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Discards remain among the main negative impacts of fishing activities, and their reductions are strengthened by the European Common Fisheries Policy (European Regulation 1380/2013). Trammel net fisheries appear more sustainable compared with other fishing techniques, especially from an ecological viewpoint. Despite this, reports show that trammel net fisheries deliver discard quantities between 10% and 43% of the total catch biomass. To supplement existing information, this current work attempts to address the discard reduction using guarding net in the small-scale fisheries of Egadi Islands MPA (Western Sicily, Central Mediterranean Sea). To assess the reduction of unwanted catches, 48 experimental fishing trials were conducted within a 6-month period. The experimental fishing trial employed a trammel net made up of 20 panels alternated with two different net configurations. The control panels (CN) held a large outer (180 mm) and small inner (31.25 mm) meshes. The test panels (GN) with guarding net constituted a three-mesh-high (50-mm mesh size) net placed between trammel net panels and a lead line. A total of 3,310 individuals belonging to 106 taxa and nine phyla were caught. Crustaceans were the most abundant unwanted catches in the control panels, whereas bioconstructions occurred in the guarding net panels. The discard ratios of CN and GN panels were statistically different (t-value = –2.55; p< 0.05). The analysis of catch per unit effort showed higher catches of CN panels for both commercial and discard fractions (p< 0.05). Moreover, the guarding net panels caught the main discarded species at 20% lower compared with the control. The overall value of the catch at the CN panels (€ 3,366.90) was higher than the total income (€ 2,043.70) generated using the GN panels, which suggests a significant commercial loss of 40% (p< 0.05).

Discarding in fisheries is the fraction of the total catch brought on board and returned to the sea dead or alive for legal or economic reasons. The reduction of discard is one of the main objectives of the European Common Fishery Policy. This study aimed to improve the current knowledge of the discard associated with the deep-water rose shrimp (DPS) fisheries in the south-central Mediterranean Sea. We analyzed data collected from January 2009 to December 2013. Multivariate data analysis and generalized additive models (GAMs) were used to assess the spatio-temporal composition of the discard (which represented 36% of the total catch) and factors influencing its distribution. Multiple analysis of variance highlighted the significant effect of depth factor on discard assemblage. Moreover, in general, bony fish were the most discarded organisms (23.5%), while cartilaginous fish, crustaceans and other invertebrates represented approximately 13% of the total catch. GAMs showed that the fraction of discard in the catch presented significant variation regarding the years, depth and fishing ground. Although the negative trend in discard suggested that the DPS fisheries are moving towards a more sustainable exploitation, the discard fraction in some areas/assemblages remains high. Our results showed that most of the discard was due to species that had a minimum legal size (Hake, DPS, Trachurus spp.), and consequently would be subjected to the European discard ban. In order to improve the fisheries management, specific measures aimed to minimize the unwanted catches of undersized species need to be implemented.

The rapid, global spread of COVID-19, and the measures intended to limit or slow its propagation, are having major impacts on diverse sectors of society. Notably, these impacts are occurring in the context of other anthropogenic-driven threats including global climate change. Both anthropogenic stressors and the COVID-19 pandemic represent significant economic challenges to aquaculture systems across the globe, threatening the supply chain of one of the most important sources of animal protein, with potential disproportionate impacts on vulnerable communities. A web survey was conducted in 47 countries in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic to assess how aquaculture activities have been affected by the pandemic, and to explore how these impacts compare to those from climate change. A positive correlation between the effects of the two categories of drivers was detected, but analysis suggests that the pandemic and the anthropogenic stressors affect different parts of the supply chain. The immediate measurable reported losses varied with aquaculture typology (land vs. marine, and intensive vs. extensive). A comparably lower impact on farmers reporting the use of integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) methods suggests that IMTA might enhance resilience to multiple stressors by providing different market options under the COVID-19 pandemic. Results emphasize the importance of assessing detrimental effects of COVID-19 under a multiple stressor lens, focusing on areas that have already locally experienced economic loss due to anthropogenic stressors in the last decade. Holistic policies that simultaneously address other ongoing anthropogenic stressors, rather than focusing solely on the acute impacts of COVID-19, are needed to maximize the long-term resilience of the aquaculture sector.

