Preliminary study on interaction between dolphins and small-scale fisheries in Sicily: Learning mitigation strategies from agriculture

Interactions between cetaceans and fisheries are probably as old as the fishing profession itself (Bearzi., 2002). Harvesting activities, in agriculture as well as fisheries, nowadays are victims of depredation committed mainly by ungulates, and odontocetes which can lead to serious environmental, social and economic problems among farmers and fishermen (Snape et al., 2018). Here we provide an overview of depredations conflicts all over the world and of European regulation and financial instruments to compensate for damage caused by protected animals. We define a comprehensive and detailed outline of the state of regulation, and the constraints and opportunities of harvesting activities at local, regional and national level, focusing on cases of conflict with wild fauna. Through a structured investigation, we explore the small-scale fishing fleet of eastern Sicily, where a traditional and multipurpose fishery is threatened by a high rate of cetacean-fishery interaction, requiring urgent mitigation action. We hope this research is a starting point for recommendations for better, more sustainable management of conflicts between wildlife conservation and fisheries practices, and for implementing strategies aimed at reducing loss due to cetacean interference on fisheries.