Identification of métiers of the Spanish set-longline fleet operating in non-Spanish European waters

Abstract The Spanish set-longline fleet operating in ICES Subareas VI, VII and Divisions VIIIabd is composed of two fleet segments distinguished according to tonnage: vessels larger and shorter than 100 grt. Spanish regulations allow Spanish-registered longliners fishing in European waters to prosecute three different types of fisheries, namely targeting hake, targeting non-TAC species and targeting deepwater species. Due to the fact that the type of license is not registered in logbooks, together with the recent changes in the regulation of fishing on some non-TAC and deepwater species, conducting multivariate analyses of landing profiles at species level becomes the most appropriate way to identify fisheries and metiers. A 3-step approach was used, consisting of clustering of landings profiles (2004–2006), interviews with skippers by group, and an exploration of the spatial–temporal patterns in both sources of information. The results obtained allowed us to identify eight fisheries. Of these, four fisheries were common to both fleet segment giving eight metiers: directed at hake, forkbeards, lings, and conger. Of the remaining four metiers, the mixed metier developed by vessels shorter than 100 grt occurred throughout the period studied, while the remaining three metiers showed discontinuous patterns and were directed at bluemouth, Atlantic pomfret, and deepwater sharks, respectively. The two first metiers appeared in 2006, while the last one was found to occur during 2004–2005 but disappeared in 2006. The obtained results allow us to match the Spanish fishing license system with the metiers classification used by the Common DCF (data collection framework) taking into account the current categorization of species in regulations.

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