The rapid, global spread of COVID-19, and the measures intended to limit or slow its propagation, are having major impacts on diverse sectors of society. Notably, these impacts are occurring in the context of other anthropogenic-driven threats including global climate change. Both anthropogenic stressors and the COVID-19 pandemic represent significant economic challenges to aquaculture systems across the globe, threatening the supply chain of one of the most important sources of animal protein, with potential disproportionate impacts on vulnerable communities. A web survey was conducted in 47 countries in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic to assess how aquaculture activities have been affected by the pandemic, and to explore how these impacts compare to those from climate change. A positive correlation between the effects of the two categories of drivers was detected, but analysis suggests that the pandemic and the anthropogenic stressors affect different parts of the supply chain. The immediate measurable reported losses varied with aquaculture typology (land vs. marine, and intensive vs. extensive). A comparably lower impact on farmers reporting the use of integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) methods suggests that IMTA might enhance resilience to multiple stressors by providing different market options under the COVID-19 pandemic. Results emphasize the importance of assessing detrimental effects of COVID-19 under a multiple stressor lens, focusing on areas that have already locally experienced economic loss due to anthropogenic stressors in the last decade. Holistic policies that simultaneously address other ongoing anthropogenic stressors, rather than focusing solely on the acute impacts of COVID-19, are needed to maximize the long-term resilience of the aquaculture sector.

13 pages, 6 figures, 2 tables.-- This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License, The rapid, global spread of COVID-19, and the measures intended to limit or slow its propagation, are having major impacts on diverse sectors of society. Notably, these impacts are occurring in the context of other anthropogenic-driven threats including global climate change. Both anthropogenic stressors and the COVID-19 pandemic represent significant economic challenges to aquaculture systems across the globe, threatening the supply chain of one of the most important sources of animal protein, with potential disproportionate impacts on vulnerable communities. A web survey was conducted in 47 countries in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic to assess how aquaculture activities have been affected by the pandemic, and to explore how these impacts compare to those from climate change. A positive correlation between the effects of the two categories of drivers was detected, but analysis suggests that the pandemic and the anthropogenic stressors affect different parts of the supply chain. The immediate measurable reported losses varied with aquaculture typology (land vs. marine, and intensive vs. extensive). A comparably lower impact on farmers reporting the use of integrated multitrophic aquaculture (IMTA) methods suggests that IMTA might enhance resilience to multiple stressors by providing different market options under the COVID-19 pandemic. Results emphasize the importance of assessing detrimental effects of COVID-19 under a multiple stressor lens, focusing on areas that have already locally experienced economic loss due to anthropogenic stressors in the last decade. Holistic policies that simultaneously address other ongoing anthropogenic stressors, rather than focusing solely on the acute impacts of COVID-19, are needed to maximize the long-term resilience of the aquaculture sector., The Open Access publication of the MS was funded by M. Cristina Mangano FOE N. 418 at Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (personal OA publication fund). People at Laboratory of Ecology have been found by the PRIN-MAHRES project (Ministry of Italian Research; MUR) 2017MHHWBN_003 Linea C and by the HARMONY Project Italy-Malta 2016 (grant C1-3.1-31) funded by the Sicilian Region and Maltese Government. A. Nogueira thanks FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020+UIDB/50017/2020), through national funds. J.M.F. Babarro thanks project PID2019-106008RB-C21 for support through Spanish Government funds

Increasing frequency of native jellyfish proliferations and massive appearance of non-indigenous jellyfish species recently concur to impact Mediterranean coastal ecosystems and human activities at sea. Nonetheless, jellyfish biomass may represent an exploitable novel resource to coastal communities, with reference to its potential use in the pharmaceutical, nutritional, and nutraceutical Blue Growth sectors. The zooxanthellate jellyfish Cassiopea andromeda, Forsskål, 1775 (Cnidaria, Rhizostomeae) entered the Levant Sea through the Suez Canal and spread towards the Western Mediterranean to reach Malta, Tunisia, and recently also the Italian coasts. Here we report on the biochemical characterization and antioxidant activity of C. andromeda specimens with a discussion on their relative biological activities. The biochemical characterization of the aqueous (PBS) and hydroalcoholic (80% ethanol) soluble components of C. andromeda were performed for whole jellyfish, as well as separately for umbrella and oral arms. The insoluble components were hydrolyzed by sequential enzymatic digestion with pepsin and collagenase. The composition and antioxidant activity of the insoluble and enzymatically digestible fractions were not affected by the pre-extraction types, resulting into collagen- and non-collagen-derived peptides with antioxidant activity. Both soluble compounds and hydrolyzed fractions were characterized for the content of proteins, phenolic compounds, and lipids. The presence of compounds coming from the endosymbiont zooxanthellae was also detected. The notable yield and the considerable antioxidant activity detected make this species worthy of further study for its potential biotechnological sustainable exploitation.

