IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i11p5040-d1668639.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sustainable Fisheries and Non-Target Species Management: A Seasonal and Depth-Based Study in the Deep-Sea Fisheries of Antalya Bay

Author

Listed:
  • Nurdan Cömert

    (Department of Fisheries Technology and Management, Faculty of Aquatic Science, Istanbul University, 34134 İstanbul, Türkiye
    Institute of Graduate Studies in Sciences, Istanbul University, 34116 İstanbul, Türkiye)

  • Tomris Deniz

    (Department of Fisheries Technology and Management, Faculty of Aquatic Science, Istanbul University, 34134 İstanbul, Türkiye)

  • Didem Göktürk

    (Department of Fisheries Technology and Management, Faculty of Aquatic Science, Istanbul University, 34134 İstanbul, Türkiye)

Abstract

Deep-sea trawling in the Mediterranean Sea, while economically significant, has profound ecological implications due to high discard rates and the practice’s impact on deep-sea biodiversity. This study examines the composition of discards and bycatch in Antalya Bay, a key deep-sea fishing area in the Eastern Mediterranean, during a commercial fishing season, focusing on seasonal and depth-related variations. Data were collected from deep-sea bottom trawl operations conducted between September 2016 and April 2017, analyzing species diversity and catch composition in terms of discarded and bycatch species. The results revealed an average discard rate of 70.7% of the total catch, with significant seasonal fluctuations. In total, 75 species were identified, comprising 48 Osteichthyes, 11 Elasmobranchii, 10 Crustacea, 4 Mollusca, 1 Brachiopoda, and 1 Echinodermata. Discarded species primarily consisted of juveniles of commercially valuable species ( Merluccius merluccius and Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis ), endangered elasmobranchs, and non-target benthic invertebrates. Depth-stratified analysis indicated that higher discard ratios and greater biodiversity loss occur at depths between 200 and 700 m, where slow-growing species and vulnerable deep-sea assemblages dominate. CPUE estimates for target, bycatch, and discarded species were calculated as 72.26, 145.12, and 385.52 kg/h, and CPUA values were calculated as 0.79, 1.59, and 2.92, respectively. These findings underscore the disproportionate impact of bottom trawling on deep-sea ecosystems and highlight the need for sustainable fisheries management strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Nurdan Cömert & Tomris Deniz & Didem Göktürk, 2025. "Sustainable Fisheries and Non-Target Species Management: A Seasonal and Depth-Based Study in the Deep-Sea Fisheries of Antalya Bay," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-25, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:11:p:5040-:d:1668639
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/11/5040/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/11/5040/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Carlo Pipitone & Davide Agnetta & Arturo Zenone & Vincenzo Maximiliano Giacalone & Fabio Badalamenti & Fabio Fiorentino & Paola Rinelli & Mauro Sinopoli & Tomás Vega Fernández & Giovanni D’Anna, 2023. "When the Trawl Ban Is a Good Option: Opportunities to Restore Fish Biomass and Size Structure in a Mediterranean Fisheries Restricted Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-19, January.
    2. Catchpole, T.L. & Frid, C.L.J. & Gray, T.S., 2005. "Discards in North Sea fisheries: causes, consequences and solutions," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(5), pages 421-430, September.
    3. Petter Johnsen, Jahn & Eliasen, Søren, 2011. "Solving complex fisheries management problems: What the EU can learn from the Nordic experiences of reduction of discards," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 130-139, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cláudia Fernandes, Ana & Pérez, Nélida & Prista, Nuno & Santos, Juan & Azevedo, Manuela, 2015. "Discards composition from Iberian trawl fleets," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 33-44.
    2. Sigurðardóttir, Sigríður & Stefánsdóttir, Elísabet Kemp & Condie, Harriet & Margeirsson, Sveinn & Catchpole, Thomas L. & Bellido, Jose M. & Eliasen, Søren Qvist & Goñi, Raquel & Madsen, Niels & Palial, 2015. "How can discards in European fisheries be mitigated? Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of potential mitigation methods," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 366-374.
    3. García-Rivera, Santiago & Sánchez Lizaso, Jose Luis & Bellido Millán, Jose María, 2015. "A quantitative and qualitative assessment of the discard ban in European Mediterranean waters," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 149-158.
    4. Gullestad, P. & Blom, G. & Bakke, G. & Bogstad, B., 2015. "The “Discard Ban Package”: Experiences in efforts to improve the exploitation patterns in Norwegian fisheries," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 1-9.
    5. Jordan Feekings & Valerio Bartolino & Niels Madsen & Tom Catchpole, 2012. "Fishery Discards: Factors Affecting Their Variability within a Demersal Trawl Fishery," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 7(4), pages 1-9, April.
    6. Condie, H.M. & Grant, A. & Catchpole, T.L., 2014. "Incentivising selective fishing under a policy to ban discards; lessons from European and global fisheries," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 287-292.
    7. de Vos, B.I. & Döring, R. & Aranda, M. & Buisman, F.C. & Frangoudes, K. & Goti, L. & Macher, C. & Maravelias, C.D. & Murillas-Maza, A. & van der Valk, O. & Vasilakopoulos, P., 2016. "New modes of fisheries governance: Implementation of the landing obligation in four European countries," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 1-8.
    8. Morandeau, G. & Macher, C. & Sanchez, F. & Bru, N. & Fauconnet, L. & Caill-Milly, N., 2014. "Why do fishermen discard? Distribution and quantification of the causes of discards in the Southern Bay of Biscay passive gear fisheries," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 30-38.
    9. repec:plo:pone00:0117078 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Fauconnet, Laurence & Rochet, Marie-Joëlle, 2016. "Fishing selectivity as an instrument to reach management objectives in an ecosystem approach to fisheries," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 46-54.
    11. Oliver, Shelby & Braccini, Matias & Newman, Stephen J. & Harvey, Euan S., 2015. "Global patterns in the bycatch of sharks and rays," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 86-97.
    12. Veiga, Pedro & Pita, Cristina & Rangel, Mafalda & Gonçalves, Jorge M.S. & Campos, Aida & Fernandes, Paul G. & Sala, Antonello & Virgili, Massimo & Lucchetti, Alessandro & Brčić, Jure & Villasante, Seb, 2016. "The EU landing obligation and European small-scale fisheries: What are the odds for success?," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 64-71.
    13. Msomphora, Mbachi Ruth & Aanesen, Margrethe, 2015. "Is the catch quota management (CQM) mechanism attractive to fishers? A preliminary analysis of the Danish 2011 CQM trial project," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 78-87.
    14. Eliasen, Søren Qvist, 2014. "Cod avoidance by area regulations in Kattegat – experiences for the implementation of a discard ban in the EU," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 108-113.
    15. Jordi Guillen & Steven J. Holmes & Natacha Carvalho & John Casey & Hendrik Dörner & Maurizio Gibin & Alessandro Mannini & Paraskevas Vasilakopoulos & Antonella Zanzi, 2018. "A Review of the European Union Landing Obligation Focusing on Its Implications for Fisheries and the Environment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-12, March.
    16. Guillen, Jordi & Macher, Claire & Merzéréaud, Mathieu & Fifas, Spyros & Guyader, Olivier, 2014. "The effect of discards and survival rate on the Maximum Sustainable Yield estimation based on landings or catches maximisation: Application to the nephrops fishery in the Bay of Biscay," Marine Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(PA), pages 207-214.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:11:p:5040-:d:1668639. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.