Il divieto di strascico nel Golfo di Castellammare (Sicilia N-O): uno strumento di successo per la gestione sostenibile della pesca demersale

The trawl ban in the Gulf of Castellammare (NW Sicily): a successful tool for the sustainable management of demersal fisheries. The Gulf of Castellammare (Tyrrhenian Sea, NW Sicily) has been subject since 1990 to a trawl ban that covers 200 km2, most of which on the continental shelf. The trawl ban was thought as a fisheries management measure to recover the depleted fish stocks in the area. The effectiveness of the ban was assessed through several research surveys carried out between 1985 and 2005, before and after the application of the trawl ban. The data collected after the ban were compared with (a) data from two control areas subject to trawling, and (b) data from the Gulf of Castellammare before the ban. The results showed a clear increase of fish biomass in the Gulf of Castellammare as a direct effect of protection. Only one species with a short life cycle and deep distribution like the pink shrimp Parapenaeus longirostris does not seem to be influenced by the limitation of the fishing effort. The other species, in particular the red mullet Mullus barbatus, showed a strong increase in density. The trawl ban confirms an effective measure of fish resource management. However, there is a need to keep a high level of control and enforcement of the ban and to ensure scientific monitoring to verify the effectiveness of this management tool.