The stalked barnacle (Pollicipes pollicipes) fishery and management at the Natural Reserve of Berlengas: patterns and impacts

Pollicipes pollicipes (Pp) is a crustacean cirripede abundant on very exposed rocky shores of Continental Portugal, ranging from shallow subtidal to mid-intertidal. In Spain and Portugal, it is highly prized as food and heavily exploited. On intertidal rocky shores of Continental Portugal, Pp is the most important living resource.  In the Nature Reserve of Berlengas (NRB) since 2000, harvesting of these barnacles is submitted to management rules. Unfortunately, there were no biological/ecological and/or socio-economical studies basing this legislation. This legislation is very similar to the one actually adopted in Galicia where co-management has been promoted between fishers’ organizations and the fisheries authority. As in Portugal no studies on the impacts of the fishery and management have been done. As in the rest of Portugal, there is no control (regulations or statistics) of the fisheries landings and effort in the NRB. The impact of the fishery and management of this species on its distribution, abundance and biomass can be studied in the reserve region, as there are sanctuary areas where harvesting of this species has been forbidden since 1989 and can be used as controls. However, it is needed to study possible confounding effects of variability of biological processes in sanctuary versus non sanctuary areas.  The objectives of the project are described below. 1 Fishery patterns)- To describe the fishermen community regarding the economical importance of this fishery, and its opinions about the actual management of this species).-To describe the spatial/temporal patterns of this fishery. 2 Impacts of the fishery and management)- To study the distribution, abundance and biomass patterns of Pp in areas permanently closed to the fishery/ with harvesting permission in rotation, and how these patterns vary in relation to time. - To study possible confounding effects of recruitment and growth patterns of Pp in areas permanently closed to the fishery/ with harvesting permission in rotation. 3 Management)- To analyse and discuss the actual management in the reserve and suggest potential improvements in the reserve, and to disseminate the results to potential end-users.