Alvaro Abella

ARPAT, Livorno, Italy · MARE

STECF review and advice on 2 ad hoc contracts aimed to quantify fishing activity with mobile bottom-contacting fishing gears that is deployed within marine protected areas, with respect to effort, catches and the first-sale value of the catches.

Species diversity assessments are an important step to evaluate the conservation status of a community, both in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. These assessments are pivotal if related to both, the constant increase of human pressure on ecosystems and the anthropogenic climate change occurring nowadays. Sharks and rays are globally threatened, a...

Commission Decision of 25 February 2016 setting up a Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries, C(2016) 1084, OJ C 74, 26.2.2016, p. 4-10. The Commission may consult the group on any matter relating to marine and fisheries biology, fishing gear technology, fisheries economics, fisheries governance, ecosystem effects of fisheries, a...

Commission Decision of 25 February 2016 setting up a Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries, C(2016) 1084, OJ C 74, 26.2.2016, p. 4–10. The Commission may consult the group on any matter relating to marine and fisheries biology, fishing gear technology, fisheries economics, fisheries governance, ecosystem effects of fisheries, a...

In 2014, the EU fishing fleet numbered 81 500 vessels with a combined gross tonnage (GT) of 1.6 million tonnes and engine power of 6.4 million kilowatts (kW). EU fleet capacity has continued to decrease steadily, at an average annual rate of 2% in terms of vessel numbers and engine power (kW) and 3% in terms of gross tonnage (GT). Based on data sub...

Commission Decision of 25 February 2016 setting up a Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries, C(2016) 1084, OJ C 74, 26.2.2016, p. 4–10. The Commission may consult the group on any matter relating to marine and fisheries biology, fishing gear technology, fisheries economics, fisheries governance, ecosystem effects of fisheries, a...

Aim | The European Red List is a review of the conservation status of European species according to IUCN regional Red Listing guidelines. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the regional level, so that appropriate conservation action can be taken to improve their status. This Red List publication summarises results fo...

Aim | The European Red List is a review of the conservation status of European species according to IUCN regional Red Listing guidelines. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the regional level, so that appropriate conservation action can be taken to improve their status. This Red List publication summarises results fo...

Aim | The European Red List is a review of the conservation status of European species according to IUCN regional Red Listing guidelines. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the regional level, so that appropriate conservation action can be taken to improve their status. This Red List publication summarises results fo...

STECF Expert working groups EWG-14-12 / 14-21 were convened under STECF to assess balance indicators for key fleet segments, review national reports on Member States efforts to achieve balance between fleet capacity and fishing opportunities, and assess Action Plans submitted for fleet segments where Member States identified structural overcapacity...

STECF acknowledges the intensive and thorough work performed by EWG 14-07. All three Terms of Reference have been fully addressed. The Annual Rep orts 2013 of 22 MS, excluding the Bulgarian Annual Report (withdrawn from evaluation),were revi ewed in relation to MS National Programme proposals for 2011-2013 or updates for 2013. As in previous years,...

Few formal stock assessments of elasmobranchs have been conducted in the Mediterranean. This because the information needed is not enough detailed and precise. In recent years, also in the Mediterranean Sea a major concern on the exploitation status of the stocks, belonging to this group, is increased and scientists and managers have paid a major a...

Few formal stock assessments of elasmobranchs have been conducted in the Mediterranean. This because the information needed is not enough detailed and precise. In recent years, also in the Mediterranean Sea a major concern on the exploitation status of the stocks, belonging to this group, is increased and scientists and managers have paid a major a...

Data collection currently occurs under the Data Collection Framework (DCF) 1 and the multi-annual Union programme for data collection established there under. 2 The Second Financial Instrument for the CFP funds the DCF. 3 Member States establish DCF National Programmes in accordance with pr ovisions of the multi-annual Union programme for data coll...

STECF reviewed the report of the EWG 13-12 and note d the progress made regarding the assessment of Bla ck Sea stocks. STECF acknowledges the considerable eff orts of the WG participants in undertaking its work . The EWG 13-12 attempted to develop quantitative sto ck assessments for nine species but only five of th e assessments (sprat, turbot, whi...

A medium-term (10 year) stochastic forecast model is developed and presented for mixed fisheries that can provide estimations of age-specific parameters for a maximum of 10 stocks and 10 fisheries. Designed to support fishery managers dealing with complex, multi-annual management plans, the model can be used to quantitatively test the consequences...

The Expert Working Group meeting of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries EWG 13-09 was held from 15 – 19 July 2013 in Ispra, Italy to assess the status of demersal and small pelagic stocks in the Mediterranean Sea against the proposed FMSY reference points. The report was reviewed and endorsed by the STECF during its plena...

The Expert Working Group meeting of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries EWG 12-19 was held from 10 – 14 December 2012 in Ancona, Italy to assess the status of demersal and small pelagic stocks in the Mediterranean Sea against the proposed FMSY reference point. The report was reviwed and adopted by the STECF during its Spr...

