New Spanish study to combat passive fishing gear impact

A scientific team from the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC) is leading a study to assess the impact of passive fishing gear on benthic habitats in the Cantabrian Sea, to support sustainable fisheries management.

This study is part of the second phase of the scientific project IMPALHA, which investigates the impact of bottom longline fishing on the benthic marine habitats of the Natura 2000 Network.

This second phase has focused on the characterization and spatial distribution of artisanal fisheries, a study carried out in collaboration with the autonomous communities of Cantabria and the Principality of Asturias.

Thanks to this initiative, a key tool will be made available for both scientific research and fisheries management, by improving understanding of the location and extent of these activities.

"The results of this project are very useful for the development of management plans for Spanish marine areas where vulnerable benthic habitats coexist with fishing activities," explained Antonio Punzón, researcher at the Santander Oceanographic Center of the IEO-CSIC and head of the IMPALHA II project.

Sharing knowledge with managers and the fishing industry

During a conference in Santander, two participatory workshops were held to enable scientists, managers, representatives of the fishing sector, and non-governmental organizations to identify the main challenges of artisanal fishing from ecological, socio-economic, and governance perspectives.

The IMPALHA II project has involved collaboration with the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, through the Pleamar Program, and is co-financed by the European Union through the EMFAF (European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund).

IMPALHA III is also planned, with the same institutional collaboration and funding, to continue exploring these topics and to improve the spatial accuracy of artisanal fisheries.