scholarly journals The use of fishers’ Local Ecological Knowledge to reconstruct fish behavioural traits and fishers’ perception of conservation relevance of elasmobranchs in the Mediterranean Sea

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 603
Author(s):  
MATTEO BARBATO ◽  
CLAUDIO BARRÍA ◽  
ANDREA BELLODI ◽  
SARA BONANOMI ◽  
DIEGO BORME ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Local Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Elasmobranch Species ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Conservation Plans

The Mediterranean Sea has a long-lasting history of fishery exploitation that, together with other anthropogenic impacts, has led to declines in several marine organisms. In particular, elasmobranch populations have been severely impacted, with drastic decreases in abundance and species diversity. Based on their experience, fishers can provide information on marine species occurrence, abundance and behavioural traits on a long-term scale, therefore contributing to research on the poorly studied biological aspects of elusive or rare elasmobranch species. In this study, for the first time, the use of the Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) of fishers was applied to study the behavioural traits of sharks, rays and skates in 12 FAO-GFCM geographical sub-areas (GSAs) of the Mediterranean Sea. This study found both new insight and proved the reliability of LEK-based catch seasonality, reflecting seasonal movements, by comparing LEK-based findings and available literature on five elasmobranch taxa (Mustelus spp., Squalus acanthias, Raja spp., Myliobatis aquila and Scyliorhinus stellaris) in the Adriatic Sea and 7 taxa (Mustelus spp., Raja spp., Prionace glauca, Scyliorhinus canicula, Torpedo spp., Pteroplatytrygon violacea and Isurus oxyrinchus) in the remaining Mediterranean GSAs. In addition, LEK provided new insights into a novel comprehensive representation of species aggregations (Mustelus spp., S. acanthias, M. aquila and S. canicula) in the sampled GSAs and supplied the first descriptions of the size, number of individuals and sex composition of the aggregations. When the limits and shortcomings of LEK-based research are considered, this methodology can be a complementary and cost-effective tool used to study elasmobranchs in either a data-poor scenario or a scenario in which a baseline is missing. LEK can also be useful for the evaluation and inclusion of fishers’ perceptions on bottom-up management and to provide important evidence for conservation plans.

scholarly journals The shifting distribution of Mediterranean fishes: a spatio-temporal assessment based on Local Ecological Knowledge .

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernesto Azzurro ◽  
Valerio Sbragaglia ◽  
Jacopo Cerri ◽  
Michel Bariche ◽  
Luca Bolognini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Local Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Spatio Temporal

A major problem worldwide is the rapid change in species abundance and distribution, which is rapidly restructuring the biological communities of many ecosystems under changing climates. Tracking these transformations in the marine environment is crucial but our understanding is often hampered by the absence of historical data and by the practical challenge of survey large geographical areas. Here we focus on the Mediterranean Sea, a region which is warming faster than the rest of the global ocean, tracing back the spatio-temporal dynamic of species, which are emerging the most in terms of increasing abundances and expanding distributions. To this aim, we accessed the Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) of small-scale and recreational fishers reconstructing the dynamics of fish perceived as ‘new’ or increasing in different fishing area. Over 500 fishers across 95 locations and 9 different countries were interviewed and semi-quantitative information on yearly changes in species abundance was collected. Overall, 75 species were mentioned by the respondents, being the most frequent citations related to warm-adapted species of both, native and exotic origin. Respondents belonging to the same biogeographic sectors described coherent spatio-temporal dynamics, and gradients along latitudinal and longitudinal axes were revealed. This information provides a more complete understanding of recent bio-geographical changes in the Mediterranean Sea and it also demonstrates that adequately structured LEK methodology might be applied successfully beyond the local scale, across national borders and jurisdictions. Acknowledging this potential through macro-regional coordination, could pave the ground for future large-scale aggregations of individual observations, increasing our potential for integrated monitoring and conservation planning at the regional or even global level.

scholarly journals Local Ecological Knowledge on Mangroves in Mayotte Island (Indian Ocean) and Influencing Factors

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Esméralda Longépée ◽  
Anliati Ahmed Abdallah ◽  
Matthieu Jeanson ◽  
Claire Golléty
Keyword(s):  
Influencing Factors ◽  
Anthropogenic Impacts ◽  
Local Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Mangrove Ecosystem ◽  
Coastal Protection ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Mangrove Tree

