Characterization of fisheries dependence in Galicia (Spain)

Highlights

• The majority of Galicia׳s coastal zones are highly dependent on fishing.

• Diversity of fishing activities with differing capacities to generate income and employment.

• Fishing activities linked to different bodies with regulatory authority.

• Low correlation between urban zones and the level of dependence on fishing.

• The fishing-dependent zones have different socioeconomic characteristics.

Abstract

The management of marine ecosystems requires adequate knowledge of both environmental and human dimensions, as well as their interrelationships. In this study, the aquaculture and fisheries activities are analyzed in one of most important fishing regions in Europe, Galicia (NW Spain). In particular, the intensity and characteristics of the fishing dependency are evaluated in terms of income and employment. Thus, nine marine economic activities for nine Maritime Zones have been defined, considering the social and economic relevance of the provided ecosystem services to these communities. This paper highlights the entire Galician coast as fishing-dependent, independently of the urbanization level. Furthermore, the contribution of different fishery segments to the income and employment of these coastal communities is reviewed, including fluctuations on whether the activity is small or large-scale. Finally, this study establishes a strong relationship among the marine activities, which generate most employment, and the regulatory framework of the Regional Government. Therefore, the conclusions are relevant to design and implement policies that affect Galicia׳s Region and all its related marine ecosystems.

Introduction

A clear trend for natural resources management recognizes the adequacy of adopting ecosystem-based approaches on decision-making, particularly for fisheries activities [1], [2], [3], [4]. This management approach emphasizes the need to comprehend both; the natural dynamics of the species and their interactions, as well as the socioeconomic aspects involved [5], [6]. The consideration of the social and economic dimension is a challenge and a requirement if an ecosystem-based approach is to be applied for managing sustainable fisheries [1]. Numerous authors [7], [8], [9], [10], [11] consider the interactions between ecological and socioeconomic dimensions as fundamental. However, uncertainties exist on what and how long the socioeconomic impacts will be [8]. Thus, the use of precise indicators, e.g. employment or income, provides necessary information to evaluate fisheries sustainability and its impact on society [12], [13], [14].

In this context, the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries [15] agreed on developing data collection, analysis and research into social, economic and institutional aspects in order to reach sustainable fishery management. Since then, the SOFIA biannual reports on the state of world fisheries and aquaculture [16] as well as several global studies on fishing׳s socioeconomic aspects have been carried out. In addition, recent studies review the contribution to employment [17], the impact on output and income [18] and the vulnerability of certain economies in the face of the consequences that climate change and other natural disasters might have for fishing activity [19], [20]. There has also been an increase in analyses on the socioeconomic importance of fishing, especially in developing Asian countries, where a certain level of fishing dependency on the part of rural populations exists [21], [22], [23], [24], [25], [26], [27].

In 2000 the European Council, based on considerations made by the FAO, decided to establish a Data Collection Framework to evaluate the situation of the fisheries sector under the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). This decision was concluded eight years later, adopting a multi-annual program for the collection, management and use of data in the fisheries sector [28]. These programs are making it easier to obtain homogenous information and helping to improve knowledge of the social and economic reality of fishing in Europe [29]. In this regard, some studies have been published in recent years on the role of marine activities in different European economies [30], [31], [32], [33] and on the characteristics and effect of fishing activity in some fishing-dependent communities [34], [35], [36], [37], [38], [39].

Moreover, in spite of the fact that a significant part of the CFP׳s structural component has been focused on measures linked to fishing effort adjustment measures (fishing vessels decommissioning), fleet modernization, or initiatives concerning aquaculture, ports and the processing and trade of fish products, other sustainable development measures aimed at promoting local projects in fishing-dependent zones are becoming increasingly important [40], [41]. Axis 4 of the current European Fisheries Fund (EFF, 2007–2013) and the forthcoming European Marine and Fisheries Fund (EMFF, 2014–2020), contemplate the possibility of implementing specific measures aimed at avoiding or mitigating negative impacts on fishing-dependent communities. For this reason, it is also essential to identify the European coastal areas whose local economies are highly dependent on fishing activity [42].

The basic aim of this study is to analyze and quantify the direct impact (in terms of income and employment) that fishing activity has on the economy and coastal communities in Galicia (NW Spain), one of the most important European Union (EU) fishing region (Salz and Macfadyen [43] point out that Galicia is the region with the highest employment and dependence on income from fishing sectors, in a study of 128 European coastal regions). In particular, the goal is to evaluate the intensity of the socioeconomic dependency on regional, national and international fishing in nine different coastal zones in Galicia, distinguishing between each type of fishing activity and its associated ecosystems.

Frequently, fishing activity is identified and analyzed in base on the fleet activity and their related landings [35], [29], [42], including the Data Collection Framework approach [28]. However, in Galicia, there is a huge diversity of fishing activities, which require neither a vessel, nor a port for landing the catches (such as shellfish harvesting on foot). Evermore, fishing activity does not exist uniformly throughout Galicia׳s coast and its current administrative divisions (which serve as a territorial reference for collecting statistical information) do not always respond to criteria base on geographical or socioeconomic homogeneity (indeed, analyses at EU level are usually carried out at EU NUTS 2 level [43]). For instance, there are regions at the same administrative division (NUT 2 or NUT 3) where combined urban and rural zones, i.e., communities with very diverse socioeconomic dynamics. Therefore, the boundaries of the coastal communities were delimited using a specific territorial criterion that allows to distinguish the zones with precision, facilitating the characterization and quantification of the fishing dependency. The data sources, the estimation methods of the socioeconomic variables and the allocation of each activity and zone are made explicit in Section 2.

In Section 3, the estimated values for the main socioeconomic variables are presented: the value of fishery output at basic prices (Output bp), Gross Value Added at basic prices (GVA bp), Gross Primary Income and total employment generated, both with regard to the number of people as well as full-time equivalent employment (FTE). Due to the volume of generated results, it was decided to summarize the relevant information as follows. First, the results obtained for Galicia as a whole are reviewed, separating the nine activity segments considered, and, later, the disaggregated information on each coastal zones. Finally, the main conclusions are summarized in Section 4.