Profiling the Cypriot Fisheries Sector through the Lens of Fishers: A Participatory Approach between Fishers and Scientists
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Description of the Participatory Fishing Fleets
2.2. Data Gathering
2.3. Data Analysis
3. Results
4. Discussion
4.1. Strengths
4.2. Weaknesses
4.3. Threats
4.4. Opportunities
4.5. A Roadmap for Improving the Sector’s Sustainability and Competitiveness
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A
Strengths | % of Times Reported by SSF | % of Times Reported by LPF |
S1. Long tradition and historical importance | 100 | 100 |
S2. Products of high quality and nutritional value | 100 | 100 |
S3. Locally harvested products | 100 | 100 |
S4. Low environmental impact. | 73 | 33 |
S5. Socially important for local communities | 40 | 0 |
S6. Economically important for local communities | 57 | 33 |
S7. Short supply chain | 23 | 17 |
S8. Ecological and traditional knowledge | 30 | 67 |
Weaknesses | % of Times Reported by SSF | % of Times Reported by LPF |
W1. Aged workforce. Low succession rate to younger generations. | 100 | 100 |
W2. Low level of education | 87 | 100 |
W3. Limited operational and financial capacity. | 67 | 50 |
W4. Limited technological capacity | 67 | 50 |
W5. Low selectivity of fishing gear | 50 | 33 |
W6. Lack of collaboration at different levels, including between fishers themselves. | 53 | 83 |
W7. Accidents/illnesses that directly affect the fisherman’s work | 13 | 33 |
W8. Lack of promotional activities and marketing strategy | 73 | 83 |
W9. Low capability of the SSF vessels. SSF is a coastal fishery which is very much dependent on weather conditions. | 23 | 17 |
W10. Lack of fish processing industry | 17 | 100 |
W11. Lack of fishers producer’s organisation | 90 | 100 |
W12. Majority of fishers are aged and unable to handle and utilise modern equipment | 73 | 67 |
W13. No active role in policy- and decision-making process in regard to the fisheries sector | 43 | 50 |
W14. Variations in the pricing of SSF products across different regions. | 7 | 0 |
W15. Certain fishers fail to adhere to regulations and engage in illegal fishing practices. | 53 | 67 |
Opportunities | % of Times Reported by SSF | % of Times Reported by LPF |
O1. Valorisation non-native species | 60 | 33 |
O2. Promotion of locally harvested products from LPF and SSF | 100 | 100 |
O3. Modernisation of vessels to lower energy consumption | 47 | 50 |
O4. Digitalisation of the fishing sector | 27 | 0 |
O5. Fishing tourism | 80 | 0 |
O6. Testing of new, more selective fishing gear | 87 | 83 |
O7. Participation in research projects and cooperation with scientists | 10 | 33 |
Threats | % of Times Reported by SSF | % of Times Reported by LPF |
T1. Depleted biological resources | 100 | 100 |
T2. Non-indigenous and invasive species | 100 | 100 |
T3. Competition and conflict with recreational fisheries | 100 | 33 |
T4. Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing | 93 | 33 |
T5. Limited fishing grounds | 100 | 100 |
T6. Lack of effective fisheries management from the authorities | 80 | 67 |
T7. Interactions with marine megafauna | 10 | 0 |
T8. Fuel prices significantly increased | 77 | 100 |
T9. Reduced consumption of fish in the new generation | 70 | 100 |
T10. Climate change/extreme weather conditions | 60 | 33 |
T11. Pandemics/epidemics | 10 | 100 |
T12. Regulatory changes at the EU and national level | 17 | 83 |
T13. Global economic fluctuations | 7 | 100 |
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Characteristics | Large Pelagic Fishery (n = 6) | Small-Scale Fishery (n = 30) |
---|---|---|
Vessel type | Vessels using Polyvalent ‘passive’ gear only | Vessels using Polyvalent ‘passive’ gear only |
Vessel length | 12–18 m | 6–12 m |
No. of vessels (2020) | 36 | 299 |
Fleet segment composition (2020) | 4% | 38% |
License type | Special license for tuna or swordfish; A or B | A or B |
GFCM Geographical subarea | 25 | 25 |
Operate | Every day, all year round | Every day, all year round |
Management instruments | Effort limitations and technical measures, minimum landing sizes, closed seasons and restriction measures on gear used | Technical measures and restriction measures on gear used, minimum landing sizes, closed seasons |
Main fishing gear used | Drifting pelagic longline | Trammel nets, set gillnets and set bottom longlines |
Secondary fishing gear used | Trammel nets, set gillnets and set bottom longlines | Traps and hand and pole lines |
Target catch | Swordfish and albacore tuna | Demersal and small pelagic species |
TACs and quotas (2022) | Swordfish: 50.66 tonnes Albacore tuna: 431.94 tonnes | None |
Contribution of fleet segment to the total value of landings (2020) | 29% (EUR 1.84 million) | 38% (EUR 2.4 million) |
Strengths | Factor Category |
S1. Long tradition and historical importance | Socio-cultural |
S2. Products of high quality and nutritional value | Economic |
S3. Locally harvested products | Socio-cultural |
S4. Low environmental impact | Environmental |
S5. Socially important for local communities | Socio-cultural |
S6. Economically important for local communities | Economic |
S7. Short supply chain | Business structure and management |
S8. Ecological and traditional knowledge | Socio-cultural |
Weaknesses | Factor Category |
W1. Aged workforce. Low succession rate to younger generations. | Socio-cultural |
W2. Low level of education | Socio-cultural |
W3. Limited operational and financial capacity | Economic |
W4. Limited technological capacity | Technological |
W5. Low selectivity of fishing gear | Environmental |
W6. Lack of collaboration at different levels, including between fishers themselves. | Socio-cultural |
W7. Accidents/diseases that directly affect the fisher’s work | Business structure and management |
W8. Lack of promotional activities and marketing strategy | Business structure and management |
W9. Low capability of the SSF vessels. SSF is a coastal fishery that is very dependent on weather conditions. | Equipment and Infrastructure |
