Fishing Activity
Type of production system: Commercial; Industrial Fishery Area
Climatic zone: Temperate. Bottom type: Soft bottom clean sand; Hard rocky bottom. Depth zone: Shelf (50 m - 200 m); Slope - Upperslope (200 m - 500 m). Horizontal distribution: Neritic. Vertical distribution: Demersal/Benthic. Sea floor physiography: Canyons.
Geo References for: Mauritania
Mauritania
Exclusive Economic Zone Areas (EEZ) | MRT - Mauritania |
FAO Fishing Statistical Subdivisions | 34.3.11 - Atlantic, East central / 34.3.11 |
More Geo References
The following area codes have been found as intersecting the location of
Spain Longliners black hake fishery - Mauritanian watersDetails of geoform: Edge of canyons and wells.The Mauritanian coast is part of one of the four major trade-wind driven continental margin upwelling zones in the world oceans, the northwestern African upwelling system (or the Canary Current System). In the Eastern Central Atlantic, the dynamics of an eastern boundary current interacting with trade wind-driven upwelling control this marine ecosystem with exceptionally high primary and secondary productivity (Cury and Roy, 1989; Binet, 1997; Demarcq and Faure, 2000). The upwelling off Mauritania is being described as a wind driven upwelling system restricted to a narrow strip along the coast. It can be separated into two regimes: south of approximately 20ºN upwelling is most pronounced during winter and spring, whereas upwelling north of 20ºN occurs all year round with a maximum intensity in summer and early fall (Mittelstaedt, 1991). The marked seasonality of upwellings and the latitudinal displacement through the Mauritanian and Senegalese coasts, produce important changes in the structure of the biological communities. In short periods (weeks), the system can alternate from a warm equatorial phase to a cold subtropical phase, this deriving in an alternated dominance between tropical and templates communities (Meiners, 2007). Off Cape Blanc the upwelling occurs throughout the year with periods of stronger intensity, while it lasts nine months off Nouakchott.
Resources Exploited
Senegal hake, Benguela hake - Mauritania, Senegal and GambiaSeabreams - Northwest AfricaOther resources: Stocks of atlantic pomfrets, schedophilus, pandoras, scorpionfishes and congers.
Associated Species (Bycatch)
Decapterus sp
Adults
Discarded Species (Bycatch)
Mistryophis crosnieri
Decapterus sp. (19%), Scomber japonicus (9%), Trichiurus lepturus (17%), Mistryophis crosnieri (7%), Coloconger cadenati (5%).
Juveniles (commercial species) or unspecified (other species)
Related Fisheries - Same fishing activity(ies) described by another national perspective (at the same or different aggregation level)
Morocco Offshore Spanish gillnetter hake fishery - Atlantic coast Vessel Type
LonglinersFlag State
Spain
The average characteristics during 2007 were 149 GRT, 296 h.p and 26 m length
Catch Handling and Processing Equipment
Hakes eviscerated and classified in two or three commercial categories. Catches are preserved in ice.
Crew
12-14 persons (Spanish, Mauritanian and Senegalese nationality) (2009)
Fleet segment
Set longlines for demersal fish
These are vessels that used to operate in the Moroccan fishing ground (see MAR19-“Offshore Spanish longliner hake fishery- Morocco Atlantic coast”). Currently, vessels belonging to this fleet are based in Santa Eugenia de Riveira (Galicia, NW Iberian Peninsula), in Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands) and in Algeciras (Andalucía, S Iberian Peninsula).
Fishing Gear
Set longlinesThe gear is composed of a main line with baited hooks attached at intervals by means of branch lines called “snoods”. An average number of 100-120 snoods (approximately 12 000-14000 hooks), were usually set in one unique main line for hakes (or two lines, only in the cases of setting in different depths). The main line length varies between 3 and 14 miles and it is kept with buoys and stones. Sardines were used as baits. On the other hand, for the Atlantic pomfret fishery, a number of gears of 100-120 used to be set, corresponding to 10 000-14 000 hooks and a main line length between 12-14 nautical miles. In this case, Ammodytidae and Scomberesox saurus were the main species used as baits.
Trip Duration
12 fishing days (during the period 2005-2007)
Ports
The main base ports during the period 2005-2007 were Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Tenerife) in Canary Islands, Santa Eugenia de Ribeira (Pontevedra) in Galicia (NW Iberian Peninsula) and Algeciras (Cádiz) in Andalucía (S Iberian Peninsula).
Fishery Indicators
Type | Measure | Value | Unit | Time period |
---|
Nominal Effort | Number of vessels | 4 | vessels | 2007 |
Participation | Number of fishermen | 48 – 56 | persons | 2009 |
Production | Catch total | 277 | tonnes | 2005-2009 |
Catch Merluccius spp. | 167 | tonnes | 2005-2009 |
Catch B. brama | 105 | tonnes | 2005-2009 |
Catch Schedophilus spp. | 6 | tonnes | 2005-2009 |
Catch Pagellus spp. | 5 | tonnes | 2005-2009 |
Catch C. conger | 1 | tonne | 2005-2009 |
Source of Information
Cury, P. and C. Roy, 1989. Optimal environmental window and pelagic fish recruitment success in upwelling areas. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 46, 670–680.
