Summary
The evaluation of trawling impact on the productivity of demersal fish species is a crucial knowledge to maintain the yield from wild-capture fisheries and to cope with the global increasing demand of sea proteins. Under this scenario, the study of patterns of trawling disturbance (TD) at relevant scale to provide realistic management strategies will represent a challenge to next generation scientists. TD generates a multi-faced combination of direct (e.g. displacement of population structure of commercial species targets) and indirect (e.g. food-web alteration) effects contributing to the likelihood of resource limitation and hence stability of the whole marine ecosystem. The indirect effects are still understudied. It remains still largely unknown how the alteration of benthic dynamics due to chronic trawling disturbance can trigger unpredictable cascade effects involving most ecological components impairing the system to cope with the natural environmental variability. MIRROR aims to investigate the TD effects on the diet and condition of a target species (Mullus barbatus) in the Western Mediterranean Sea through the mechanisms of competitor and benthic prey reduction by the fishing activity. MIRROR will explore the effects that changes in fish condition can have on life-history traits (e.g. growth and reproductive potential). Understanding the link between TD, condition and LH traits represents a stepping stone for the inclusion of condition as an indicator for the management of exploited species. MIRROR’s outcomes may allow the identification of TD thresholds to achieve a desired mean optimal condition. The integration of results will be used to inform stakeholders and policy makers suggesting measures to promote a sustainable fishery by minimizing impacts and ensuring productive and healthy fish population, as recommended by national and international directives and required when setting certification standard and ecolabels.
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More information & hyperlinks
| Web resources: | https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/835589 |
| Start date: | 01-09-2020 |
| End date: | 31-08-2022 |
| Total budget - Public funding: | 160 932,48 Euro - 160 932,00 Euro |
Cordis data
Original description
The evaluation of trawling impact on the productivity of demersal fish species is a crucial knowledge to maintain the yield from wild-capture fisheries and to cope with the global increasing demand of sea proteins. Under this scenario, the study of patterns of trawling disturbance (TD) at relevant scale to provide realistic management strategies will represent a challenge to next generation scientists. TD generates a multi-faced combination of direct (e.g. displacement of population structure of commercial species targets) and indirect (e.g. food-web alteration) effects contributing to the likelihood of resource limitation and hence stability of the whole marine ecosystem. The indirect effects are still understudied. It remains still largely unknown how the alteration of benthic dynamics due to chronic trawling disturbance can trigger unpredictable cascade effects involving most ecological components impairing the system to cope with the natural environmental variability. MIRROR aims to investigate the TD effects on the diet and condition of a target species (Mullus barbatus) in the Western Mediterranean Sea through the mechanisms of competitor and benthic prey reduction by the fishing activity. MIRROR will explore the effects that changes in fish condition can have on life-history traits (e.g. growth and reproductive potential). Understanding the link between TD, condition and LH traits represents a stepping stone for the inclusion of condition as an indicator for the management of exploited species. MIRROR’s outcomes may allow the identification of TD thresholds to achieve a desired mean optimal condition. The integration of results will be used to inform stakeholders and policy makers suggesting measures to promote a sustainable fishery by minimizing impacts and ensuring productive and healthy fish population, as recommended by national and international directives and required when setting certification standard and ecolabels.Status
CLOSEDCall topic
MSCA-IF-2018Update Date
28-04-2024
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