The majority of studies on local ecological knowledge (LEK) relate to communities or groups relying on ecosystem(s) for their livelihood. In our case study, Mayotte Island, a French overseas department, very few people rely on mangrove ecosystem for natural resources but most of them are attached to it because of leisure activities and beliefs. The questions on mangrove LEK generally deal with a single aspect of ecological knowledge of surveyed people and is mixed with other information such as harvesting practices, anthropogenic impacts, and management issues. The aim of our study is to better understand the level of ecological knowledge of surveyed inhabitants of Mayotte and to assess whether factors linked to the profile of respondents have an influence on it. For this purpose, we carried out two main survey campaigns in three villages fringing two stable mangroves of Mayotte: the first one consisted of qualitative interviews and the second one, questionnaires lending quantitative results. Cross tabulations and Chi square tests of independence were carried out to determine the link between LEK and influencing factors. Results show that some LEK implying localized observation, such as the identification of mangrove trees and the knowledge of the coastal protection role of the mangrove, are well shared by surveyed people whereas others, such as the number and the name of mangrove tree species, are poorly known. The results also highlight the difficulty of questions implying observation at the landscape level and interpretation of observation. All the influencing factors selected have a significant influence on, at least, one LEK variable. The results highlight differences in LEK of villages bordering two nearby mangroves calling for a local management of these systems.

Migration and ‘pull factor’ traps

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenda Garelli ◽  
Martina Tazzioli
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Migration Studies ◽  
Pull Factors ◽  
The Past ◽  
Critical Knowledge ◽  
Political Outcomes ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
History Books

Abstract This article engages with the centrality that the push–pull theory regained in the context of border deaths in the Mediterranean Sea and particularly as part of the debate against the criminalization of nongovernment organizations (NGOs’) rescue missions at sea. The article opens by illustrating the context in which the push–pull theory re-emerged—after having been part of migration studies’ history books for over a decade—as part of an effort to defend non-state actors engaged in rescue missions in the Mediterranean Sea against an aggressive campaign of illegalilzation conducted by European states. We then take a step back to trace the history of the push–pull theory and its role as a foil for critical migration studies in the past 20 years. Building on this history, the article then turns to interrogating the epistemic and political outcomes that result from bringing evidence against the NGOs’ role as pull factors for migrants. The article closes by advocating for a transformative, rather than evidencing, role of critical knowledge in the current political context where migrants and actors who fight against border deaths are increasingly criminalized.

scholarly journals Traditional and Local Ecological Knowledge for Land Use Mapping

2015 ◽  
Vol 747 ◽  
pp. 306-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norizawati Mohd Ayob ◽  
Norhasimah Ismail ◽  
Tarmiji Masron
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Local Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
History Of ◽  
Global Environmental Changes

Land use changes are a key driver in global environmental changes and had a significant impact on the climate at all scales. Various human activities that took place thousands of years ago have an impact on the earth's surface. Today, with the limited supply and high demand, land use crisis became a big issue for the most countries. Changes in land use are not actually only providing a history of the area, but it also describes the way of life of its local communities. In the interdisciplinary research for land use study, cultural values, knowledge and perceptions of knowledge has been recognized as a major factor in determining the adopted approach applied in land use management in that area. Therefore, this paper tries to evaluate the role and potential of the integration of TLEK and GIS in mapping the series of changes in land use.Keyword: Local knowledge, TLEK, land use mapping & conceptual framework

Life history of the bathyal octopus Pteroctopus tetracirrhus (Mollusca, Cephalopoda) in the Mediterranean Sea

2009 ◽  
Vol 56 (8) ◽  
pp. 1379-1390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoni Quetglas ◽  
Francesc Ordines ◽  
María González ◽  
Ignacio Franco
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Mediterranean

scholarly journals Sertularia marginata (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) in the Mediterranean: an alien species in expansion?

2013 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 384 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. M. GONZÁLEZ-DUARTE ◽  
C. MEGINA ◽  
M. BETHENCOURT
Keyword(s):  
Alien Species ◽  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Strait Of Gibraltar ◽  
Eastern Basin ◽  
Natural Zones ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Natural Means

Mature and dense populations of the tropical hydroid species Sertulariamarginata were detected in the Alboran Sea (Western Mediterranean) and in the Atlantic coast of the Strait of Gibraltar. Until now, it had only been recorded in the eastern basin within the Mediterranean Sea.This species has previously been recorded in estuaries and anthropogenichabitats but, in the area studied here, we only found it in natural zones. These observations could indicate an early expansion and naturalization in the Mediterranean Sea. Due to its limited dispersion capacity by its own natural means and the history of its records, the observations provided here support the hypothesis of an arrival and a spread by anthropogenic vectors.A pathway of arrival and dispersion of alien species into the Mediterranean Sea is proposed for future monitoring: from Macaronesia (particularly Canary Islands) to the Atlantic coast of the Strait of Gibraltar and from here into the Mediterranean.

