Distribution and density of discarded limestone slabs used in the traditional Maltese lampuki fishery

Abstract

The Maltese Coryphaena hippurus fishery employs fish aggregating devices anchored to the seabed by limestone slabs that are discarded after each season. It is estimated that more than 15,000 such slabs are deposited on the seabed each year, thus the number of limestone blocks left on the seabed by the decades-old fishery must be quite high. This study attempted to estimate the distribution and abundance of limestone slabs in the sea around Malta. The abundance of slabs was much less than expected, implying that a mechanism that gradually removes slabs from the surface of the seabed is operating in the area studied.