The Decline of the Artisanal Fisheries in Mediterranean Coastal Areas: The Case of Cap de Creus (Cape Creus)

Authors: Gómez, Sílvia¹; Lloret, Josep²; Demestre, Montserrat²; Riera, Victòria³

Source: Coastal Management, Volume 34, Number 2, April-June 2006 , pp. 217-232(16)

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Abstract:

This article examines the sociocultural, economic, and environmental causes of the decline of the artisanal fisheries in the rocky coast of Cape Creus (NW Mediterranean) over the past decades. The changes that have occurred over time have favored trawlers, purse-seiners, shellfish fisheries, and tourism activities, to the detriment of artisanal fisheries. This article shows that the establishment of a marine reserve in 1998 could not reverse the observed decline in the artisanal fisheries. This raises the necessity of implementing a fishery management plan integrated into a coastal management plan, which should accompany the habitat protection. These plans could assist in the maintenance and the sustainable development of the artisanal fishing sector in Cape Creus as well as in other Mediterranean coastal areas where artisanal fisheries are also declining.

Keywords: artisanal fisheries; Cape Creus; marine reserves; Mediterranean

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08920750500531389

Affiliations: 1: Université de Montpellier I Montpellier, Languedoc-Roussillon, France 2: Institut de Ciències del Mar (CSIC) Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain 3: Autonomous Government of Catalonia, Department of Environment Natural Park, Cap de Creus El Port de la Selva, Catalonia, Spain

Publication date: 2006-04-01

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