Fishing Activity
Type of production system: Artisanal Fishery Area
Climatic zone: Temperate. Bottom type: Hard bottom. Depth zone: Coastal 0 50m; Shelf 50 200m; Slope-Upperslope 200-500m. Horizontal distribution: Littoral; Neritic. Vertical distribution: Demersal/Benthic.
Geo References for: Canary Islands
Canary Islands
| eez | ESP - Spain |
| FAO Fishing Statistical Divisions | 34.1.2 - Canaries/Madeira insular |
Water Area List
The following area codes have been found as intersecting the location of
Spain Artisanal trap finfish fishery - Canary Islands watersThe Canary Islands archipelago and its surrounding waters are part of the Canary region, which is located on the eastern edge of the subtropical gyre of the North Atlantic and is bathed by the Canary current fed by the Azores current (Fiekas et al., 1992). The Canary Islands act as a barrier to the Canary Current and the trade winds which introduce strong variability in the atmospheric and oceanic flows, giving rise to mesoscalar oceanographic processes, such as eddies and warm wakes, to leeward of the islands (Mittelstaedt, 1991, Hernández-Guerra et al., 1993; Arístegui et al., 1997; Barton et al., 1998). On a biological level, these phenomena entail an increase in planktonic production. Likewise, the water masses from the Northwest African upwelling displaced offshore towards the Canary Islands by the Ekman transport and the upwelling filaments may reach the eastern part of the Canary region. Consequently, this region straddles the transition between the cool, nutrient-rich waters of the coastal upwelling regime and the warmer, oligotrophic waters of the open ocean (Barton et al., 1998). All of this results in variability of the oceanographic conditions in the Canary region, both in a longitudinal and a latitudinal sense. Thus, it is expected that the effects will be manifested at the biological level, affecting the whole trophic chain.
Resources Exploited
Other resources: Local costal insular stocks of finfishes.
Target Species
Adults, spawning
Associated Species (Bycatch)
Several demersal species with low commercial value.
Discarded Species (Bycatch)
Only small specimens of Conger conger have been observed to be discarded in places such as La Graciosa.
Vessel Type
Trap setters neiFlag State
Spain
They are wooden vessels of 7.5 to 12.4 m in length and around 200 h.p.
Crew
2-3 persons (Spanish nationality) (2009)
Fleet segment
Fleet artisanal segment typical from Canary Islands
Fishing Gear
Traps (nei)These traps for fin-fishes are constituted by a generally circular-shape frame, inside-covered by a net o “forro”, with hexagonal and regular mesh. The trap have two entries and one door (the bigger ones can have two doors). The entries are called “bocas” (mouths) or “mataderos” and have different shapes. The narrower part of these entries are orientated to the inside part of the trap, in such a form that fishes can go into but not go out.
Seasonality
All year long
Environmental limitations: Strong trade winter during summer months
Trip Duration
1 fishing day
Ports
Mains port of each island
Fishery Indicator
| Fishery Indicator | Fishery Indicator | Fishery Indicator | Fishery Indicator | Fishery Indicator |
|---|
| Type | Measure | 320 | vessels | 1999 |
| Type | Number of fishermen (Canary Islands) | 640 | persons | 2009 |
| Type | Catch total | 600 | tonnes | 1999-2004 |
Management
Management: Management
Jurisdictional framework
Management Body/Authority(ies): Spanish Ministry of Agriculture and Fishery, Food and Environment
Mandate: Management.
Area under national jurisdiction: Spain
Maritime Area: EEZ.
Management Body/Authority(ies): Office of Agriculture, Livestock, Fishery and Water, Canary Islands Government
Mandate: Management.
Area under national jurisdiction: Spain
Maritime Area: EEZ.
Management Regime
Law 6/2007, 13 April, modification of the law 17/2003, 10 April (BOC 77, 23/4/2003; BOE 162, 8/7/2003), of Fishery in Canaries (BOC 78, 19/04/2007; BOE 124, 24/05/2007). Management measures of the Spanish purse seiners in Canary Islands are included in the “Law if the Fishery” of the Canaries (BOC 78, 19/04/2007; BOE 124, 24/05/2007).
Management Methods
Conservation and management measures with focus on Effort control, catch control, fish size limits and environment protection.
Status and Trends
General decrease in catches and fish sizes
Source of Information
Arístegui, J. et al., 1997. The influence of island generated eddies on chlorophyll distribution: a study of mesoscale variation around Gran Canaria. Deep-Sea Res. I, 44, 71–96.
Balguerías, E., 1995. La pesca de los costeros canarios en el Banco Sahariano: antecedentes históricos y situación actual. La chopa, Spondyliosoma cantharus (Linnaeus, 1758) como ejemplo de aplicación de métodos simples para la evaluación de stocks en la pesquería artesanal canaria. Microfichas Instituto Español de Oceanografía Volumen nº 6.
Barton, E. D., J. Aristegui, P. Tett, M. Canton, J. Garcia-Braun, S. Hernandez-Leon, L. Nykjaer, C. Almeida, J. Almunia, S. Ballesteros, G. Basterretxea, J. Escanez, L. Garcia-Weill, A. Hernandez-Guerra, F. Lopez-Laatzen, R. Molina, M.F. Montero, E. Navarro-Perez, J.M. Rodriguez, K. van Lenning, H. Velez and K. Wild, 1998. The coastal transition zone of the Canary Current upwelling region. Prog. Oceanogr., 41, 455–504.
Boletín Oficial de Canarias, 2007. Ley 6/2007, 13 abril, de modificación de la Ley 17/2003, 10 abril (BOC 77, 23.4.2003; BOE 162, 8.7.2003), de Pesca de Canarias. BOC 78, 19/04/2007.
Boletín Oficial del Estado, 2007. Ley 6/2007, de 13 de abril, de modificación de la Ley 17/2003, de 10 de abril, de pesca de Canarias. BOE 124, 24/05/2007.
Fiekas,V., J. Elken, T.J. Müller, A. Aitsam and W. Zenk, 1992. A view of the Canary Basin thermocline circulation in winter. J. Gephys. Res., 97, 12495–12510.
Hernández-García, V., J.L. Hernández-López, J.J. Castro, 1998. The octopus (Octopus vulgaris) in the small-scale trap fishery off the Canary Islands (Central-East Atlantic). Fisheries Research 35 (3): 183-189. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165783698000800.
Hernández-Guerra, A., J. Arístegui and M. Cantón, 1993. Phytoplankton pigment patterns in the Canary Islands area as determined using Coastal Zone Colour Scanner data. Int. J. Remote Sen., 14, 1431–1437.
Melnychuk, M., S. Guénette, P. Martín-Sosa and E. Balguerías, E., 2002. Fisheries in the Canary Islands, Spain. In: Zeller, D., R. Watson, R. and D. Pauly (eds): Fisheries Impacts on North Atlantic Ecosystems: Catch, Effort and National/Regional Data Sets. Fisheries Centre Research Reports 9 (3). Pp: 221-224.
Mittelstaedt, E., 1991. The ocean boundary along the Northwest African coast: Circulation and oceanographic properties at the sea surface. Prog. Oceanogr., 26, 307–355.
Octopus vulgaris 