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Artisanal fisheries tend to be depend upon local environmental and socioeconomic factors (Stergiou et al., 2006; Guyader et al., 2013). In the last 20 years, socioeconomic studies on fisheries have been met with worldwide attention (Witherel et al., 2000; Baticados, 2004). These studies provide basic reference for the necessary management measures increasing thus their overall efficiency. Thus, the interest in socioeconomic data has increased (COM, 2002), but, most artisanal fisheries exist in a data-poor condition, making it difficult to capture the socioeconomic contributions of these fisheries (Gillett & Lightfoot, 2002; Zeller et al., 2006; Andrew et al., 2007).
Artisanal fisheries are defined as any small capital investment fishery, mostly operated by the owner, exploiting areas which can be reached in a few hours from the harbor or beaches where the fishers are based (Colloca et al., 2004). On the other side, the socioeconomic status term refers to measure of interrelated and diverse aspects relating to a combination of social and economic factors. These aspects could, in general, be categorized into several categories including, economic, demographic, public services, income, education, occupation and social (Rau & David 1980).
At the national, local, and individual levels in developing countries, artisanal fisheries often have potential to contribute to the development of coastal areas, food security, the preservation of marine ecosystems, and make substantial socioeconomic contributions to society (FAO, 2005; Béné et al., 2007; Garcia et al., 2008). It has been estimated that 90% of fishers worldwide are artisanal fishers (Berkes et al., 2001; FAO, 2004; Béné, 2005). In the Mediterranean, artisanal fleets represent more than 80% of the vessels of the European Mediterranean fleet and provide around 100,000 jobs (C.O.M., 2002; Maynou et al., 2013). The entire Mediterranean artisanal fleet is comprised of 42,000 small boats which use different gears and landing ports, reflecting an important socioeconomic role in the coastal communities (Morales-Nin et al., 2010; Maynou et al., 2013).