Landings profiles and potential métiers in Greek set longliners

Katsanevakis, S., Maravelias, C. D., and Kell, L. T. 2010. Landings profiles and potential metiers in Greek set longliners. - ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 646-656.A very large number (>14 000) of generally small vessels operate as longliners in Greek seas. The aim of this study was to identify potential set longline metiers, based on a large sample of landings records from all over Greece. Landings data from set longliners between 2002 and 2006, collected from several ports in the Aegean and East Ionian Sea, were used. The landings profiles were grouped using a two-step procedure, the first involving factorial analysis of the log-transformed landing profiles, and the second a classification of the factorial coordinates (hierarchical agglomerative clustering). In all, 13 metiers were identified in the Aegean Sea and 7 in the Ionian Sea. The most important metiers identified were those targeting white sea bream (Diplodus sargus), hake (Merluccius merluccius), common sea bream (Pagrus pagrus), and common pandora (Pagellus erythrinus), and mixed metiers. Varying spatial (within the Aegean and Ionian Seas) and seasonal patterns were evident for the metiers identified, indicating that fisher motivation to engage in a specific metier varies both spatially and temporally.