Portuguese purse seine fishery spatial and resource overlap with top predators

The Portuguese purse seine fishery, with average annual catches of 70000 tonnes, operates mainly in coastal areas and targets small pelagic fish (SPF). Potential competition for resources may occur between the fishery and some species of marine mammals and seabirds, as suggested by observed incidental catches. For those species directly affected by the fishery, the spatial distribution of marine taxa and the fishing fleet are key pieces of information for spatial planning and management. We analysed the spatial and resource overlap between the fishery’s distribution and effort, and the distribution and abundance of 6 species of top predators—seabirds (n = 4) and marine mammals (n = 2) between 2010 and 2014. Estimates of annual consumption by top predators and the fishery catch within the distributional range of one of their main prey species (sardine Sardina pilchardus) were also determined. Spatial overlap between all considered species and the fishery was low (<0.221), and only 2 species (common dolphins Delphinus delphis and Cory’s shearwaters Calonectris borealis) showed high resource overlap with the fishery (>0.7). Overall, values of consumption of SPF by the top predators were of the same order of magnitude as mean annual purse seine landings for the studied area. Our results can be used for marine spatial planning, including designation of Marine Protected Areas and the development of an ecosystem-based model for the effective management of the Portuguese purse seine fishery that takes into account the consumption of natural predators.