species. Catch rates (number of fish per 100 hooks) were variable (< 5 %; > 20 %), with a general decrease in catch rate with increasing hook size in all the studies. In general, the catch size distributions for the different hook sizes for each species were highly overlapping, with little or no evidence of differences in size selectivity. Hooks caught a wide size-range for each species, with few or no illegal-sized fish, in most cases. Some implications of these results for the management of multi-species, multi-gear fisheries are discussed.