Pêcheries bigoudenes. Bilan des connaissances Activités de pêche, Ressources, Gestion

Located at the far south-west of Brittany, the pays bigouden is the first of the French maritime regions in terms of landed value and the second one in weights. The bigouden fishing practices are characterised by a large diversity of target species and métiers. Studying the fishing practises leads to a description of the various métiers and fishing strategies together with their trends over the last ten years. Identification of métiers is based on multifactors analysis. Using a classification method based on thresholds of species landings then allows a more objective analysis and leads to a more quantitative characterisation of the trawl métiers, which represent more than 80% of the total fishing activity of this region. Two métiers are based on Nephrops (alive or iced), one relies on benthic species (anglerfish, cuckoo ray), and another one on gadoids (cod, whiting, haddock). The relative proportion of each species in the landings of these métiers is relatively stable over the studied period (1987-1997). Most of the trawlers only make one métier during a quarter. Nephrops in the Bay of Biscay, benthic species and also Nephrops in the Celtic Sea are the main métiers. Their relative importance depends on the level of the biomass of their main target species (Nephrops and anglerfish). Mixed metiers (alive Nephrops and benthic species, or iced Nephrops and gadoids) are increasing. Most of the stocks exploited by the fleets from this region are either harvested outside safe biological limits (anglerfish, megrim, cod, hake, and probably Nephrops), or overexploited (hake), or growîh overfished (Nephrops, hake, megrim.. .). Rules set to achieve the fisheries policy aim to conservation of fish stocks in order to allow their sustainable exploitation. The concept of TAC is a key element to the management of fishing exploitation rates, but does not hlly succeed because they are set on a monospecies basis whereas most of the fisheries are mixed and multi-species. Furthemore, TAC are set by the Council of Ministers for whom conservation of fish stocks may not be the only aim. Since most of the rules are not always complied (quotas, minimum legal sizes, mesh sizes ...), the CFP cannot be considered as a total success. The task of policing and enforcing the mles is the responsibility of the Member State's Govemments ... But usually, control and actual enforcement are so scarce and without any actual penalties for the contravener. The pays bigouden is dependent on its fishing activity, and it is quite obvious that effective regulations (Le. restrictive) would not be accepted by the fishermen if they lead to economical problems for themselves or for the region as a whole. A more courageous policy is needed but should propose financial compensation as it is done in agriculture. Even though contradictory individual interests may confront, the conservation of fish stocks is of general interest and is required to allow a sustainable exploitation.