A long term (1949-2010) study of catch and effort in Israeli trawl fishery, Eastern Mediterranean Sea

The trawl fishery of the Mediterranean coast of Israel was analyzed vis á vis catch and fishing effort for the years 1949-2010. The Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) was calculated using the Fox surplus-yield model and was found to be 1,413 ton per annum using 1,415 units of effort (fishing days X engine power divided by 1000). Only during nine years (1997-2005) did fishing effort exceed the value for which the yield is the MSY by an average of 184.9 units of effort, but the yield was similar to that of the previous years. During 10 years the catch exceeded the MSY by an average of 153±119 tons. This result was used to justify the “freezing” of the local trawl fleet at the beginning of the 1990’s.