Water temperature directly affects life cycles, reproductive periods, and metabolism of organisms living the oceans, especially in the surface zones. Due to the ocean warming, changes in water stratification and primary productivity are affecting trophic chains in sensitive world areas, such as the Mediterranean Sea. Benthic and pelagic cnidarians exhibit complex responses to climatic conditions. For example, the structure and phenology of the Mediterranean hydrozoan community displayed marked changes in species composition, bathymetric distribution, and reproductive timing over the last decades. The regional species pool remained stable in terms of species numbers but not in terms of species identity. When the Scyphozoa group is considered, we observe that Pelagia noctiluca (among the most abundant jellyfish in the Mediterranean Sea and eastern Atlantic waters) has increasingly frequent massive outbreaks associated to warmer winters. Variations in metabolic activities, such as respiration and excretion, are strongly temperature-dependent, with direct increment of energetic costs with jellyfish size and temperature, leading to growth rate reduction. Water temperature affects sexual reproduction through changes in the energy storage and gonad development cycles. Anthozoan life cycles depend also on primary productivity and temperature: gonadal production and spawning are tightly related in shallow populations (0–30 m depth) with the spring-summer temperature trends and autumn food availability. Overall, the energy transferred from the mother colonies to the offspring may decrease, negatively affecting their potential to settle, metamorphose and feed during the first months of their lives, eventually impairing the dominance of long-living cnidarian suspension feeders in shallow benthic habitats. In this review, we describe the already ongoing effects of sea warming on several features of cnidarian reproduction, trying to elucidate how reproductive traits and potential dispersion will be affected by the cascade effects of increasing temperature in the Mediterranean Sea.

Special issue Vectors of change in the marine environment.-- 11 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, supplementary data https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2016.01.002, Investigations on sexual reproduction of jellyfish are essential to understanding mechanisms and patterns of outbreaks formation. Pelagia noctiluca (Forskål, 1775) (Scyphozoa) is known as the predominant jellyfish species with direct development in Western and Central Mediterranean Sea. In this paper we used integrated morphometric, histological, and biochemical approaches to investigate the annual reproductive biology of P. noctiluca from the Strait of Messina (South Thyrrenian Sea), a key proliferation area for this species due to favourable temperatures and high productivity. From November 2011 to September 2012, P. noctiluca sexual reproduction occurred throughout the year, with two seasonal peaks (autumn, spring) of spawning and embryonic development. Gonads of female P. noctiluca were characterized by a large amount of mature eggs of small size (diameter < 200 μm) during high food availability, whereas fewer, larger eggs (diameter > 200 μm) were detected during low availability of prey. Two morphometric indexes were applied: the Gonad-Somatic Index (GSI, gonadal/somatic tissue dry weight ratio) and Fecundity Index (FI, n° eggs mm−2 * gonadal dry weight). The FI showed longer spawning periods than the GSI, providing a better causal-mechanistic explanation for the year-round occurrence of P. noctiluca in the Strait of Messina. Protein contents of the gonads changed seasonally, with the highest concentrations during the pre-spawning periods. We suggest that investigations on jellyfish sexual reproduction can provide biological information relevant for understanding mechanisms of jellyfish blooms as well as for the management of coastal zones affected by outbreaks of gelatinous species, The research leading to these results received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013) under Grant Agreement No. 266445 for the project Vectors of Change in Oceans and Seas Marine Life, Impact on Economic Sectors (VECTORS – http://www.marine-vectors.eu)

