**1. Introduction**

The Mediterranean fisheries sector benefits from sustainable and traditional artisanal small-scale fisheries (SSF) practices, with fishers usually spending all their lives and efforts harvesting goods that the sea provides in a manner that would allow them and their children to continue to do so, generation after generation. Through the centuries, the art of artisanal fishing and SSF developed a unique national cultural heritage linking ways of

© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2018 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

making a living from the sea with traditional vessel designs, small-scale economies, culinary and religious practices at the heart of each fishing village and community [1]. Different Mediterranean countries have developed various fishing techniques and exploitation rates often in line with the demands for specific consumption preferences by their populations [2]. Sustainable use of marine resources needs to consider the diversity of each country's consumption demands on local marine resources and the additional demands for export toward foreign countries, while assessing the influence of these on marine biodiversity. The former often playing an important role in causing over-exploitation, while increasing the ecological footprint of the fishery industry in the Mediterranean [3].

With so many developments expected in this already overexploited Mediterranean Sea, the role of traditional artisanal fishing in conserving local maritime heritage may be replaced in the near future, unless integrated planning and management will involve small-scale fishers. SSF and small coastal communities, play a fundamental role in the social identity and heritage of the Mediterranean. Artisanal fishermen depend directly on the marine natural resources for their income [13]. The EU's small-scale fishing sector comprises around 70,000 vessels and amounts to 84% of the EU fishing fleet and 54% of the total EU fleet effort (in days at sea). Although it only covers 11% of the EU fleet's gross tonnage, it contributes to 48% of employment in EU fisheries, with approximately 72,800 fishers (this figure increases if we include "informal employment", that is the spouses, partners and other family members who assist the primary earner). Around 55% of it is concentrated in the Mediterranean basin (EU info 2016 small-scale coastal fleet).

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Right at the center of the Mediterranean Sea, Maltese fishermen face competition with many other fishermen exploiting marine resources in the same national and international waters. In accordance with the Act of Accession, Council Regulation (EC) No 813/2004, the 25 NM FMZ around Malta was established with provisions outlined in Article 26 of Council Regulation 1967/2006. In view of this, the fisheries covered by this management plan follow measures limiting fishing effort, capacity, vessel size, engine power and fishing areas for certain modes of fishing. The Maltese fishing fleet is predominantly small-scale with a diverse selection of artisanal fishing techniques and seasonal shifts in the target species, allowing for sustainable fishing niches, which usually allow affected species to recover while exploitation is shifted to other species. Malta adopts SSF as per definition found in Article 26 of Council Regulation No 1198/2006 and in the new European Maritime and Fisheries Fund where Small-scale fishing involves "*vessels less than 12 metres and not using towed gear*" as listed in table 3 in Annex 1 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 26/2004 of December 2003 [14]. However, a number of fishing activities conducted by vessels larger than 12 m are allowed within the 25 NM FMZ by way of derogation. These include a limited number of trawlers, vessels fishing for dolphinfish (*Coryphaena hippurus*), vessels fishing with small pelagic purse seines and long-liners [15].

Maltese landings accounts for around 0.03% of the total EU catch; The Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries [16–19] notes that due to the larger neighboring countries' fisheries effort, the current status of stocks in the Mediterranean depends little on the activity of the Maltese fishing fleet. These points toward the need for careful consideration of the distinctions between different Mediterranean fishing fleet sizes, scales, and sustainability. At the same time, coordination of the different well adapted regulations across the Mediterranean have to be in place to encourage fishers in this region to participate in safeguarding marine biodiversity in effective ways. This would facilitate the SSF in Mediterranean find ways to apply Article 19 of Council Regulation 1967/2006 [14, 15]. This SSF sector in Malta is governed by regional and national legislations and regulations that have focused around the type of gear allowed, minimum landing sizes of fishes, closed seasons and area restrictions [EC Regulations: 1967/2006; 1343/2011; 302/2009; Local regulations CAP 425—Fisheries Conservation and Management Act and its various subsidiary legislations and amendments,

With increasing recreational fishing vessels in Malta, falling under practically no fishing monitoring process, the illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing problem may be

including fishing vessel regulations Legal Notice 407] [14, 20].

