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Deep-water red shrimp fishery in the Eastern-Central Mediterranean Sea: AIS-observed monthly fishing effort and frequency over four years


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Title of the dataset: "Deep-water red shrimp fishery in the Eastern-Central Mediterranean Sea: AIS-observed monthly fishing effort and frequency over four years."


Authors: Jacopo Pulcinella (CNR-IRBIM), Enrico Nicola Armelloni (CNR-IRBIM; UniBO), Carmen Ferrà (CNR-IRBIM; UniBO), Elisabetta Betulla Morello (FAO GFCM), Giuseppe Scarcella CNR-IRBIM), Anna Nora Tassetti (CNR-IRBIM)


Abstract: A 4-year time series of AIS-based observed monthly patterns and related frequency of trawling disturbance are provided with a resolution of 0.01°*0.01°, accounting for the spatial extent and temporal variability in deep water bottom contact fisheries during the period 2015-2018. The study area covers 15 GFCM management Geographical Sub Areas (GSAs) in the Eastern-Central Mediterranean Sea (GSAs 12-16 and 18-27). The dataset was estimated from 370 fishing vessels that were found to perform trawling in deep water (400m - 800m), and they represent a significant part of the real fleet exploiting this fishing grounds in the study area. This large-scale and high-resolution dataset might help researchers of many scientific fields, as well as those involved in fishery management and in the update of existing management plans of deep-water red shrimp fisheries as foreseen in General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) relevant recommendations. More information about data and single columns explanation is available below.


Contact persons: enrico.armelloni@irbim.cnr.it, annanora.tassetti@cnr.it


Contact organization: CNR-IRBIM (Italy)


Dataset format: Comma Separated Value (unique file)


License: CC-BY 4.0


Temporal range of observations: 2015-2018


Date of dataset creation: 2020-12-14
Date of dataset completion: 2020-12-14



Project/Program: This research was supported by a letter of agreement between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) and CNR-IRBIM for the provision of “Identification and mapping of bottom trawl fishing grounds for deepwater red shrimp in the Eastern-Central Mediterranean Sea (GSAs 12-16, 18-27)”. The work was carried out in the framework of the FAO GFCM deep water red shrimps Working Group, which supported in understanding the specific fishery and validated outcomes.



Processing methodology: Analysis was mostly performed applying the R scripts available in the R4AIS code repository Version v1.0.2 https://github.com/MAPSirbim/AIS_data_processing/tree/v1.0.2) in order to: 
(i) reconstruct individual fishing trips,
(ii) classify them on a monthly basis according predefined gear class, 
(iii) extract fishing operations. 
Released data were gridded at 100th degree resolution coherently with the standard defined by the GFCM rectangles (GFCM Statistical grid),
identified by a 5-digit code (GFCM_COD, representing latitude and longitude by a mixed letter and number code). In particular, each 0.01-degree
grid cell inherited the GFCM_COD of the 0.5-degree rectangle intersecting its centroid, as well the GSA of belonging. 



Parameters:

Dataset1: Deep-Water Trawling frequency in the Eastern-Central Mediterranean Sea (2015-2018)
*FID: the progressive code univocally identifying each 1km cell
*GFCM_COD: the 5-digit code of the GFCM rectangle inherited by each grid cell
*GSA: Geographical Sub Area inherited by each gridcell
*fishing_ground: "400-800m"
*diff_days: average difference in days between trawling events over the whole time series
*lon: the longitude of the lower left corner of the grid cell, in decimal degrees
*lat: the latitude of the lower left corner of the grid cell, in decimal degrees

Dataset2: Monthly Deep-Water fishing effort in the Eastern-Central Mediterranean Sea (2015-2018)
*FID: the progressive code univocally identifying each grid cell
*GFCM_COD: the 5-digit code of the GFCM rectangle inherited by each grid cell
*GSA: Geographical Sub Area inherited by each 1km cell
*fishing_ground: "400-800m"
*year: the four-digit year of the AIS observations
*month: the two-digit year of the AIS observations
*effort: fishing effort in hours exerted in this grid cell on this month
*nvessel: number of trawlers exerting fishing effort in this grid cell on this month
*lon: the longitude of the lower left corner of the grid cell, in decimal degrees
*lat: the latitude of the lower left corner of the grid cell, in decimal degrees


Number of records: 310580 (trawling effort) 22547 (trawling frequency) 


Bounding box: N, S, E, W = 42.456240, 30.266240, 36.220012, 8.500012 [decimal deg] 


Sea Area common name: Eastern-Central Mediterranean Sea


CRS: WGS84