12 pages, 3 figures, Climate change is already transforming the seascapes of our oceans by changing the energy availability and the metabolic rates of the organisms. Among the ecosystem-engineering species that structure the seascape, marine animal forests (MAFs) are the most widespread. These habitats, mainly composed of suspension feeding organisms, provide structural complexity to the sea floor, analogous to terrestrial forests. Because primary and secondary productivity is responding to different impacts, in particular to the rapid ongoing environmental changes driven by climate change, this paper presents some directions about what could happen to different MAFs depending on these fast changes. Climate change could modify the resistance or resilience of MAFs, potentially making them more sensitive to impacts from anthropic activities (i.e. fisheries and coastal management), and vice versa, direct impacts may amplify climate change constraints in MAFs. Such changes will have knock-on effects on the energy budgets of active and passive suspension feeding organisms, as well as on their phenology, larval nutritional condition, and population viability. How the future seascape will be shaped by the new energy fluxes is a crucial question that has to be urgently addressed to mitigate and adapt to the diverse impacts on natural system, We also thank the Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship project ANIMAL FOREST HEALTH (Grant Agreement Number 327845). This work contributes to the ICTA “Unit of Excellence” (MinECo, MDM2015-0552). We are also grateful with the CALMED project (CTM2016-79547-R) and the AGAUR Generalitat de Catalunya (MERS, 2017 SGR 1588). SR and MS thanks the CAPES-Print Programme and CNPq Research Productivity Fellowship (Brazil)

Biodiversity plays a key role for our planet by buffering ongoing and future changes in environmental conditions. We tested if canopy-forming algae enhancing biodiversity (CEB) in a Mediterranean intertidal reef ecological community could alleviate the effect of stressors (heat waves and pollution from sewage) on community metabolic rates (as expressed by oxygen consumption) used as a proxy of community functioning. CEB exerted a buffering effect related to the properties of stressor: physical-pulsing (heat wave) and chronic-trophic (sewage). After a simulated heat wave, CEB was effective in buffering the impacts of detrimental temperatures on the functioning of the community. In reefs exposed to chronic sewage effluents, benefits derived from CEB were less evident, which is likely due to the stressor's contextual action. The results support the hypothesis that ecological responses depend on stressor typology acting at local level and provide insights for improving management measures to mitigate anthropogenic disturbance.

13 pages, 3 tables, 5 figures, The COVID-19 global pandemic has had severe, unpredictable and synchronous impacts on all levels of perishable food supply chains (PFSC), across multiple sectors and spatial scales. Aquaculture plays a vital and rapidly expanding role in food security, in some cases overtaking wild caught fisheries in the production of high-quality animal protein in this PFSC. We performed a rapid global assessment to evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and related emerging control measures on the aquaculture supply chain. Socio-economic effects of the pandemic were analysed by surveying the perceptions of stakeholders, who were asked to describe potential supply-side disruption, vulnerabilities and resilience patterns along the production pipeline with four main supply chain components: a) hatchery, b) production/processing, c) distribution/logistics and d) market. We also assessed different farming strategies, comparing land- vs. sea-based systems; extensive vs. intensive methods; and with and without integrated multi-trophic aquaculture, IMTA. In addition to evaluating levels and sources of economic distress, interviewees were asked to identify mitigation solutions adopted at local / internal (i.e., farm-site) scales, and to express their preference on national / external scale mitigation measures among a set of a priori options. Survey responses identified the potential causes of disruption, ripple effects, sources of food insecurity, and socio-economic conflicts. They also pointed to various levels of mitigation strategies. The collated evidence represents a first baseline useful to address future disaster-driven responses, to reinforce the resilience of the sector and to facilitate the design reconstruction plans and mitigation measures, such as financial aid strategies, M.C.M.'s research activity was supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (Grant agreement no. 835589, MIRROR Project). People at the Laboratory of Ecology have been funded by the PRIN-MAHRES project (Ministry of Italian Research; MUR - 017MHHWBN_003 Linea C) and by the Interreg Italia-Malta HARMONY 2016 (Grant C1-3.1-31). C. Pita and A. Nogueira would like to thank FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020+UIDB/50017/2020), through national funds. J.M.F. Babarro thanks project PID2019-106008RB-C21 for support through Spanish Government funds. The authors would like to thank also the ERASMUS+-FISHAQU project (No. 610071-EPP-1-2019-1-PT-EPPKA2-CBHE-JP)

Over the last 50 years, there has been an increased frequency and severity of negative impacts affecting marine fishery and aquaculture sectors, which claimed significant economic losses due to the interference of stinging gelatinous organisms with daily operational activities. Nevertheless, original scientific information on jellyfish-related incidents, their consequences, and potential preventative and mitigation countermeasures is limited and scattered across gray literature, governmental technical reports, and communication media. A literature scan searching for records of any interactions between jellyfish and the marine fishery/aquaculture sectors were carried out. Out of 553 papers, 90 contained original information, referring to more than 130 cases worldwide of negative impacts of jellyfish on marine fishery/aquaculture over the last century. Calling attention on too often neglected socioeconomic and ecological impacts of jellyfish blooms, the purpose of this paper is to review and analyze the most up-to-date research on this subject and to provide a global perspective on the importance of jellyfish impacts and their cascading effects on marine fishery and aquaculture sectors.