W10. Lack of fish processing industry | Equipment and Infrastructure |
W11. Lack of fisheries’ producer organisation | Governance |
W12. Majority of fishers are aged and unable to handle and utilise modern equipment | Socio-cultural |
W13. No active role in policy- and decision-making process regarding the fisheries sector | Political |
W14. Variations in the pricing of SSF products across different regions. | Political |
W15. Certain fishers fail to adhere to regulations and engage in illegal fishing practices. | Socio-cultural |
Opportunities | Factor Category |
O1. Valorisation of non-native species | Economic |
O2. Promotion of locally harvested products from LPF and SSF | Governance |
O3. Modernisation of vessels to lower energy consumption | Technological |
O4. Digitalisation of the fishing sector | Technological |
O5. Fishing tourism | Economic |
O6. Testing of new, more selective fishing gear | Environmental |
O7. Participation in research projects and cooperation with scientists | Socio-cultural |
Threats | Factor Category |
T1. Depleted biological resources | Environmental |
T2. Non-indigenous and invasive species | Environmental |
T3. Competition and conflict with recreational fisheries | Political |
T4. Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing | Governance |
T5. Limited fishing grounds | Political |
T6. Lack of effective fisheries management from the authorities | Governance |
T7. Interactions with marine megafauna | Environmental |
T8. Fuel prices significantly increased | Economic |
T9. Reduced consumption of fish in the new generation | Socio-cultural |
T10. Climate change/extreme weather conditions | Environmental |
T11. Pandemics/epidemics | Environmental |
T12. Regulatory changes at the EU and national level | Governance |
T13. Global economic fluctuations | Political |
Strategic Recommendation (SR) | Description | TOWS Matrix |
---|---|---|
SR1 | Development of a labelling system to promote SSF and LPF products based on the sector’s environmental and socio-cultural importance and to ensure the traceability of their products. | SO |
SR2 | Fish processing factory and storage facilities for the valorisation of native and non-native species. | WO |
SR3 | Testing and promotion of new fishing gear and practises to increase the selectivity of the fishing activities in terms of target catch and lower environmental impact and interactions with vulnerable species. | WO |
SR4 | Marketing strategy/marketing campaign to promote locally harvested products to consumers, highlighting the importance of the responsible consumption of local and fresh products with low environmental impact, and to promote the consumption of non-native/invasive species. | WO |
SR5 | Enforce policing and patrolling to mitigate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by professional and recreational fishers within and outside of marine protected areas. | WT |
SR6 | Creation of a fishers’ school/academy to build capability and capacity in the sector to develop fishery-specific skills and gain knowledge on fisheries’ policies, as well as eliminate potential problems related to the adoption of new fishing gear and technological equipment, and the modernisation and digitalisation of the sector. | WO |
SR7 | Promote the creation of a fisheries’ producer organisation in order to improve market access and the control of SSF and LPF products and improve the corporate spirit and collaboration among fishers. | WO |
SR8 | Create a fishers’ advisory committee to utilise fishers’ traditional and ecological knowledge and involve fishers in decision-making processes. | WO |
SR9 | Provide financial incentives and support investments towards the modernisation and digitalisation of the sector and the adoption of more selective fishing gear, as well as vessel modifications to access opportunities in fishing tourism. | WO |
SR10 | Provide financial aid to support increases in fuel prices, economic loss due to interactions with marine megafauna, invasive species, pandemics/epidemics and global economic fluctuations. | WT |
SR11 | Support scientific research to study the impact of SSF and LPF on marine ecosystems and resources, the impact of climate change and non-native species’ impact on coastal fisheries, as well as the interactions between professional coastal fisheries and recreational fisheries. | ST |
SR12 | Improve data collection programme to collect detailed information on the fishing activity and catches of SSF and recreational fisheries. | WT |
Strategic Recommendation (SR) | Resources of Implementation | Time of Implementation | Implementation Effort |
---|---|---|---|
SR1 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
SR2 | High | Moderate | High |
SR3 | Moderate | Low | Moderate |
SR4 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
SR5 | High | High | High |
SR6 | High | Low | Moderate |
SR7 | Low | Low | Low |
SR8 | Low | Low | Low |
SR9 | High | High | High |
SR10 | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate |
SR11 | High | High | High |
SR12 | Low | Moderate | Moderate |
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Papageorgiou, M.; Tourapi, C.; Nikolaidis, G.; Petrou, A.; Moutopoulos, D.K. Profiling the Cypriot Fisheries Sector through the Lens of Fishers: A Participatory Approach between Fishers and Scientists. Fishes 2024, 9, 308. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9080308
Papageorgiou M, Tourapi C, Nikolaidis G, Petrou A, Moutopoulos DK. Profiling the Cypriot Fisheries Sector through the Lens of Fishers: A Participatory Approach between Fishers and Scientists. Fishes. 2024; 9(8):308. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9080308
Chicago/Turabian StylePapageorgiou, Marios, Christiana Tourapi, Georgios Nikolaidis, Antonis Petrou, and Dimitrios K. Moutopoulos. 2024. "Profiling the Cypriot Fisheries Sector through the Lens of Fishers: A Participatory Approach between Fishers and Scientists" Fishes 9, no. 8: 308. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9080308