ABSTRACT
The number of Portuguese coastal seiners has been decreasing along the last decades. However, in the same period this fleet has undergone a significant technological modernization, with the improvement of equipments and deck layouts aimed at improving safety, ergonomics, fish conservation and cargo handling on board. Alongside with this improvement the target species for this fleet have also changed as a result of the decline in sardine (Sardina pilchardus) stocks since 2008, and currently, landings of Atlantic chub mackerel (Scomber colias) and the European anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) are important to the global yields achieved by this fleet. In this study, we give an account of the changes undergone by the Portuguese seine fleet as well as of the recent economic significance of the European anchovy in the seine fishery. The relative fishing power and the catch per unit of standardized effort are estimated, allowing to compare vessels productivity.