The high variability of trammel fisheries, due to a marked seasonality in target species and fishing activities needs to be investigated with high spatial and temporal resolution. The present study focuses on trammel net fishery in southwestern Sicily (central Mediterranean Sea) identifying and characterizing the main metiers in relation to some key aspects of the fishery such as the target species, composition of landings, main fishing grounds and time of the year. For this purpose, a multivariate statistical approach based on landings and effort data of the Mazara del Vallo southwestern Sicily, Italy) trammel fleet in the period 2009–2013 was applied. A total of 153 different landed species and four different trammel net metiers were identified. These metiers showed differences in target species (i.e. Sepia officinalis, Palinurus elephas, Mullus surmuletus and a mix of species), fishing season, fishing grounds and dimension of fishing vessels. The metiers identified were significantly different in terms of total average landing per unit of effort (LPUE) with metier 1 targeting M. surmuletus, showing the highest average LPUE (2047 (192 s.e.) g*(h)−1*103 m net) and metier 2 targeting S. officinalis, exhibiting the lowest value (1175 (119 s.e.) g*(h)−1*103 m net). The study provides new knowledge on the dynamics of trammel fisheries in southwestern Sicily also showing that the complex nature of this peculiar fishery should be taken into account in any future sampling program aimed at the monitoring and management of artisanal fisheries in this area and more in general in the Mediterranean Sea.

13 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, supplementary information https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-30474-x, Jellyfish populations apparently have increased in some places around the world and human problems with them also have increased. However, effects of jellyfish outbreaks in the ecosystems remain poorly understood and little or no information is available on their dietary preferences - in relation to the seasonal shifts of prey abundance - and on the potential variability of their impact on marine food webs. The mauve stinger Pelagia noctiluca (Forsskål, 1775) is by far the most common outbreak-forming scyphozoan jellyfish in the Western Mediterranean. By use of a combination of stomach contents, stable isotope (SI) and fatty acid (FA) analyses, we tested the hypothesis that changes in the seasonal dietary sources of P. noctiluca parallel changes in the FA and SI composition. Stomach content and biomarker analyses suggested that P. noctiluca is not a selective predator, cyclically shifting between carnivory and omnivory depending on the seasonality of accessible prey. The combination of SI and FA analyses highlighted the importance of microzooplankton as prey. Specific FA biomarkers showed that the diet of P. noctiluca changed seasonally depending on the availability of living plankton or suspended detritus. This study also revealed significant biochemical differences between jellyfish somatic and gonadal tissues, with total fatty acid concentration in the gonads up to ten times higher than in the somatic tissues, This work has received funding from the European Union’s projects MED-JELLYRISK (grant n. I-A/1.3/098 - ENPI CBCMED programme), VECTORS (Vectors of Change in Oceans and Seas Marine Life, Impact on Economic Sectors, grant n. 266445, FP7th programme) and CERES (Climate Change and European Aquatic Resources, grant n. 678193, Horizon 2020 programme)

One hundred and six specimens of the Por’s goatfish, Upeneus pori Ben-Tuvia & Golani (1989), a Lessepsian species native to the Western Indian Ocean, were collected from bottom trawlers’ catches from 2012 to 2016 on the deep shelf off the southern coast of Lampedusa Island (Strait of Sicily, Central Mediterranean Sea). Since it first appeared in Iskenderun Bay (Turkey) in 1950, the Por’s goatfish has quickly spread in Levantine Sea waters to become a commercial species used by local fisheries, while continuing its range expansion along the south-eastern coasts of the Mediterranean. Because the Strait of Sicily currently represents the westernmost sector of this species distribution area, it might serve as a stepping-stone for this species’ expansion in the western basin of the Mediterranean. Supporting this hypothesis was our finding of specimens with post-spawning gonads. The pattern of westward expansion by the Por’s goatfish in the Mediterranean Sea and its settlement in the Strait of Sicily are discussed in relation to the warming trend over the last 30years.

