ICATMAR (ICM-CSIC) has launched MEDITS-AUT25, the autumn edition of the Mediterranean International Trawl Survey (MEDITS) and its first oceanographic campaign to assess the status of fishery resources in the western Mediterranean during autumn. Conducted aboard the Vizconde de Eza, the 24-day survey will cover GSA 6, from Catalonia to Murcia, following the MEDITS protocol to collect complementary data to spring campaigns. This pioneering initiative will enhance understanding of seasonal changes, with the resulting datasets soon to be made available through EMODnet Biology.
On November 17th, approximately twenty scientists from the Institut Català de Recerca per a la Governança del Mar (ICATMAR) and the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) boarded the oceanographic vessel Vizconde de Eza operated by the Secretaría General de Pesca, to launch, for the first time, a MEDITS campaign in autumn: the MEDITS-AUT25. This type of campaign is usually conducted in spring and replicating them at a different time of the year will provide a more accurate picture of the status of fishery resources in the western Mediterranean.
The campaign will run for 24 days and will cover the entire GSA 6, a geographical subarea established by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), which includes the western Mediterranean waters from Catalonia to Murcia. This initiative is made possible through a collaboration between ICATMAR and the Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, and will become the first oceanographic campaign of this kind to be carried out by a Catalan research group. The main objective is to obtain complementary data to those collected during the MEDITS campaign conducted annually by the Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO-CSIC) in spring, which are used to estimate the abundance and distribution of target species in bottom trawl fisheries.
Following the MEDITS protocol, the campaign will carry out a minimum of 88 trawl hauls, covering the continental shelf and slope at depths ranging from 10 m to 800 m. In addition, oceanographic data will be collected from water masses, such as temperature and salinity, which will allow researchers to study their characteristics and changes over time.
“The implementation of MEDITS-AUT25 will provide us with highly valuable information, as it will allow us to observe seasonal changes in the distribution of bottom trawl target species due to biological and ecological factors. Moreover, having two annual campaigns at different times of the year significantly increases the resolution of abundance and biomass indices for the analyzed species,”
Researcher and campaign leader Joan Baptista Company.
©Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación del Gobierno de España
The MEDITS campaign
The MEDITS campaign (Mediterranean International Trawl Survey) was launched in 1993 following a regulation by the European Council on the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). The regulation urged Member States to carry out oceanographic surveys to obtain long-term series of scientifically robust data for the management and conservation of demersal species’ stocks—those associated with the seabed — in the Mediterranean. The data collected are incorporated into the Programa Nacional de Datos Básicos (PNDB).
©Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación del Gobierno de España
Over the years, the program has evolved beyond the assessment of fishery resources to also include the study of marine communities and ecosystems, the identification of key habitats for species, and the analysis of marine litter, among other aspects. The information gathered during MEDITS campaigns is used by the stock assessment working groups of the Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF), and the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) to develop recommendations for fisheries management.
“Now, collecting data in autumn following this same protocol will allow us to gather information on early life stages of certain species that cannot be found in spring, such as the red mullet (Mullus barbatus),” ICATMAR researcher Marta Blanco.
ICATMAR
The Institut Català de Recerca per a la Governança del Mar (ICATMAR) is a cooperative body between the Direcció General de Política Marítima i Pesca Sostenible of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), through the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM).
Currently, ICATMAR is made up of a multidisciplinary team of more than fifty experts in marine biology, physical oceanography, and information systems. It stands out for its science-driven approach to maritime governance through the systematic collection of data on fisheries and oceanography.
©Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación del Gobierno de España
Continuous observation of the sea makes it possible to detect changes, anticipate impacts, and protect marine resources on which many socio-economic activities depend. That is why ICATMAR’s commitment goes beyond collecting and processing scientific data: it is essential to transfer this information to public administrations, the scientific community, marine professionals, and the general public to meet the needs of a society that is inevitably connected to the sea. For this reason, ICATMAR provides high-quality, open-access data on the state of the sea and fishery resources along the Catalan coast.