Project : Interaction between cetaceans and fishing method

The Sicilian fishing operators have been complaining for years because of hard interferences with the cetaceans, with consequent damages to the rigging and drop in captured fish. The existence of opportunistic preying typical of the cetaceans, wich
damage the fishing activity, is a common and wide spread phenomenom existing in several areas and in particular in the Sicilian seas. The competition between fishermen and cetaceans is a phenomenon existing in many parts of the world, but, at present, this interference is strongly increasing.The causes are be not very clear, but one of the possible reasons found in decreasing sea could resources due to a hyperexploitation by man, would lead some cetaceans which species to decrease the energetic taking advantage from the expenditure human activity However, this "new" preying system often causes death among cetaceans; every year, in fact, many of them are unwilling victims of the fishing rigging, and are found in troubles or tangled in the nets or hooked. On this basis originated the idea of starting a study aimed at proving the phenomenon of interaction, that is doing a quantitative analasys (frequence of interaction fishing/dolphins , damages caused by rigging, number of boats involved, etc.) and a qualitative examination (rigging more sensible to the preying, target species, seasonal changes, interaction procedures, etc.). Moreover, Necton collects data concerning the cetaceans found in troubles or dead, in order to understand the systems and rigging causing more damages to cetaceans, and try to find out possible modifications of rigging in order to reduce or even avoid these animals being unwilling victims of fishermen.