{"id":3102,"date":"2020-08-20T08:19:41","date_gmt":"2020-08-20T08:19:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/?p=3102"},"modified":"2020-08-20T08:45:50","modified_gmt":"2020-08-20T08:45:50","slug":"under-the-radar-how-sportfishing-in-israel-contributes-to-a-crisis-in-the-mediterranean-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/en\/animal_plants\/under-the-radar-how-sportfishing-in-israel-contributes-to-a-crisis-in-the-mediterranean-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"Under the radar: How sportfishing in Israel contributes to a crisis in the Mediterranean Sea"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Sportfishing in Israel\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lPKs6tKmAW0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>According to a new report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the situation of fish populations in the Mediterranean (and the Black Sea) is the worst in the world, with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.fao.org\/3\/ca9229en\/CA9229EN.pdf\">62.5 percent<\/a> of them being overfished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This\npublication joins a long line of articles and reports pointing out that\nuncontrolled fishing leads to a decline and even collapse of many marine animal\npopulations, first and foremost fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Until the late 1990s, the commercial fishing industry (professional fishing) was considered to be primarily responsible for the ongoing damage to fisheries, but since the beginning of the 2000s, according to numerous studies on the subject, the sportfishing industry has also been added to the list of those responsible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sportfishing accounts for 15 to 36 percent of the total annual fishing catch (including commercial fishing) off Israel&#8217;s Mediterranean coast. In Israel, about 70,000 fishermen are active in sport fishing, according to estimates recently published in a <a href=\"http:\/\/mafish.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/210x260-V4-erez-single.pdf\">sportfishing survey<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The catch is divided as followed: shoreline fishing amounts to 147 and 203 tons of fish per year, while offshore fishing, which is more difficult to document and evaluate, between 70 and 588 tons per year. The main species caught using a fishing rod from the shore are Surf Parrotfish (Siganus rivulatus), White Seabream (Diplodus sargus), Northern Whiting (Sillago sihama &#8211; migratory species), Flathead grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) and Sand steenbras (Lithognathus mormyrus).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"678\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/cagatay-demir-3RdqkRwLD4I-unsplash-1024x678.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3119\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/cagatay-demir-3RdqkRwLD4I-unsplash-1024x678.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/cagatay-demir-3RdqkRwLD4I-unsplash-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/cagatay-demir-3RdqkRwLD4I-unsplash-768x509.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/cagatay-demir-3RdqkRwLD4I-unsplash-1536x1017.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/cagatay-demir-3RdqkRwLD4I-unsplash-2048x1356.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>Sportfishing accounts for 15 to 36 percent of the total annual fishing catch off the coast of Israel&#8217;s Mediterranean coast. About Israeli 70,000 fishermen are active in sport fishing. Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@demircagatay?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\">\u00c7<\/a>a\u011fatay Demir on Unsplash<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Catch, release\nand injure<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sportfishing\nis carried out in two main methods: fishing with a rod (from the shore or a\nvessel) and fishing with a harpoon while free diving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of the\ncatch is taken home by the fishermen for private consumption. However, smaller\nfish species, below the minimum size allowed to catch, and protected species\nhave to be released back into the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This method is called &#8220;catch and release&#8221; and its purpose is\nto minimize the damage of fishing, with the common explanation being that most\nof the time, the fish will return to the area where it was captured and return\nto its population. However, many studies, conducted in different parts of the\nworld, show that during this practice, the fish are seriously injured, which\nsometimes even leads to death. The average mortality rate of fish that have\nbeen caught and released is&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/mafish.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/210x260-V4-erez-single.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">16-18\npercent<\/a>,\nbut for some sensitive species, the mortality rate is even higher than 90\npercent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;In\nrecent years, there has been a very large increase in awareness of the\nenvironmental repercussions of fishing in general and sport fishing in\nparticular,&#8221; says Erez Yeruham, a marine ecologist at the Society for the\nProtection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), and a doctoral student at Israel\nOceanographic and Limnological Research Institute. &#8220;But it should be\nunderstood that regular catch and release cannot be carried out without\nconsequences,&#8221; he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According\nto the SPNI extent of the catch and release method has increased in the field\nof sport fishing in recent years. Today about 64 percent of the total fish\ncaught with fishing rods in the United States and about half of the fish caught\nthat way in Europe are released back to sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In their\nrecently published report, &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/mafish.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/210x260-V4-erez-single.pdf\">Capture and release of marine\nanimals in the framework of fishing<\/a>&#8220;, SPNI says that the extensive practice\nof catch and release negatively impacts both fish populations and entire ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According\nto the document, catch and release, which is mainly practiced in fishing with a\nfishing rod, can cause a wide range of injuries of various types to the caught\nfish: the most obvious damage is bleeding and tissue damage caused by the hook.\nParticularly vulnerable are predatory fish that capture their food through an extendable\njaw, such as stings rays. Fishhooks might puncture their jaw and cause injuries\nto the mouth, making it difficult for them to obtain food during the recovery\nperiod.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aside from\nincreased mortality resulting from these injuries, in the long run, the fish\nthat survived the release may suffer, among other things, a decrease in\nreproductive potential and behavioral changes such as changing migration\npatterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;On a\nlarge scale, catch and release can harm entire populations,&#8221; says Yeruham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Studies\nhave shown how in places where catch and release is the only allowed fishing\npractice, there was still significant damage to populations, which was\nreflected in a decrease in the number of fish and a change in population\ndistribution &#8211; similar to damage due to high fishing pressure,&#8221; he\ncontinues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;It is\ndifficult to determine the exact impact of sportfishing,&#8221; says Ori Frid,\nwho coordinated and wrote the sportfishing survey conducted at the initiative\nof the Nature and Parks Authority and the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of\nAgriculture and in collaboration with Tel Aviv University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;However, we have seen that in relation to commercial fishing, the average catch of sportfishing is very high. In addition, the released fish does not necessarily survive &#8211; they do return to the sea, but most of them experience severe physical injuries.