STECF reviewed the report of the EWG - 12 - 11 held from September 24 – 28 2012 in Edinburgh and EWG - 12 - 21 held from 23 – 26 October 2012 in Barza di Ispra, during its Plenary meeting on November 5 - 9 in Brussels

As a signatory to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), the European Union (EU) has made a commitment to maintain or restore fish stocks to levels that can produce the maximum sustainable yield (MSY), and where possible not later than 2015. So how has the EU's Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) fared in trying to achieve this objective? Th...

The criteria for the choice of models and approaches for stock assessment in elasmobranchs can be different. In some cases the approaches are selected because they are widely used in the area, in some other cases, because they are suitable considering their limited request of data, considering the general shortage of available information. For s...

The Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries gave its opinion by written procedure in November 2011 on request by the European Commission. In response to the ToR the STECF EWG 11-16 on Black Sea stock assessments has accomplished seven stock assessments approaches of sprat, turbot, anchovy, whiting, horse mackerel, piked dogfish a...

A demographic analysis was used for the definition of the status of the stock regarding its capacity of self-renewal (Caswell, 1989). The model rely primarily on life history parameters. Such analysis is expected to provide some useful information for management. The approaches based on life history traits as fecundity and survival rates are wid...

The coastal demersal fish assemblage exploited commercially by the Viareggio fleet was assessed in order to define its exploitation status and sustainability. A production model was used provided management benchmarks for the species for which available data are limited. The ASPIC Surplus production model was used. The results showed a depleted pop...

The Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries hold its 36th plenary on 11-15 April 2011 in Barza d'Ispra (Italy). The terms of reference included both issues assessments of STECF Expert Working Group reports and additional requests submitted to the STECF by the Commission. Topics dealt with ranged from fisheries economics to manage...

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, at present Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies, published a first report on the state of fisheries in Italian seas in 1931. Today, eighty years later, I am happy to present this publication, which tries to provide a complete overview of Italian marine fisheries and aquaculture, the latter be...

It was performed an assessment of the sustainability of by-catch species in the Norway lobster fishery. The fishery utilises bottom trawl nets with very low vertical opening and small mesh size at the cod end. A quantitative stock assessment is not feasible in this case because there is a general shortage on the historical and biological informatio...

Joint Report Prepared under the Administrative Arrangement between JRC and DG ENV (no 31210 – 2009/2010), the Memorandum of Understanding between the European Commission and ICES managed by DG MARE, and JRC's own institutional funding Editors:

The Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries gave its opinion by written procedure in March 2011 on request by the European Commission on complementary in-year management advice for sandeel in the North Sea and Skagerrak.

35rh Plenary meeting of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (PLEN-10-03), November 2010, Bruxelles

ALADYM (age-length based dynamic model) is an age-length based simulation model designed to predict the consequences of management scenarios on a single population, in terms of different metrics and indicators. Removals are simulated as total mortality modulated using a selectivity pattern and a fishing activity coefficient. ALADYM uses the classic...

Ideas and considerations are put forward for managing fisheries and marine populations using primarily trawl surveys to supply biological and spatial indicators of the state of stocks, and to permit catch per unit effort (CPUE)-based assessments. Trawl surveys seldom allow absolute estimates of fish population sizes but, if appropriately located, t...

Maiorano, L., Bartolino, V., Colloca, F., Abella, A., Belluscio, A., Carpentieri, P., Criscoli, A., Jona Lasinio, G., Mannini, A., Pranovi, F., Reale, B., Relini, G., Viva, C., and Ardizzone, G. D. 2009. Systematic conservation planning in the Mediterranean: a flexible tool for the identification of no-take marine protected areas. – ICES Journal of...

The European Community is expected to establish long-term management plans (LTMP) for relevant Mediterranean demersal and small pelagic fisherie s based on precautionary approach and adaptive management in taking measures designed to protect and conserve living aquatic resources, to provide for their sustainable exploitation and to minimise the imp...

This paper explores the relationships between the spatial patterns of the distribution of the young hakes of the year (YOY) and the oceanographical features in two areas of the Central Mediterranean (the Ligurian Sea and the Strait of Sicily), characterised by the occurrence of straits and channels. Comparative and correlative approaches were used...

Although hake is not a target of a specific fishery, such as deep water pink shrimp and striped mullet, it is the third species in terms of landed biomass in GSA 16. Hake is caught by trawlers in a wide depth range (50- 500m) together with other important species such as Nephrops norvegicus, Parapenaeus longirostris, Eledone spp., Illex coindetii,...

In this study, a simple assessment approach for the European hake based on a non-equilibrium surplus production model is applied. Only fisheries independent data derived from trawl surveys performed in the frame of the MEDITS programme from 1994 and 2006 were utilised. The approach analyses time series of abundance index (kg/km2) and correspondent...

