AZTI-Tecnalia and KFUPM collaborate to guarantee sustainability of fishing in the Arabian Gulf

• One of the main goals of the collaboration project between King Fahd University for Petroleum & Minerals and AZTI-Tecnalia Technological Research Centre is to evaluate the current state of fish species and their habitats.
• The information collected will provide the scientific and technical basis to establish a strategic fishing management framework.

AZTI-Tecnalia, a Technological Research Centre specialised in marine and food research, collaborates with King Fahd University for Petroleum & Minerals, in a study that will provide the scientific and technical basis to manage fishing sustainably in the Arabian Gulf waters. The agreement highlights the importance of collaboration between KFUPM and AZTI-Tecnalia, which will leverage knowledge for the management of marine resources in the Gulf of Arabia.

The studies envisaged will shed light on the current situation of fishing in the Arabian Gulf, as well as on species dynamics and stock assessment. Researchers of both institutions will analyse the suitability of the different fish habitats, including coral reefs, marine phanerogam meadows, mangroves and rocky seabeds. This habitat study will focus on spawning and breeding areas and will provide in-depth information about ecological and fishing productivity in the Gulf.

The study will include environmental impact assessment of the different fishing methods used by local fisheries. Particularly, the impact of trawling activities on seabed habitats, and the effects of different fishing gears on non-target species, will be taken into account.

Results of the project will help to improve fishing efficiency and cut production costs, establishing sustainable fishing practices, reducing environmental impacts, and preserving natural resources and marine biodiversity.

AZTI-Tecnalia will contribute providing more than 30 years of experience in fisheries management advice, innovation and technological development, in order to achieve a comprehensive management of marine resources. The research will focus on the fishing industry as an economically profitable and environmentally sustainable activity.

Bioman 2013 fisheries campaign to evaluate anchovy population in Bay of Biscay

The Basque Government has commissioned the Azti-Tecnalia Food & Fisheries Technological Centre to undertake the ‘Bioman 2013’ fisheries campaign, the goal of which is to evaluate the anchovy population in the Bay of Biscay on the spring season terminating. The Department of Economic Development and Competitiveness highlights the importance of the data from this study and believes that they confirm the good situation of the fishery grounds thanks to the responsible management thereof. The research will determine the area of reproduction of the species, its egg production and its fecundity. Scientists from the Technological Centre are on board the “Ramón Margalef” and the “Emma Bardan” oceanographic research vessels in order to carry out this study. The data gathered over approximately one month at sea will act, together with other technical reports, to estimate the biomass of the species at the end of the spring season.

Knowledge about and preservation of the anchovy biomass is fundamental for the Basque fishing fleet. Based on this, the Basque Government has been promoting Bioman research campaigns since 1987. Once again, specialists from Azti-Tecnalia, having sailed out from the Port of Pasajes, will gather samples of anchovy spawn at numerous points in the area under study in order to determine the egg production of the species. In a parallel manner, they will make catches of adult anchovies to determine their level of fecundity. With all this data they will make an estimate of the anchovy biomass in the Bay of Biscay by what is known as the Egg Production Method.

The scientific team will also analyse the characteristics of the habitat of the anchovy from a hydrographic and biological point of view, an increasingly relevant aspect in fisheries scientific research. They will also gather data such as temperature, salinity and chlorophyll content.

The results of ‘Bioman 2013’ will be compared with existing information from past campaigns, as well as from that obtained by the French Research Institute for the Exploitation of the Sea (Ifremer). The French experts are currently developing their campaign to calculate anchovy biomass, based on acoustic techniques, emitting ultrasounds into the water and analysing their echoes to estimate the biomass in the zone under study.

On terminating the campaign, in the month of June, the data will be analysed and a report will be drawn up with the estimate of the anchovy biomass in the Bay of Biscay. The date will be presented at the International Council for Exploration at Sea (ICES). Taking these results into account and those obtained by the French Institute, the ICES will issue scientifically-based guidance to fishery management bodies within the European Union, setting out management measures for anchovy fishing.

Procedimiento de contratación por concurso para los servicios de análisis taxonómico de comunidades de fitoplancton

Fecha límite para presentación de ofertas: 24/05/2013

Criterios y Características: Servicios de análisis taxonómico de comunidades de fitoplancton