A Review of Studies on Set Gear Selectivity in the Adriatic Sea

The Adriatic Sea is one of the world’s most heavily exploited areas, with a large number and variety of commercial important species caught and a wide range of fishing methods employed. In this basin, small-scale fisheries (SSFs), performed by fishing vessels of an overall length <12 m and not using towed gear, play a major socioeconomic role. The Adriatic SSFs are diverse, complex, and dynamic; they are active throughout the year using a wide range of fishing strategies. However, the most commonly employed gears are gillnets, trammel nets, and traps, to catch a pool of target species in coastal areas. In general, good fisheries management requires that fishing gears should catch the large adult fish, while small juveniles are allowed to escape; in SSF sector this is translated into mesh size regulation. The mesh size or mesh opening is normally defined as the distance between opposite corners of the mesh when it is fully stretched (stretched mesh size). In principle, the larger the mesh size, the greater is the chance of small fish escaping through the gaps between the netting twines. Since passive nets are considered less harmful to stocks and habitats than other gears, their selectivity is less explored. Here is presented a review of the available literature on the Adriatic SSF gear selectivity determined by technical features, and consequent quali-quantitative composition of catches.