Within the context of the ecosystem approach to fisheries management, an ecosystem model was developed for the Balearic Islands in the early 2000s, covering from 0 to 800 m of depth. The aim of the study was to describe the structure and functioning of the ecosystem together with the fishing impacts. The results show that the biomass of the primary producers (PP), mainly dominated by Posidonia oceanica meadows and red algae be...

Discards are the portion of animal and plant material in the catch that is dumped back at sea. The C ommon F isheries P olicy plan proposed by the E uropean C ommission for 2014–2020 presents a controversial goal: to enforce the landing of fishing discards as a measure to encourage their reduction. This historical and political decision will shape the future of the fishing exploitation in E uropean S eas. Discards generated by...