scholarly journals Bottom trawl catch comparison in the Mediterranean Sea: Flexible Turtle Excluder Device (TED)vstraditional gear

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudio Vasapollo ◽  
Massimo Virgili ◽  
Andrea Petetta ◽  
Giada Bargione ◽  
Antonello Sala ◽  
...  

AbstractThe Mediterranean Sea is a hotspot of biodiversity, but the high fishing pressure results in high bycatch rates of protected (sea turtles and cetaceans) and top predator species (sharks). The reduction of bycatch is challenging for fishery scientists, as conservation of these species has become a priority. Among the animals threatened by fishing activities, the loggerhead (Caretta caretta) represents a charismatic species considered as “vulnerable” at the global scale by IUCN.In the Mediterranean Sea, trawl nets show the highest probabilities of bycatch of protected species, with high rates of mortality. A new flexible Turtle Excluder Device (TED) has been tested for the first time on a commercial scale in the Mediterranean Sea to assess its effectiveness in reducing bycatch. The results did not show any significant (α = 0.05) loss in terms of commercial weight, but a significant reduction of debris in the codend of the nets mounting the TED respect to traditional nets. The catch comparison of the main commercial species showed similar rates without any significant loss of sizes, with the only exception of anglerfishes (Lophiusspp.) that showed a loss of the largest individuals by TED. In terms of bycatch, the traditional nets captured mostly rays and sharks, while no turtles were captured, at all. In this regard, the authors were informed by other vessels operating in the same areas at the time of the trials about some accidental catches of loggerhead turtles. Our results demonstrated that the flexible TED represents a practical and effective solution to reduce the bycatch of endangered species in coastal Mediterranean demersal multispecies fisheries, as demonstrated experimentally also in other areas of the world. The measures involving technical modifications of fishing gears require significant investments but are technically feasible and could guarantee the success of the conservation.

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 2513-2515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soumia Brahmi ◽  
Abdelaziz Touati ◽  
Axelle Cadière ◽  
Nassima Djahmi ◽  
Alix Pantel ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTTo determine the occurrence of carbapenem-resistantAcinetobacter baumanniiin fish fished from the Mediterranean Sea near the Bejaia coast (Algeria), we studied 300 gills and gut samples that had been randomly and prospectively collected during 1 year. After screening on selective agar media, using PCR arrays and whole-genome sequencing, we identified for the first time two OXA-23-producingA. baumanniistrains belonging to the widespread sequence type 2 (ST2)/international clone II and harboring aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes [aac(6′)-Ib andaac(3′)-I genes].


2012 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 89 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.M. FERRERO-VICENTE ◽  
A. LOYA-FERNANDEZ ◽  
C. MARCO-MENDEZ ◽  
E. MARTINEZ-GARCIA ◽  
J.I. SAIZ-SALINAS ◽  
...  

Specimens of the sipunculan worm Phascolion (Phascolion) caupo Hendrix, 1975 have been collected for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea, thus increasing the number of known sipunculan species of up to 36 in this area. They were encountered on soft bottoms from the coast of San Pedro del Pinatar (Western Mediterranean). Thirty specimens were collected at a depth ranging from 32.6 to 37.2 m, mainly in sandy substrata with high load of silt and clays. 80% of the individuals were found inhabiting empty shells of gastropods or empty tubes of serpulid polychaetes.


1991 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleni Voultsiadou-Koukoura ◽  
R.W.M. van Soest

A representative of the genus Hemiasterella Carter, 1879 was found for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea during sampling in the shallow waters of the northern Aegean Sea. The new species, H. aristoteliana, is compared with Atlantic Hemiasterella elongata Topsent, 1928. The status of the family Hemiasterellidae is discussed.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. e0216023
Author(s):  
Claudio Vasapollo ◽  
Massimo Virgili ◽  
Andrea Petetta ◽  
Giada Bargione ◽  
Antonello Sala ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 366 (24) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Bovio ◽  
Estelle Sfecci ◽  
Anna Poli ◽  
Giorgio Gnavi ◽  
Valeria Prigione ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Marine fungi are part of the huge and understudied biodiversity hosted in the sea. To broaden the knowledge on fungi inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea and their role in sponge holobiont, three sponges namely Aplysina cavernicola, Crambe crambe and Phorbas tenacior were collected in Villefranche sur Mer, (France) at about 25 m depth. The fungal communities associated with the sponges were isolated using different techniques to increase the numbers of fungi isolated. All fungi were identified to species level giving rise to 19, 13 and 3 species for P. tenacior, A. cavernicola and C. crambe, respectively. Of note, 35.7% and 50.0% of the species detected were either reported for the first time in the marine environment or in association with sponges. The mini-satellite analysis confirmed the uniqueness of the mycobiota of each sponge, leading to think that the sponge, with its metabolome, may shape the microbial community.