scholarly journals Confirmation of fishers' local ecological knowledge of ciguatoxic fish species and ciguatera-prone hotspot areas in Puerto Rico using harmful benthic algae surveys and fish toxicity testing

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henry R Raab ◽  
Joseph J Luczkovich ◽  
Wayne Litaker ◽  
Miguel H Del Pozo Santos ◽  
Cynthia A Grace-McCaskey
Keyword(s):  
Local Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Close Association ◽  
Toxicity Testing ◽  
Benthic Algae ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Fish Toxicity ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
Top Predators ◽  
A Cell

Ciguatoxin fish poisoning (CFP) is caused by the consumption of tropical and subtropical fishes and other marine species with high levels of ciguatoxin (CTX) in their tissues. CTX is a polycyclic neurotoxin produced by single-celled, photosynthetic dinoflagellates in the Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa genera which are found in close association with benthic autotrophs. CTX enters the food web when these dinoflagellates are inadvertently consumed by herbivores grazing on their preferred substrates. The toxin biomagnifies up the food chain to the top predators and if humans consume seafood with high levels of CTX it can cause a variety of flu-like symptoms. The best way to avoid CFP is to avoid toxic fishes. However, CTX is undetectable by physical inspection. This study investigated local fishers knowledge of ciguatera hotspots and coldspots along Puerto Rican coral reefs using toxic-dinoflagellate cell counts and by estimating fish toxicity in those sites using a cell-based Neuro-2a cytotoxicity assay. The fishers identified regions of high and low risk for CFP based on their local ecological knowledge (LEK) which were deemed hotspots and coldspots, respectively. There is a 35-fold difference in dinoflagellate cell counts of low-toxicity Gambierdiscus species in samples in the identified hotspot compared to the coldspot. Also, higher trophic level fishes (>3.4 ETL) had higher median estimates of CTX in their tissues at the hotspot than the same species in the coldspot. This study shows the effectiveness of LEK in identifying potential problem areas for ciguatera.

scholarly journals Distributions of the carbonate system properties, anthropogenic CO<sub>2</sub>, and acidification during the 2008 BOUM cruise (Mediterranean Sea)

2012 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 2709-2753 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Touratier ◽  
V. Guglielmi ◽  
C. Goyet ◽  
L. Prieur ◽  
M. Pujo-Pay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Dissolved Inorganic Carbon ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Total Alkalinity ◽  
Carbonate System ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Deep Waters ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
System Properties

Abstract. We relate here the distributions of two carbonate system key properties (total alkalinity, AT; and total dissolved inorganic carbon, CT) measured along a section in the Mediterranean Sea, going from Marseille (France) to the south of the Cyprus Island, during the 2008 BOUM cruise. The three main objectives of the present study are (1) to draw and comment on the distributions of AT and CT in the light of others properties like salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen, (2) to estimate the distribution of the anthropogenic CO2 (CANT) in the intermediate and the deep waters, and (3) to calculate the resulting variation of pH (acidification) since the beginning of the industrial era. Since the calculation of CANT is always an intense subject of debate, we apply two radically different approaches to estimate CANT: the very simple method TrOCA and the MIX approach, the latter being more precise but also more difficult to apply. A clear picture for the AT and the CT distributions is obtained: the mean concentration of AT is higher in the oriental basin while that of CT is higher in the occidental basin of the Mediterranean Sea, fully coherent with the previous published works. Despite of the two very different approaches we use here (TrOCA and MIX), the estimated distributions of CANT are very similar. These distributions show that the minimum of CANT encountered during the BOUM cruise is higher than 46.3 μmol kg−1 (TrOCA) or 48.8 μmol kg−1(MIX). All Mediterranean water masses (even the deepest) appear to be highly contaminated by CANT, as a result of the very intense advective processes that characterize the recent history of the Mediterranean circulation. As a consequence, unprecedented levels of acidification are reached with an estimated decrease of pH since the pre-industrial era of −0.148 to −0.061 pH unit, which places the Mediterranean Sea as one of the most acidified world marine ecosystem.

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