By focusing on Malta's artisanal fisheries and marine biodiversity changes, the future of sustainable SSF in such changing environment may be considered through the experiences of one of the smallest SSF communities in the EU situated right at the heart of the Mediterranean Sea. The 25 NM Fisheries Management Zone (FMZ) around the Maltese islands is also a unique opportunity to test the efficacy of fisheries and conservation research to improve management, hand in hand with the consideration of stakeholder livelihoods and poverty alleviation while protecting marine biodiversity, ecosystems and Maltese artisanal fisheries and heritage.

In the Mediterranean, where not all states are under EU management regulations, the shared exploitation of resources is not easy and may also depend on the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) to guide and monitor fisheries management more holistically. Apart from the growing need to assess the actual consumption and demand on marine resources by both Mediterranean and non-Mediterranean countries, updated analyses of the actual status of marine resources continues to lag behind [3, 4]. One example is the varying degree of accuracy in fish landings statistics, which depend on correct identification of every species landed and affected by the fishing activity. Long-term and accurate data are crucial for any realistic assessment of Mediterranean fisheries resources and management. In the absence of reliable data and stock assessments, sensible management decisions remain an unreachable goal. Another important gap in knowledge is the data on discards, which rarely get to be recorded. Fisheries discards highly vary along the region both geographically and among the different fishing gears [5]. Such discards data are very important not only to evaluate potential adaptations and improvements in the fisheries but also as monitoring data on the changing communities of marine species present and affected by the fisheries activities in this semi-enclosed sea. This is becoming even more valuable in the light of increasing presence of non-native or alien species, the impacts of which urgently need to be accurately monitored and evaluated across the Mediterranean [6–9].

Though essential data are incomplete and at times imprecise, there is an increasing strive to continue expanding the ways in which Mediterranean marine resources may be exploited through the latest Blue Growth proposals for this region. Different directives including the Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP) adopted in 2007; the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the environmental pillar of the IMP adopted in 2008 and the Marine Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD) adopted in 2014, all aiming toward improving knowledge, monitoring and management for long-lasting benefits from the goods and services the marine environment provide [10, 11]. As new maritime sectors such as, seabed mining and biotechnology are expected to develop, concerns on possible impacts on both the marine ecosystems and traditional sectors increase [12].

With so many developments expected in this already overexploited Mediterranean Sea, the role of traditional artisanal fishing in conserving local maritime heritage may be replaced in the near future, unless integrated planning and management will involve small-scale fishers. SSF and small coastal communities, play a fundamental role in the social identity and heritage of the Mediterranean. Artisanal fishermen depend directly on the marine natural resources for their income [13]. The EU's small-scale fishing sector comprises around 70,000 vessels and amounts to 84% of the EU fishing fleet and 54% of the total EU fleet effort (in days at sea). Although it only covers 11% of the EU fleet's gross tonnage, it contributes to 48% of employment in EU fisheries, with approximately 72,800 fishers (this figure increases if we include "informal employment", that is the spouses, partners and other family members who assist the primary earner). Around 55% of it is concentrated in the Mediterranean basin (EU info 2016 small-scale coastal fleet).

making a living from the sea with traditional vessel designs, small-scale economies, culinary and religious practices at the heart of each fishing village and community [1]. Different Mediterranean countries have developed various fishing techniques and exploitation rates often in line with the demands for specific consumption preferences by their populations [2]. Sustainable use of marine resources needs to consider the diversity of each country's consumption demands on local marine resources and the additional demands for export toward foreign countries, while assessing the influence of these on marine biodiversity. The former often playing an important role in causing over-exploitation, while increasing the

By focusing on Malta's artisanal fisheries and marine biodiversity changes, the future of sustainable SSF in such changing environment may be considered through the experiences of one of the smallest SSF communities in the EU situated right at the heart of the Mediterranean Sea. The 25 NM Fisheries Management Zone (FMZ) around the Maltese islands is also a unique opportunity to test the efficacy of fisheries and conservation research to improve management, hand in hand with the consideration of stakeholder livelihoods and poverty alleviation while protecting marine biodiversity, ecosystems and Maltese artisanal fisheries and heritage. In the Mediterranean, where not all states are under EU management regulations, the shared exploitation of resources is not easy and may also depend on the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) to guide and monitor fisheries management more holistically. Apart from the growing need to assess the actual consumption and demand on marine resources by both Mediterranean and non-Mediterranean countries, updated analyses of the actual status of marine resources continues to lag behind [3, 4]. One example is the varying degree of accuracy in fish landings statistics, which depend on correct identification of every species landed and affected by the fishing activity. Long-term and accurate data are crucial for any realistic assessment of Mediterranean fisheries resources and management. In the absence of reliable data and stock assessments, sensible management decisions remain an unreachable goal. Another important gap in knowledge is the data on discards, which rarely get to be recorded. Fisheries discards highly vary along the region both geographically and among the different fishing gears [5]. Such discards data are very important not only to evaluate potential adaptations and improvements in the fisheries but also as monitoring data on the changing communities of marine species present and affected by the fisheries activities in this semi-enclosed sea. This is becoming even more valuable in the light of increasing presence of non-native or alien species, the impacts of which