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/kelly-sikkema-92ef3opsrLU-unsplash-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3111\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/kelly-sikkema-92ef3opsrLU-unsplash-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/kelly-sikkema-92ef3opsrLU-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/kelly-sikkema-92ef3opsrLU-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/kelly-sikkema-92ef3opsrLU-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/kelly-sikkema-92ef3opsrLU-unsplash-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>Smaller fish species, below the minimum size allowed to catch, and protected species have to be released back into the sea. This method is called &#8220;catch and release&#8221;.Photo by&nbsp;Kelly Sikkema&nbsp;on&nbsp;Unsplash<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Dwindling\ncatch<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According\nto <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S096098221400671X\">studies<\/a> and reports from recent years, the catch of\nfish in the Mediterranean is declining, mainly due to overfishing. In addition\nto damaging the food supply, the entire marine ecosystem is at risk: Fish are\npart of the food web, eating smaller organisms like algae, jellyfish, and\ncrabs. At the same time, fish are food for species above them in the food web\nlike bigger fish, dolphins, sharks, seals, and whales. If the reproductive\ncapacity of fish is reduced, the species they feed on may reproduce unhindered,\nwhile the species that feed on the fish are harmed due to food shortages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This structural damage to the marine ecological balance would ultimately also damage humans \u2013 that is, industries such as recreation, tourism, and fishing, not to mention the damage to the services that the sea gives us in the form of carbon dioxide adsorption and climate regulation. Desalination could also be affected if the quality of seawater decreases, for instance, on account of the overproduction of algae.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/vikas-anand-dev-iMmlx_fCeWc-unsplash-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3115\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/vikas-anand-dev-iMmlx_fCeWc-unsplash-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/vikas-anand-dev-iMmlx_fCeWc-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/vikas-anand-dev-iMmlx_fCeWc-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/vikas-anand-dev-iMmlx_fCeWc-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/vikas-anand-dev-iMmlx_fCeWc-unsplash-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>According to studies and reports from recent years, the catch of fish in the Mediterranean is declining, mainly due to overfishing. Photo by&nbsp;Vikas Anand Dev&nbsp;on&nbsp;Unsplash<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>License\nor no license<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Israel,\nthere are two types of sport fishing; one that requires a license and one that\nis exempt from a license. Licensed fishermen are those who fish from a vessel\nat sea with the help of a harpoon gun or fishing rod and are required to act\naccording to the Ministry of Agriculture&#8217;s fishing regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The\nregulations that aim to reduce the impact of fishing on fish populations and\npreserve marine ecosystems include limiting the daily catch to 5 kilograms (or\ntwo large fish). It is also forbidden to fish during the breeding season and to\nfish in the areas of marine nature reserves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fishermen\nusing a fishing rod from the shore are not required to have a license or comply\nwith regulations. &#8220;Over the years, I have seen the methods of coastal\nfishermen become more sophisticated,&#8221; says Eyal Miller, manager of the\nnorth marine rangers team of the Nature and Parks Authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Some\nfishermen bring four or six fishing rods, each rod attached to a machine that\ncould carry weights of 100 kilograms. They&#8217;d catch very large and high-quality\nfish,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA lot of\nfishermen start from the premise that catch and release is an action without\nconsequences, although in practice, the damage to the fish can be significant,\neven compared to professional fishing,&#8221; says Yeruham.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cEven\nfishing restrictions that focus on the size of the fish that are allowed to be\ncaught and limit the amount of catch are based on this erroneous assumption,\nand in fact, creating a situation of more extensive use of the catch and\nrelease method.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;There\nis a long list of guidelines that dictate how to perform the catch and release\nmethod accurately in order to minimize damage,&#8221; Yeruham adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;You\nneed to know where to fish so that it might not even be necessary to release\nmost of the fish you catch, and to make sure to use equipment that reduces\ndamage. For example, it is better to use non-serrated fishhooks because\nremoving jagged hooks from the fish causes much more serious damage. In\naddition, it is important to hold the fish correctly when out of the water to\ngive it support from the bottom and keep it in a wet and humid environment as\nmuch as possible to prevent suffocation,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;But the most important message for fishermen is to understand that this method is not without consequences,&#8221; Yeruham concludes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This ZAVIT article was also published in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ynetnews.com\/environment\/article\/SkYf11uIfw\">Ynetnews&nbsp;<\/a>on 08\/16\/2020.<\/em><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to a new report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the situation of &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":125,"featured_media":3103,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14,12,10],"tags":[],"acf":[],"post-meta-fields":{"_edit_lock":["1597913948:11"],"_thumbnail_id":["3103"],"_edit_last":["11"],"subtitle":["Sportfishing in Israel has various negative effects on the health of the Mediterranean fisheries. What can be done to improve this situation?"],"_subtitle":["field_59d3d36ea7fe1"],"_wpml_media_duplicate":["1"],"_wpml_media_featured":["1"],"_oembed_1ff3963595dd34fd5b1e43d6468d833f":["<iframe title=\"Sportfishing in Israel\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lPKs6tKmAW0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>"],"_oembed_time_1ff3963595dd34fd5b1e43d6468d833f":["1597913078"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3102"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/125"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3102"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3102\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3129,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3102\/revisions\/3129"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3103"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3102"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3102"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zavit.org.il\/intl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3102"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}