Fisheries Technology and Management

Code:

MA321

Acronym:

TGP

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Applied Biology

Instance: 2023/2024 - 3T (of 12-02-2024 to 05-04-2024)

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Aquatic Production
Course/CS Responsible:	Aquatic Sciences

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
LCMA	26	Official Study Plan	3	-	5	49	135

Teaching language

Portuguese
Obs.: Elementos bibliográficos em Português, Inglês e Castelhano

Objectives

Knowing Fishing as the oldest and most important activity of Mankind in the aquatic environment, including the history of fishing, fishing gear and vessels, the main statistical data of the sector, fishing methods and gears, materials used in fishing, ancient and modern navigation aids for fish detection, capture and management of the environment and catches on board, the relationship between catches and the quality of fish and of the environment, and the main characteristics of fisheries in Europe, in mainland Portugal, Azores and Madeira and long distance fishing. Recognize current resource management problems, fisheries management methods and how to improve fisheries sustainability.

Learning outcomes and competences

To recognize the fishing methods and gears ; to have a critical opinion on the management of fisheries resources and sustainability; to recognize gear and fishing net components; to know how to perform measurements of the legal parameters of nets; to know how to recognize, choose and make the main marine knots. To know which resource management measures are taken and how they are carried out in practice in Portugal. To know entities and places where fishing takes place, is studied or is shown to the general public.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Basic notions of Aquatic Biology, Aquatic Animal Morphology, Aquatic Physiology and Fisheries Biology.

Program

Theoretical-practical program (Fishing Technology)

I - Introduction: definitions and general concepts

II - History of fishing: from prehistory to today

III - World and European fisheries: main statistical data

IV - Methods and gear of capture: types, description and classification

V - Fishing vessels: types, description and classification

VI - Materials used in fishing: types, characteristics, influence on the environment

 (includes practical session on net measurements and fishing knots)

VII - Equipment used in fishing: safety, detection, fishing, environmental protection

VIII - Fishing issues: overfishing, bycatch, ghost fishing, environment, sustainability, animal welfare

IX - Fishing, welfare and fish quality

X - Fishing in mainland Portugal, Azores and Madeira: main characteristics and organization

 
Theoretical-practical program (Fisheries Management)

I - Introduction: importance of fisheries resources, their evaluation and management; administration and skills in fisheries assessment and management.

II - Assessment of fishery resources: general concepts (stock, cohort, recruitment, minimum legal catch size, size at 1st maturation).

III - Assessment of fishing resources: growth curves and fishing pattern; exercises for estimating the biological parameters necessary for the evaluation models.

IV - Assessment of fishing resources: selectivity of a fishing gear; exercises to evaluate the selectivity of a fishing net.

V - Fishing resources evaluation methods: direct counting methods, marking, egg counting method, hydroacoustic methods, swept area method.

VI - Fishing resources evaluation methods: general production models and structural models, biological reference points (F target, F 0.1, MSY) and exercise resolution.

VII - Fishing Management Models; management and regulatory measures.

Theoretical-practical program (VISITS, Fishing Technology and Fisheries Management)

1 - Visit to the Maritime Museum of Ílhavo
2 - Visits to the Fishing Harbour, Docapesca Matosinhos + IPMA Matosinhos
3 - Visit to Aguda (artisanal fisheries beach)

Mandatory literature

Paulo Vaz-Pires (TP), Mónica Felício (GP); Slides de TP+GP, 2022
Maria de Lourdes Paes da Franca; A^pesca artesanal local na costa continental portuguesa. ISBN: 972-9372-27-6
Andres von Brandt; Fish Catching Methods of the World, 1972
FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Fisheries management - 2, The ecosystem approach to fisheries., FAO, 2003. ISBN: ISBN 92-5-104897-5

Complementary Bibliography

FAO; Definición y clasificación de las embarcaciones pesqueras, 1986

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theoretical classes on fundamental concepts, aided by projectable elements (slides with images of real situations)

Practical classes with measurements of nets, net meshes and knots, and exercises on calculations of parameters for the management of fishing resources.

Visits to museums, industrial and artisanal fishing beaches and harbours, to observe real conditions, talk to stakeholders in the fisheries sector and discuss current fisheries issues.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	70,00
Trabalho escrito	30,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	66,00
Frequência das aulas	49,00
Trabalho escrito	20,00
Total:	135,00

Eligibility for exams

Minimum 9.5 in the written work.
Minimum  9.5 in the final exam.

Calculation formula of final grade

70% final exam, 30% written work.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Students with special situations will have to follow the legal rules in force at the moment.

Classification improvement

In exams for classification improvement, only the exam (100%) counts for the final classification (the written work component does not count for classification improvement.