Italy and Croatia : Pomo Pits, Central Adriatic Sea (GSA 17) Adriatic UWTV Surveys and Pomo monitoring activity

The Pomo (or Jabuka) Pits area is one of the main fishing ground for Norway Lobster Nephrops norvegicus and European hake Merluccius merluccius within the GFCM Geographical Sub Areas 17 (Northern and Central Adriatic Sea) and it is shared by the Italian and the Croatian fleets. Furthermore, this represents a well-known nursery area for M. merluccius and hosts a distinct population of N. norvegicus, characterized by small-sized mature individuals. Due to a decline in landing of both species for the Adriatic Sea, since 2015 the Italian and the Croatian governments implemented some protection measures in that area. Eventually in 2018, the GFCM established a Fishery Restricted Area. Since 2009 the area is yearly monitored by CNR IRBIM in collaboration with IOF Split. From 2009 to 2019 (except 2011 and 2018), a spring UWTV survey was conducted in the Pomo Pits area jointly by CNR-IRBIM Ancona and IOF Split, on board the CNR R/V Dallaporta; the Pomo Pits UWTV time series has been recently included, as a tuning index, in new modeling approaches tested for the Adriatic N. norvegicus stock assessment. Trials on automatic burrow tracking and counting have also been recently conducted on the Adriatic UWTV footage in the framework of the EU H2020 NAUTILOS project.