Scientific watch – Page 2

Twelve recommendations for advancing marine conservation in European and contiguous seas

Like most ocean regions today, the European and contiguous seas experience cumulative impacts from local human activities and global pressures. They are largely in poor environmental condition with deteriorating trends. Despite several success stories, European policies for marine conservation fall

A review of the combined effects of climate change and other local human stressors on the marine environment

Climate change (CC) is a key, global driver of change of marine ecosystems. At local and regional scales, other local human stressors (LS) can interact with CC and modify its effects on marine ecosystems. Understanding the response of the marine

Baseline data for marine protected areas planning and fisheries monitoring: potential conflicts between recreational IUU and commercial fisheries in the proposed “Taza” MPA (Algeria, SW Mediterranean)

Recreational fisheries (REC) have a great impact on marine ecosystems and create conflicts with other human coastal activities such as commercial small-scale fisheries (SSF). In the proposed Taza marine protected area (MPA) (Algeria, SW Mediterranean), recreational boat fishing is poorly

Differential effects of pollution on adult and recruits of a canopy-forming alga: implications for population viability under low pollutant levels

Marine macroalgal forests are highly productive and iconic ecosystems, which are seriously threatened by a number of factors such as habitat destruction, overgrazing, ocean warming, and pollution. However, the effect of chronic, but low levels of pollutants on the long-term

Impacts of the non-indigenous seaweed Rugulopteryx okamurae on a Mediterranean coralligenous community (Strait of Gibraltar): the role of long-term monitoring

The Mediterranean is one of the most diverse and anthropogenically impacted seas and the coralligenous is one of its most diverse habitats. Its presence is indicative of well-preserved areas and its associated species are considered among the best bioindicators for

Seafloor litter sorting in different domains of Cap de Creus continental shelf and submarine canyon (NW Mediterranean Sea)

The widespread distribution of materials produced by human societies that get stranded ashore or reach the seabed is now considered a critical issue in terms of marine conservation. This study analized litter occurrence in 68 underwater video transects performed on

Coralligenous assemblages along their geographical distribution: testing of concepts and implications for management

Coralligenous habitat is a calcareous formation, primarily composed by long-lived encrusting red algae and, secondarily, by sessile invertebrates growing on submerged reefs under dim light conditions; it is considered as an endemic, protected Mediterranean habitat. This paper presents a study

Pinna nobilis in the Mar Menor coastal lagoon: a story of colonization and uncertainty

The Mediterranean endemic bivalve Pinna nobilis is critically endangered because of a mass mortality event that is impacting its populations throughout the Mediterranean Sea. However, coastal lagoons seem to offer a degree of “resistance” against the parasite. Pinna nobilis first

Multiple non-species-specific pathogens possibly triggered the mass mortality in Pinna nobilis

The fan mussel Pinna nobilis represents the largest bivalve endemic to the Mediterranean Sea and is affected since 2016 by a widespread mortality. The first surveys suggested that Haplosporidium pinnae was the main etiological agent. This study performed molecular analyses

How far have we come? A review of MPA network performance indicators in reaching qualitative elements of Aichi Target 11

Effective networks of marine protected areas (MPAs) are explicitly recognized and called for in international biodiversity conservation strategies such as the Aichi Targets. While various indicators have been proposed to assess effectiveness of individual MPAs, no comprehensive set of indicators