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Small-Scale Fisheries in Europe: Status, Resilience and Governance pp 191–211Cite as

The Unexploited Potential of Small-Scale Fisheries in Italy: Analysis and Perspectives on the Status and Resilience of a Neglected Fishery Sector

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Abstract

Small-scale fisheries represent one of the most important fishing sectors in Italy, comprising 60% of Italian fishing vessels, half the fishers and 16% of national landings. Despite their high social, economic and cultural value, they have been neglected by national and international policies, resulting in a poor outlook for the near future. In this chapter, we provide an overview of recent trends, the status of small-scale fisheries in Italy and major, current threats to the sector. These include: competition from large-scale fisheries, rivalry with illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, recreational fisheries, ecological changes and the degradation of ecosystems. The evolution of international and national legislation affecting small-scale fisheries is also outlined, with examples of opportunities and challenges in two complementary case studies from the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas. The analysis is mainly focused on participatory, bottom-up management tools (local management plans and co-management schemes). The resilience of small-scale fisheries’ socio-ecological systems, mainly related to fishers’ capability of adapting their strategies to multiple sets of conditions over time and across areas, is also discussed. We conclude our analysis by investigating actions which could be implemented to allow the unexploited economic, social and cultural potential of small-scale fisheries in Italy to be developed.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    According to the Annual Economic Report on the EU fishing fleet (STECF 2016) the following definitions were used to distinguish the three main fisheries sectors: (1) Small-scale coastal fleet - includes all vessels under twelve metres using static gears. According to Data Collection Framework gear definitions, these include: ‘drift and/or fixed netters,’ ‘pots and/or traps,’ ‘hooks,’ ‘passive gears only,’ ‘other passive gears,’ ‘polyvalent passive gears only,’ ‘active and passive gears;’ (2) Large-scale fleet - all vessels using towed gears. According to DCF gear definitions these include: ‘dredgers,’ ‘demersal trawlers and/or demersal seiners,’ ‘other active gears,’ ‘polyvalent active gears only,’ ‘purse seiners,’ ‘beam trawlers,’ ‘pelagic trawlers’ and vessels over 12 metres using static gears operating in EU fishing regions. (3) The distant-water fleet (DWF) - includes EU registered vessels over 24 metres operating in ‘other fishing regions’ including EU outermost regions.

    In this paper, data regarding the distant water fleet was omitted since this segment was not active in 2013–2014.

  2. 2.

    The average catch value (price) per kg is almost double (7.2 €/kg; 2014) in small-scale fisheries compared to large-scale fisheries (4.2 €/kg; 2014) (STECF 2016).

  3. 3.

    Multifunctionality experiences in small-scale fisheries (enforced thanks to the support of EFF), where people are engaged in fishing, tourism and agricultural activities, have been recently spreading in Italy and represent a way to strengthen the socio-economic resilience of this sector.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Chioggia, Italy

    Saša Raicevich & Otello Giovanardi

  2. Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnologies, National Research Council (CNR-IRBIM), Ancona, Italy

    Saša Raicevich, Fabio Grati & Otello Giovanardi

  3. Centro Interuniversitario di Biologia Marina ed Ecologia Applicata “G. Bacci” (CIBM), Livorno, Italy

    Paolo Sartor, Mario Sbrana & Roberto Silvestri

  4. Regional Agency for Environmental Protection, Tuscany Region (ARPAT), Livorno, Italy

    Romano T. Baino

  5. Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Palermo, Italy

    Franco Andaloro

  6. Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Messina (ME), Italy

    Pietro Battaglia & Teresa Romeo

  7. Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Milazzo (ME), Italy

    Teresa Romeo

  8. Mably, Salerno, Italy

    Massimo Spagnolo

  9. WorldFish Myanmar, Department of Fisheries, West Gyogone, Insein Township, Yangon, Myanmar

    Mark Dubois

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  1. Saša Raicevich
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Correspondence to Saša Raicevich .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto Universitario de Investigación Social y Turismo (ISTUR), Departamento de Sociología y Antropología, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

    José J. Pascual-Fernández

  2. Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), Department of Environment and Planning (DAO), University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Cristina Pita

  3. Norwegian College of Fisheries, UiT The Arctic University of Norway Tromsø, Norway, Department of Geography, Planning and International Development Studies, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Maarten Bavinck

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Raicevich, S. et al. (2020). The Unexploited Potential of Small-Scale Fisheries in Italy: Analysis and Perspectives on the Status and Resilience of a Neglected Fishery Sector. In: Pascual-Fernández, J., Pita, C., Bavinck, M. (eds) Small-Scale Fisheries in Europe: Status, Resilience and Governance. MARE Publication Series, vol 23. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-37371-9_10

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