urgently need to be accurately monitored and evaluated across the Mediterranean [6–9].

traditional sectors increase [12].

Though essential data are incomplete and at times imprecise, there is an increasing strive to continue expanding the ways in which Mediterranean marine resources may be exploited through the latest Blue Growth proposals for this region. Different directives including the Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP) adopted in 2007; the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the environmental pillar of the IMP adopted in 2008 and the Marine Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD) adopted in 2014, all aiming toward improving knowledge, monitoring and management for long-lasting benefits from the goods and services the marine environment provide [10, 11]. As new maritime sectors such as, seabed mining and biotechnology are expected to develop, concerns on possible impacts on both the marine ecosystems and

ecological footprint of the fishery industry in the Mediterranean [3].

84 Selected Studies in Biodiversity

Right at the center of the Mediterranean Sea, Maltese fishermen face competition with many other fishermen exploiting marine resources in the same national and international waters. In accordance with the Act of Accession, Council Regulation (EC) No 813/2004, the 25 NM FMZ around Malta was established with provisions outlined in Article 26 of Council Regulation 1967/2006. In view of this, the fisheries covered by this management plan follow measures limiting fishing effort, capacity, vessel size, engine power and fishing areas for certain modes of fishing. The Maltese fishing fleet is predominantly small-scale with a diverse selection of artisanal fishing techniques and seasonal shifts in the target species, allowing for sustainable fishing niches, which usually allow affected species to recover while exploitation is shifted to other species. Malta adopts SSF as per definition found in Article 26 of Council Regulation No 1198/2006 and in the new European Maritime and Fisheries Fund where Small-scale fishing involves "*vessels less than 12 metres and not using towed gear*" as listed in table 3 in Annex 1 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 26/2004 of December 2003 [14]. However, a number of fishing activities conducted by vessels larger than 12 m are allowed within the 25 NM FMZ by way of derogation. These include a limited number of trawlers, vessels fishing for dolphinfish (*Coryphaena hippurus*), vessels fishing with small pelagic purse seines and long-liners [15].

Maltese landings accounts for around 0.03% of the total EU catch; The Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries [16–19] notes that due to the larger neighboring countries' fisheries effort, the current status of stocks in the Mediterranean depends little on the activity of the Maltese fishing fleet. These points toward the need for careful consideration of the distinctions between different Mediterranean fishing fleet sizes, scales, and sustainability. At the same time, coordination of the different well adapted regulations across the Mediterranean have to be in place to encourage fishers in this region to participate in safeguarding marine biodiversity in effective ways. This would facilitate the SSF in Mediterranean find ways to apply Article 19 of Council Regulation 1967/2006 [14, 15]. This SSF sector in Malta is governed by regional and national legislations and regulations that have focused around the type of gear allowed, minimum landing sizes of fishes, closed seasons and area restrictions [EC Regulations: 1967/2006; 1343/2011; 302/2009; Local regulations CAP 425—Fisheries Conservation and Management Act and its various subsidiary legislations and amendments, including fishing vessel regulations Legal Notice 407] [14, 20].

With increasing recreational fishing vessels in Malta, falling under practically no fishing monitoring process, the illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing problem may be exacerbated many-fold. At the same time if regulated, recreational fishing could involve a monitoring protocol to watch for alien species around Maltese coasts. According to the Data Collection Framework Regulation (2008/949/EC): for non-recreational fishing vessels less than 10 m in length, data on catch and effort is collected through a Catch Assessment Survey (CAS); whereas, for vessels over 10 m, data is collected through logbooks. Such data collection could therefore provide valuable information on alien species in fishing areas as well.

