The development and use of a spatial database for the determination and characterization of the state of the German Baltic small-scale fishery sector

ICES Journal of Marine Science ICES Journal of Marine Science (2012), 69(8), 1480–1490. doi:10.1093/icesjms/fss096 Eva A. Papaioannou* 1, Athanasios T. Vafeidis 1, Martin F. Quaas 2, and Jörn O. Schmidt 2 1 Coastal Risks and Sea-Level Rise Research Group, Cluster of Excellence ‘The Future Ocean’, Institute of Geography, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Ludewig-Meyn Str. 14, D-24098, Kiel, Germany 2 Sustainable Fisheries Research Group, Cluster of Excellence ‘The Future Ocean’, Department of Economics, Christian-Albrechts University of Kiel, Wilhelm-Seelig Platz 1, D-24118, Kiel, Germany *Corresponding Author: tel: +49 431 880 5640; fax: +49 431 880 4658; e-mail: Papaioannou, E. A., Vafeidis, A. T., Quaas, M. F., and Schmidt, J. O. 2012. The development and use of a spatial database for the determination and characterization of the state of the German Baltic small-scale fishery sector. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: 1480– 1490. Received 16 December 2011; accepted 25 April 2012; advance access publication 13 June 2012. Although substantial progress has been made in the acquisition and analysis of fishery data, the small-scale fishery (SSF) sector is frequently data deficient, with relevant primary data often being fragmented and incomplete. Also, in contrast to the case of the larger scale sector, a coherent methodological framework for the assessment of the SSF has, in most cases, not been formulated. In the present study, the methodology of developing a database for the German Baltic SSF sector is presented. The aim of the database is to combine fishery primary data effectively and enable the sound determination and characterization of the German Baltic SSF sector. Data used include, among others, fleet data derived from the European Community Fleet Register (CFR) database and logbook data from the German Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE). The database includes information on the technical specifications of SSF vessels (length, engine power, etc.); the sector’s operational range; main target species; fishing grounds; landing ports; and weight and price of landings. Results of employing the database for profiling the state of the SSF sector (in 2008) are presented. The results demonstrate the benefits of such an approach within the framework of managing coastal fish resources and fishing activities. Keywords: fishery primary data, fishing gear, fishing strategies, fleet register, geographic information system (GIS), landings, logbooks, smallscale fisheries, spatial database. Introduction Small-scale fisheries (SSFs) are associated with practices that favour the use of less energy-intensive, primarily static, fishing gear and are considered potentially more sustainable than large-scale fisheries (Jacquet and Pauly, 2008). SSFs are also of great social significance, employing the largest number of fishing workers (FAO, 2009) and accounting for most of the world’s fishing operations. In the future, the SSF sector is expected to play a central role in resolving the global fishery crisis; Hall et al. (2010) consider the support of its continued operation and development, and the increase in its adaptive capacity, as cornerstones in the process of sustainable fisheries. However, SSFs have been systematically ignored and marginalized through government policies in both developing and developed countries (Berkes, 2003; Ünal and Franquesa, 2010). Although there now exists a rising consensus on the need to promote the interests of the sector, as manifested by the increased attention of international and regional institutions (for instance, within the framework of the ongoing reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy), the sector has yet to overcome decades of a non-favourable management regime. The absence of a clear definition; its high degree of heterogeneity (Freire and Garcı́a-Allut, 2000; Tzanatos et al., 2008; Forcada et al., 2010); and its exclusion from national policy and the benefits that the larger scale sector may have (Madau et al., 2009) all account for the SSF sector being frequently neglected and not adequately assessed and analysed. # 2012 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: The development and use of a spatial database for the determination and characterization of the state of the German Baltic small-scale fishery sector A spatial database for the German Baltic small-scale fishery sector German Baltic small-scale fishery In the Baltic Sea, coastal fish communities have long been recognized as important components of the natural ecosystem (HELCOM, 2006a, b), while SSFs that target the resource account for the majority of fishing vessels in the area (IFREMER, 2007). [According to EU legislation, small-scale coastal fishing is defined as fishing carried on by vessels of an overall length of ,12 m, not using towed gear; Council Regulation (EC) No 2792/1999 and table 2 of Annex I in EU Commission Regulation (EC) 2090/1998; Council Regulation (EC) 1198/2006.] The Baltic region is one of the few areas with a coherent legislation for the technical measures of fishing practices [Council Regulation (EC) No. 2187/2005; EUROPARL, 2007] and the limits of total catch and fishing effort for certain species of commercial importance [e.g. Council Regulation (EC) No. 1124/2010, for the year 2011], also governing the activity of the SSF sector. The coastal fishery in the German Baltic region has long been considered an integral element of the broader area, having historically shaped regional economies (the Baltic herring fishery was a cornerstone of the Hanseatic League trade alliance), providing employment opportunities and being a tourist attraction (Döring, 2003). Also, the fishery exploits the coastal fish resource in a moderate way, while relevant fishing practices usually include the use of static, comparatively selective gear, resulting in small amounts of non-target fish species bycatch (Döring, 2003). Furthermore, as opposed to the case of the offshore fishing sector, non-target caught fish species are frequently returned by fishers to the sea alive (Döring, 2003). There has been marked progress in the Baltic area in the acquisition, collation, analysis, and dissemination of fishery data. Catch statistics for the Baltic area are contained within the EUROSTAT/ ICES database (2011), while other elaborate databases of fishery statistics have also been developed and are publically available, such as the HELCOM Map Service and GIS Data (2010); webbased data applications such as FISHFRAME (ver 5.0, 2008); or the German ‘Fish Stocks’ Online web-portal (Institute of Baltic Sea Fisheries, 2010). Furthermore, past studies (Rossing et al., 2010; Zeller et al., 2011b) have also accounted for unreported removals and discards, and the contribution of the recreational fishery to the area’s total fishery removal, thus also addressing fundamental gaps in o (...truncated)