A Métier-Sustainability-Index (MSI25) to evaluate fisheries components: assessment of cases from data-poor fisheries from southern Europe

The present work presents an integrated comparative assessment of the sustainability of fishing tactics or métiers (combinations of area, season, fishing gear, and target species). An index, which includes biological, conservation, socioeconomic, and management criteria, was created for this purpose: the “Métier Sustainability Index” (MSI25). It was designed using the traffic lights approach and comprises 25 indicators that refer to the “health” of the fisheries. Additionally, the MSI25 provides an indication of the “certainty” of that information with regard to the data type/heterogeneity. Subsequently, the index was tested using data from six case studies (81 métiers) from the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. The index showed that 63.0% of the métiers were “sustainable”, 21.0% were “unsustainable” and 16.0% were “under pressure”; 59.3% of characterizations were considered as “certain”. The index evaluation showed significant differences between areas and gears. This paper considers the characteristics of the datasets used, the case management status, and the applicability of the index in improving the management of specific fisheries. Overall, the MSI25 was found to be a useful tool for the evaluation and management of highly heterogeneous fisheries and data from various sources and types.

The data collection in Tabarca Marine Reserve was financed by the EU DG Fisheries through Project BIOMEX (QLRT-2001-00891). Data collection on the Croatian coast was carried out by the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries through Project 001-0013077-0844. We gratefully acknowledge the Portuguese Directorate-General of Marine Resources and the project “Desarrollo sostenible de las pesquerías artesanales del Arco Atlántico” (PRESPO) under the INTERREG IVB Programme-Atlantic Area, co-financed by the EU (ERDF Programme) for providing the data for the Portuguese case study.