According to the aggregated data on small-scale fishing vessels from the Department of Fisheries—Fishing Vessel Register of Malta, in 2015, 2887 SSF vessels (96.8%) were below the 12 m length, with 335 vessels (13.5%) used by full-time fishermen and 599 vessels (20.1%) used by part-time fishermen. The much larger number of vessels under 12 m registered for recreational fishermen amounts to 1942 (65.1%) of the total fishing fleet. With so many fishing boats, it would be useful to rope in efforts to monitor against the changing, deteriorating, and impoverishing resources. Greater collaboration among fishermen, researchers and policy-makers is essential toward effective measures for good marine environmental status and biodiversity conservation.

The cultural and environmental heritage of the small Maltese fishing industry far outweighs its negligible economic contribution. The fishermen's livelihoods depend on the sale of highly prized species that are made available to the consumer as fresh fish caught by traditional artisanal methods during very short fishing trips. The variety and quality of the catch also contributes significantly to the economically important tourism industry. Fishing villages and fish restaurants are a significant attraction for tourists. Maltese traditional fishing boats, such as the "*Kajjik*" (922 boats) and "*Luzzu*" (275 boats) are wooden boats operating mostly in coastal waters. However, the more popular multipurpose vessels (1346 boats) operate at variable distances from the coast. The colorful traditional fishing boats with the eyes of Osiris (**Figure 1**), thought to protect the fishermen, are a tourist favorite. Seasonality in the activity, gears used and landings provide interesting diversity to tourists visiting at different times of the year [21]. This being a valuable asset when efforts to spread tourism throughout the year is a priority for the small Maltese islands. Cultural heritage is also promoted in fishing villages through sculptures that recall traditional activities (**Figure 2**).

that same sea, which provides for the whole family, generation after generation. This intimate relationship with the sea as provider of goods in the long-term is being lost with the loss of

**Figure 2.** Photo of bronze sculpture at Marsaxlokk fishing village (Malta) with artisanal fishing boats in the background.

**Figure 1.** Photo of front of Maltese artisanal boat with the eyes of Osiris thought to protect the fishermen out at sea.

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With the change in SSF management and control, more fishers see fishing as an activity to undertake simply for temporary or periodic pleasure and not as a full-time dedicated endeavor that needs to be safeguarded for many generations to come. This is clear from the increasing number and larger proportion of leisure fishing boats when compared to the full-time small-scale fishing boats registered in Malta. The self-controlling mechanism that was present among artisanal and experienced fishers is being transformed into a short-term profit-making or leisure activity, which is heavily controlled by local fisheries authorities. The latter pass on legislations and policies in line with controlling mechanisms designed for much larger-scale fisher communities of the EU, which may not be experiencing the difficulties and risks felt by the much smaller fisher community in the Maltese Islands. Real dialog and considerations of the serious implications of the adoption of EU regulations, controls and enforcement of regulations with Maltese fishers is an unresolved problem, which has emerged during ongoing

fishing traditions, communities and villages.

Promoting the fishing tradition and heritage of this village.

research by the authors.

Through the years however, many Maltese fisher families have seen their sons and daughters look elsewhere for their future careers, abandoning the idea of undertaking fishing as a fulltime or part-time job. This has been an increasing concern for many Maltese fishermen and is the result of increasing difficulties that fishers have been facing, discouraging their future fishing prospects. Even though unemployment is a problem found across most Maltese and EU workforce sectors, self-employed fishers could sustain themselves and their families in humble ways. However, with the increasing difficulties that fishers are facing, youths in fisher communities are demoralized to make a living from fishing, even though all the necessary gear and training would be available through their close relationships and exposure to fishermen's families or fishing community.