Parasitology ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 119 (6) ◽  
pp. 635-648 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. SASAL ◽  
N. NIQUIL ◽  
P. BARTOLI

The aim of this work was to study the structure of the parasite communities of Digeneans of 2 families of Teleost fishes (Sparidae and Labridae) of the Mediterranean sea. We tried to quantify the importance of both the microhabitat requirements of the parasite species and the effect of host biological factors on the parasite communities. We applied, for the first time in parasite community studies, the Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) to analyse (i) the spatial distribution of parasite species within the digestive tract of the hosts; (ii) the host's biological factors (such as diet, host length, gregariousness and abundance) that may influence this spatial distribution of parasite species. Our results showed that potential microhabitats were vacant in the 2 host families studied revealing a lack of niche saturation because either there was little inter- and/or intraspecific competition or there were enough available space and resources within the host. Our results also indicated that the position of the parasite in the digestive tract is much more important than host biological factors for the structure of parasite community. Finally, we highlight the potential use of the CCA method for controlling for phylogenetic constraints in multi-species analyses.


Author(s):  
J. Dulĉić ◽  
A. Pallaoro

Lessepsian migrant Siganus rivulatus is reported for the first time from the Adriatic Sea, substantially further north than its usual area of occurrence in the Mediterranean Sea. Two specimens (111 mm total length [TL] and 149 mm TL) were captured by beach seine on 5 October 2002 off islet Bobara, near Cavtat (southern Adriatic). Morphometric and meristic characteristics of the specimens are provided. The possible explanations of this occurrence are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-255
Author(s):  
Athanassios C. Tsikliras ◽  
Donna Dimarchopoulou

Large sharks and rays are generally understudied in the Mediterranean Sea, thus leading to a knowledge gap of basic biological characteristics that are important in fisheries management and ecosystem modeling. Out of the 76 sharks and rays inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea, the length–weight relations (LWR) are available for 28 (37%) of them, usually for common small-sized species that are not protected and may be marketed. The aim of the presently reported study was to fill in the knowledge gap through the estimation of LWR of rare and uncommon sharks and rays in the Mediterranean Sea using the information from single records or few individuals. The analysis was based on a Bayesian hierarchical method for estimating length–weight relations in fishes that has been recently proposed for data-deficient species or museum collections and uses the prior knowledge and existing LWR studies to derive species-specific LWR parameters by body form. The use of this method was applied to single records of rare and uncommon species and here we report the LWR of 46 uncommon sharks and ray species, 14 of which are first reported LWR at a global scale and 21 are the first reported LWR for the Mediterranean Sea; the remaining 11 species are first time records for the western or eastern Mediterranean regions. Museum collections and sporadic catch records of rare emblematic species may provide useful biological information with the use of appropriate Bayesian methods.


2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 440 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. GÖKOĞLU ◽  
Y. ÖZVAROL ◽  
R. FRICKE

A new Lessepsian migrant, Synchiropus sechellensis Regan, 1908 (Teleostei: Callionymidae), was recorded for the first time by a single male specimen, during bottom trawl operation in the Mediterranean Sea.


2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-49
Author(s):  
Firas A. Al-Shawy ◽  
Murhaf M. Lahlah ◽  
Chirine S. Hussein

Five individuals of Smith's cardinalfish Jaydia smithi were collected from Ibn-Hani area, Lattakia, Syria on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Their morphometric and meristic characteristics are reported. There are several factors which assisted this specimen to reach this area of the Mediterranean; some of these factors might be the marine environment changes and the ballast water. This study reports that Smith's cardinalfish Jaydia smithi, a member of Lessepsian species was found in Syrian marine waters for the first time.


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