Effecten garnalenvisserij (NAPRO&t2) (BO-11-011.04-010, BO-12.04-001-032)

The Dutch shrimp fisheries takes predominantly place within Natura2000 sites. The impact on the environment is however largely unknown. Therefore a project was started in 2011 with three main questions:

1) How do longliving species en species susceptible to fisheries evolve in areas closed for fisheries?

2) What are the effects of shrimp fisheries on the benthic system?

3) What is the mangitude and composition of the bycatch?

It is not possible within the time frame of this project to answer the first question as the closure of areas to fishieries took much longer than planned. This question will be dealt with in the VIBEG project.

The second question is tackled through field experiments in which benthic fauna is sampled in 15 areas (T0), consisting of two parts. One part is experimentally fished by a shrimp trawl, the other is unfished. Thereafter the benthis fauna is fished once more (T1). In another experiment we investigate the effect of fishing intensity by varying the number of times an area is experimentally fished between 0 and 4 times. Also here benthic fauna is sampled before and after fishing.

The third question is investigated by a self sampling program in which a reference fleet of 20 vessels takes samples of their bycatch. In addition an observer program is carried out as a check.