The low self-esteem felt by most fishermen is often caused by the top-down management and control system increasingly being applied in Malta. This situation is seeing a gradual loss of tradition, experience, and pride in fishing as a noble way of earning a living while respecting Safeguarding Marine Biodiversity in a Changing World: Maltese Small-Scale Fisheries and Alien… http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.76609 87

exacerbated many-fold. At the same time if regulated, recreational fishing could involve a monitoring protocol to watch for alien species around Maltese coasts. According to the Data Collection Framework Regulation (2008/949/EC): for non-recreational fishing vessels less than 10 m in length, data on catch and effort is collected through a Catch Assessment Survey (CAS); whereas, for vessels over 10 m, data is collected through logbooks. Such data collection

According to the aggregated data on small-scale fishing vessels from the Department of Fisheries—Fishing Vessel Register of Malta, in 2015, 2887 SSF vessels (96.8%) were below the 12 m length, with 335 vessels (13.5%) used by full-time fishermen and 599 vessels (20.1%) used by part-time fishermen. The much larger number of vessels under 12 m registered for recreational fishermen amounts to 1942 (65.1%) of the total fishing fleet. With so many fishing boats, it would be useful to rope in efforts to monitor against the changing, deteriorating, and impoverishing resources. Greater collaboration among fishermen, researchers and policy-makers is essential toward effective measures for good marine environmental status

The cultural and environmental heritage of the small Maltese fishing industry far outweighs its negligible economic contribution. The fishermen's livelihoods depend on the sale of highly prized species that are made available to the consumer as fresh fish caught by traditional artisanal methods during very short fishing trips. The variety and quality of the catch also contributes significantly to the economically important tourism industry. Fishing villages and fish restaurants are a significant attraction for tourists. Maltese traditional fishing boats, such as the "*Kajjik*" (922 boats) and "*Luzzu*" (275 boats) are wooden boats operating mostly in coastal waters. However, the more popular multipurpose vessels (1346 boats) operate at variable distances from the coast. The colorful traditional fishing boats with the eyes of Osiris (**Figure 1**), thought to protect the fishermen, are a tourist favorite. Seasonality in the activity, gears used and landings provide interesting diversity to tourists visiting at different times of the year [21]. This being a valuable asset when efforts to spread tourism throughout the year is a priority for the small Maltese islands. Cultural heritage is also promoted in fishing villages

Through the years however, many Maltese fisher families have seen their sons and daughters look elsewhere for their future careers, abandoning the idea of undertaking fishing as a fulltime or part-time job. This has been an increasing concern for many Maltese fishermen and is the result of increasing difficulties that fishers have been facing, discouraging their future fishing prospects. Even though unemployment is a problem found across most Maltese and EU workforce sectors, self-employed fishers could sustain themselves and their families in humble ways. However, with the increasing difficulties that fishers are facing, youths in fisher communities are demoralized to make a living from fishing, even though all the necessary gear and training would be available through their close relationships and exposure to fisher-

The low self-esteem felt by most fishermen is often caused by the top-down management and control system increasingly being applied in Malta. This situation is seeing a gradual loss of tradition, experience, and pride in fishing as a noble way of earning a living while respecting

through sculptures that recall traditional activities (**Figure 2**).

men's families or fishing community.

could therefore provide valuable information on alien species in fishing areas as well.

and biodiversity conservation.

86 Selected Studies in Biodiversity

**Figure 1.** Photo of front of Maltese artisanal boat with the eyes of Osiris thought to protect the fishermen out at sea.

**Figure 2.** Photo of bronze sculpture at Marsaxlokk fishing village (Malta) with artisanal fishing boats in the background. Promoting the fishing tradition and heritage of this village.

that same sea, which provides for the whole family, generation after generation. This intimate relationship with the sea as provider of goods in the long-term is being lost with the loss of fishing traditions, communities and villages.

With the change in SSF management and control, more fishers see fishing as an activity to undertake simply for temporary or periodic pleasure and not as a full-time dedicated endeavor that needs to be safeguarded for many generations to come. This is clear from the increasing number and larger proportion of leisure fishing boats when compared to the full-time small-scale fishing boats registered in Malta. The self-controlling mechanism that was present among artisanal and experienced fishers is being transformed into a short-term profit-making or leisure activity, which is heavily controlled by local fisheries authorities. The latter pass on legislations and policies in line with controlling mechanisms designed for much larger-scale fisher communities of the EU, which may not be experiencing the difficulties and risks felt by the much smaller fisher community in the Maltese Islands. Real dialog and considerations of the serious implications of the adoption of EU regulations, controls and enforcement of regulations with Maltese fishers is an unresolved problem, which has emerged during ongoing research by the authors.