Binet, D., 1997. Climate and pelagic fisheries in the Canary and Guinea currents 1964–1993: the role of trade winds and the southern oscillation. Ocean. Acta 20, 177–190.
Cervantes, A. y R. Goñi, 1986a. Datos de base de la pesquería española de merluza negra senegalesa en las divisiones 34.1.1, 34.1.3 y 34.3.1 de CECAF. En: Rapport du premier groupe de travail spécial sur les pêcheries de merlus et de crevettes profondes dans la zone nord du COPACE. COPACE/PACE Sér., 86/33, 180-186. FAO, Roma, Italia.
Cervantes, A. y R. Goñi, 1986b. Composición por tallas de la captura española de merluza senegalesa (Merluccius senegalensis Cadenat 1950) y merluza negra (Merluccius cadenati Doutre, 1960) en el área de CECAF, año 1982. En: Rapport du premier groupe de travail spécial sur les pêcheries de merlus et de crevettes profondes dans la zone nord du COPACE. COPACE/PACE Sér., 86/33, 232-239. FAO, Roma, Italia.
Demarcq, H. and V. Faure, 2000. Coastal upwelling and associated retention indices derived from satellite SST. Application to Octopus vulgaris recruitment. Ocean. Acta 23, 391–408.
Diop, M., I. Sobrino, L. Fernández, T. García et A. Ramos. 2004. Evolution des prises accesoires des pêcheries spécialisées crevettière et merluttière dans les eaux mauritaniennes de 1950 à nos tours. Chavance P., M. Bâ, D. Gascuel, J. M. Vakily & D. Pauly (eds.) Rapports de recherche halieutique ACP-UE Fisheries, 139-152. Bruselas.
FAO, 2006a. Report of the FAO/CECAF Working Group on the Assessment of Demersal resources. Conakry, 19-29 September 2003. CECAF/ECAF Series 06/67. FAO. Rome: 357 pp.
FAO, 2006b. Report of the FAO/CECAF Working Group on the Assessment of Demersal resources. Subgroup North. Saly, Senegal, 14-23 September 2004. CECAF/ECAF Series 06/68. FAO. Rome: 219 pp.
FAO, 2007. Report of the FAO/CECAF Working Group on the Assessment of Demersal resources. Subgroup North. Banjul, The Gambia. CECAF/ECAF Series. FAO. Roma (in press).
Fernández, L., B. Meissa, D. Thiao et A. Ramos, 2007. Rapport de la rencontre IMROP/CRODT/IEO pour la validation des statistiques de merlus noirs dans la zone COPACE. Série CECAF/ECAF, in press. Anexo, 25 pp.
Fernández, L., Salmerón, F., Gómez, Mª J., García, R. and Macías, D. 2010. Preliminary data on the ovarian histological structures observed in black hakes (M. polli and M. senegalensis) off Mauritania, 4 pp. (Electronic publication, doi: http://www.fresh-cost.org, in press).
Fernández, L., F. Salmerón, J. Rey and M.A. Puerto, 2010. Biología reproductiva de las merluzas negras (Merluccius polli y M. senegalensis) en aguas de Mauritania. Ciencias Marinas, México. In press.
Meiners, C. 2007. Importancia de la variabilidad climática en las pesquerías y biología de la merluza europea Merluccius merluccius (Linnaeus, 1758) de la costa Noroccidental Africana. Tesis Doctoral, 187 pp. IEO-Univ. Politécnica de Cataluña.
Meiners, C, L. Fernández, A. Faraj and R. García-Cancela, 2010. Length-weight relationships of 12 deep-sea teleost fish species from the NW African slope. Journal of Applied Ichthyology . In press.
Meiners, C., L. Fernández, F. Salmerón and C. Hernández, 2010. Some biological parameters of deep-sea shark species from NW Africa. Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria. In press.
Meiners, C., L. Fernández, F. Salmerón and A. Ramos, 2010. Climate variability and fisheries of black hakes (M. polli and M. senegalensis) in NW Africa: a first approach. Monográfico de Elsevier-Journal of Marine System, 80: 243-247.
Mittelstaedt, E., 1991. The ocean boundary along the northwest African coast. Circulation and oceanographic properties at the sea surface. Progress in Oceanography 26, 307–355.
Official Journal of the European Union, 2008. Protocol setting out the fishing opportunities and financial contribution provided for in the Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the European Community and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania for the period 1 August 2008 to 31 July 2012. OJ L 203, 31.07.2008, p. 4–59.
Ramos, A. y L. Fernández. 1994. Las pesquerías de merluzas en los caladeros de África Noroccidental: Datos de base del año 1991. Inf. Téc. Inst. Esp. Oceanogr., 153: 132 pp. Madrid, España.
Ramos, A. and L. Fernández. 1995. Biology and fisheries of North-west African hakes (M. merluccius, M. senegalensis and M. polli). In: J. Alheit and T. Pitcher (eds.). Hake: Biology, fisheries and markets Series 15: 89-124. Chapman & Hall, London, UK.
Ramos, A., F. Salmerón, A. Carroceda and L. Fernández. 2002. Faunistic composition of catches from Spanish bottom-longline fishery in deep waters of Mauritania. NAFO SCR Doc. 01/148, 4pp. Dartmouth, Canada.