SUMMARY - ln this paper, the size structure of Mullus barbatus in the area between the Elba Island and the River Magra is analysed. Data come from trawl surveys that made use of two different fishing gears. Surveys were performed from 1985 to 1995. Multivariate analysis allowed to classify and pool together hauls characterized by similar length com...

-ln this paper, the size structure of Mullus barbatus in the area between the Elba Island and the River Magra is analysed. Data come from trawl surveys that made use of two different fishing gears. Surveys were performed from 1985 to 1995. Multivariate analysis allowed to classify and pool together hauls characterized by similar length composition....

ABELLA A., RIA M., MANCUSI C., BAINO R., SERENA F. 2006. CONSISTENCY BETWEEN TRAWL SURVEYS TRENDS OF ABUNDANCE AND FISHING PRESSURE FOR THE DEMERSAL ASSEMBLAGES EXPLOITED IN THE SOUTHERN LIGURIAN SEA 8th Meeting of the Sub-Committee on Stock Assessment (SCSA)FAO, Rome, 11-14 September 20 Consistency between trawl surveys trends of abundance and fis...

Abstract A program to monitor commercial elasmobranchs was put into effect at Viareggio, the most important fishing port of the Tyrrhenian and Ligurian seas. Size structure of the catches and spatial information on fishing effort distribution were collected monthly,by species and gear over the period 1990–2001. Data on catch,rates and geographical...

This study deals with the spatial aggregation of juveniles of European hake (Merluccius merluccius) in the Southern Ligurian–Northern Tyrrhenian Seas. Abundance and spatial distribution of 0+ group hake were investigated for a better definition of the geographical boundaries of the nursery areas as well as for the checking on their stability in tim...

Publicación online disponible en: http://www.icm.csic.es/scimar/index.php The main characteristics concerning distribution, size structure and total mortality of two of the most important decapod crustaceans of commercial interest in the Mediterranean Sea, Nephrops norvegicus and Parapenaeus longirostris, are studied along the European Mediterranea...

Results of length cohort analysis of commercial landings with fine mesh trawls of small hake from Viareggio, Ligurian Sea, are compared with the size frequency of contemporaneous randomized trawl surveys on the fishing grounds of the same port under two assumptions: (1) constant M; (2) M as a reciprocal function of age obtained from an earlier anal...

An assessment of the state of the fisheries of hake, red mullet and Norway lobster was carried out by using trawl survey data from the MEDITS research programme. The assessment was performed by means of the application of a composite model utilising the total mortality rate Z as a direct index of fishing effort. The studied area covered the whole w...

The spatial components of the demersal fisheries operating off the coast of Viareggio, Northern Tyrrhenian and Ligurian Seas, Italy, were studied. Data were compiled during the landing operations. The analyses were based on the available nine years of data with information on vessels, gear type, date, fishing area, effort, number of tows and catch...

In this paper, the usefulness of different kinds of ‘target’ and ‘threshold’ reference points, their practical application for Nephrops norvegicus, the accuracy of their estimates and uncertainty levels are discussed. This study refers to the stock settled on the northern Tyrrhenian grounds around the Tuscan archipelago north of Elba island. Growth...

~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~~ SUMMARY - In Mediterranean demersal trawl fisheries, for most of the species, recruitment to the gear starts in their first year of life. This is mainly due to the utilization of cod end stretched mesh sizes of 40 mm or lower. Large adult fish are rarely caught with this fishing strategy because the older individuals show a declining...

The paper explores the apparent contradiction between a high trawling pressure on juveniles and sustained production of hake that has occurred over the last decade in many Mediterranean fisheries. The practical consequences are followed of assuming rapid declines in natural mortality rate M in the first few years of life to a low, constant adult na...

(Fmœ,, FMBP, F0-=), fishing effort (fmœy) or in amount of harvesting (Maximum Sustainable Yield, Maximum Economic Yield, etc). The need of guidelines for the estimation of potential sustainable catches lead policy makers to the choice af a reference point and related operational decisions. The merits of one reference point over another depends on a...

Sampling design considerations and sampling effort for length-based stock assessment are often as demanding as those for traditional age-based assessment. Four factors have been identified which should be considered in designing a program for collecting length-frequency data: 1)period of time over which data are aggregated, 2) width of length inter...

A catch assessment survey to monitor the landed elasmobranchs was enforced at the Viareggio harbour, the more important fishing port of the Tyrrhenian and Ligurian seas. Monthly data of catches by species and gear, size structure of the catches and spatial information on fishing effort distribution were collected over the period 1990- 2001. Data on...

Data on abundance and distribution of skates collected from 1985 to 2004 during scientific trawl surveys as part of the Italian national GRUND project (GRUppo Nazionale risorse Demersali) and from 1994 to 2004 during the European Community MEDITS project (MEDIterranean Trawl Survey) were analysed. Despite of the objective difficulties in the identi...