Urgent and in depth assessment of the impacts of currently adopted and prospective regulations is needed. Such assessment has to look into the effectiveness and problems of fisheries regulations on the welfare of both local marine biodiversity and local fishers. For this reason, the CBRG-UoM, has been sustaining long-term research on artisanal fishing activities in Malta since 1998, identifying the need for greater collaboration between fishers, fishing authorities and independent researchers that would bring about the necessary scientific information on fishing activities, conservation needs of marine resources and knowledge gaps to be clearly assessed. Such independent reviews are necessary to reduce the exclusive topdown control with poor consideration of the impacts of inaccurate or incomplete information being considered at both local and EU levels when planning for management improvements in the fisheries sector. Both fishermen's skills and nature's ways of adapting to a changing marine environment need to be investigated to assess the resilience of both fishermen and biodiversity in the region. In order to consider such interlinked relationships between SSF and marine species conservation two aspects linking fisheries and endangered native biodiversity are presented here: 1) the Maltese SSF landings of sharks and rays (elasmobranches) species with a case study on how artisanal small-scale fishing of one shark species proves to be sustainable when investigated in detail and 2) Alien (non-native) reef species increasingly discovered in Maltese waters are identified through genetic DNA barcoding and found to be species that may compete or prey on native reef fish, such as groupers and related Serranidae species. The latter already suffering from over exploitation and environmental degradation.

records for Mediterranean chondrichthyes recorded a decline of around 60% between 1994 and 2004, namely due to declining stocks [4, 27, 30, 31]. These factors together with incomplete knowledge about their fisheries, trophic linkages and species specific life-history data make it really difficult to pinpoint the first warning signs of stock decline, making these top predators more vulnerable to anthropogenic activities, which impose both direct and indirect pressures to their survival. However, these threats, not only affect the survival of the species, but also the livelihood of small-scale fishermen who for decades have earned their living from

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Traditionally, elasmobranch fisheries in Malta are an integral part of the annual landings, with few local fishermen targeting elasmobranches as primary or secondary target species, while several others capture them as by-catch of various fishing activities [2]. In Malta, these fisheries have always been limited to small-scale fishermen, with most of their operations being carried out within the 25 NM FMZ. However long term direct and indirect pressures have led to drastic reductions and disappearance in the landings of certain species, mostly pelagic sharks such as hammerhead sharks (*Sphyrna* spp.) and porbeagle (*Lamna nasus*) [26], which could have declined not only due to direct exploitation but due to the exploitation of their pelagic prey [26]. Moreover, the life-history of these pelagic species covers wide home ranges and thus the declining stocks are not only influenced by local activities but also by international large-scale fishing activities carried out in neighboring fishing grounds [2]. On the other hand, other elasmobranch species that attract little international interest, are regularly caught, and seem to be more resilient to current anthropogenic pressures. One such example is the small local fishery related to the bluntnose sixgill shark, *Hexanchus griseus*.

Fishing grounds along the South to South-West of Malta are rich in deep submarine canyons with very steep slopes and drop-offs [38]. Such bathymetric features attract a number of species [39–41] and are able to provide the right ecosystems to sustain large top predators including deep-water elasmobranches such as *H. griseus* [38, 42, 43]. The occurrence of these geographical formations within a short distance from major Maltese fishing ports have led few local artisanal fishermen to specifically target *H. griseus* along drop-offs off the Maltese coast both within and outside the FMZ. This fishery is at least a number of decades old [26], with an annual landing record ranging between 1256 (in 1986) and 8529 kg (in 2002), with an average annual record of 4277 kg (±2033 kg) (Malta Fisheries Landing Data 1986–2016) (**Figure 3**). Nonetheless, the apparent lack of interest in the species by other Mediterranean countries does not exclude that *H. griseus* is not being regularly exploited as by-catch, possibly unreported or lumped in other shark categories due to its low economic importance. On a

The Maltese landings of *H. griseus* are characterized by seasonal changes, as most of the catches are noted during the first quarter of the year with 49.5% being caught between February and March [44, 45], a time when due to religious traditions several Maltese people tend to prefer consuming fish rather than meat. During this period, the fishing effort targeting deepwater fisheries increases drastically as fishermen having vessels >12 m exploit waters outside the FMZ, with most of the latter employing a small number of fishermen on-board and use demersal bottom long-lines to harvest *H. griseus*. However, these months are characterized by rough seas and thus limits the operations and the fishing effort that these fishermen can

global scale, species-specific landing records for *H. griseus* are scarce [4].

these marine resources.

dedicate to deep-sea fishing.
