Fisherman cooperation: the key for a successful conservation

Artisanal fishery often offers the best opportunities for impact mitigation but it’s also the most traditional and difficult to change. Trap fishery, an artisanal method that targets cuttlefish spawning adults in spring, exploits cuttlefish female attraction to traps for egg laying. The present study estimated the impact of traps on cuttlefish eggs and tested the efficacy and suitability of a management measure to mitigate this impact in the Northern Adriatic Sea. Results showed that over 3 millions of eggs, in less than 3 miles of coast, are likely destroyed by this fishery. The use of ropes, attached inside traps, allowed to collect on average 23.7% of the eggs, without affecting catch rate of adults. The efficacy of this mitigation measure is discussed considering fishermen attitude towards it.