Climate change and particularly warming are significantly impacting marine ecosystems and the services they provided. Temperature, as the main factor driving all biological processes, may influence ectotherms metabolism, thermal tolerance limits and distribution species patterns. The joining action of climate change and local stressors (including the increasing human marine use) may facilitate the spread of non-indigenous and native outbreak forming species, leading to associated economic consequences for marine coastal economies. Marine aquaculture is one among the most economic anthropogenic activities threatened by multiple stressors and in turn, by increasing hard artificial substrates at sea would facilitate the expansion of these problematic organisms and face negative consequences regarding facilities management and farmed organisms' welfare. Species Distribution Models (SDMs) are considered powerful tools for forecasting the future occurrences and distributions of problematic species used to preventively aware stakeholders. In the current study, we propose the use of combined correlative SDMs and mechanistic models, based on individual thermal performance curve models calculated through non-linear least squares regression and Bayesian statistics (functional-SDM), as an ecological relevant tool to increase our ability to investigate the potential indirect effect of climate change on the distributions of harmful species for human activities at sea, taking aquaculture as a food productive example and the benthic cnidarian Pennaria disticha (one of the most pernicious fouling species in aquaculture) as model species. Our combined approach was able to improve the prediction ability of both mechanistic and correlative models to get more ecologically informed "whole" niche of the studied species. Incorporating the mechanistic links between the organisms' functional traits and their environments into SDMs through the use of a Bayesian functional-SDM approach would be a useful and reliable tool in early warning ecological systems, risk assessment and management actions focused on important economic activities and natural ecosystems conservation.

Deep-sea coral assemblages are key components of marine ecosystems that generate habitats for fish and invertebrate communities and act as marine biodiversity hot spots. Because of their life history traits, deep-sea corals are highly vulnerable to human impacts such as fishing. They are an indicator of vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs), therefore their conservation is essential to preserve marine biodiversity. In the Mediterranean Sea deep-sea coral habitats are associated with commercially important crustaceans, consequently their abundance has dramatically declined due to the effects of trawling. Marine spatial planning is required to ensure that the conservation of these habitats is achieved. Species distribution models were used to investigate the distribution of two critically endangered octocorals (Funiculina quadrangularis and Isidella elongata) in the central Mediterranean as a function of environmental and fisheries variables. Results show that both species exhibit species-specific habitat preferences and spatial patterns in response to environmental variables, but the impact of trawling on their distribution differed. In particular F. quadrangularis can overlap with fishing activities, whereas I. elongata occurs exclusively where fishing is low or absent. This study represents the first attempt to identify key areas for the protection of soft and compact mud VMEs in the central Mediterranean Sea.

© The Author(s).-- 17 pages, 6 figures, 5 tables, Biological fouling organisms on fish cages represent a major issue and costly factor in marine finfish aquaculture. Cnidarians have been identified as one of the most problematical groups, contributing significantly to the occlusion and structural stress of the cage nets, but also dramatically affecting farmed species health in aquaculture facilities worldwide. Recently, significant relationships were established in different Spanish aquaculture facilities between hydrozoans and juvenile fish affected by gill injuries and mortality episodes. Community composition, growth rate and reproductive potential of biofouling were monitored on fish cages over two seasonal periods of fry cages farming, located in southern Spain (SW Alboran Sea), with a special focus on cnidarians. Biomass and community composition of biofouling changed with time and between studied periods, with a marked seasonality in colonization periods and taxonomic composition, particularly for the colonial hydrozoans. The hydroids Ectopleura larynx and Pennaria disticha were found at the highest densities. P. disticha was responsible for major biomass contribution to total hydroid biomass with the fastest growth rates. In addition, actinulae larvae of E. larynx were identified in zooplankton samples at high densities especially during periods of fry introduction in sea cages (when fish are highly vulnerable). These results corroborate evidence of the detrimental influence of fouling cnidarians in Mediterranean finfish aquaculture due to a direct harmful impact on fish health. Investigations on population dynamics, reproductive biology and envenomation potential of fouling hydrozoans should be regarded as key component of best monitoring practices to ensure good farmed fish welfare, maximization of aquaculture production and overall marine spatial planning., This work has received funding from the European Union’s projects MED-JELLYRISK (grant n. I-A/1.3/098 - ENPI CBCMED programme), VECTORS (Vectors of Change in Oceans and Seas Marine Life, Impact on Economic Sectors, grant n. 266445, FP7th programme), and CERES (Climate Change and European Aquatic Resources, grant n. 678193, Horizon 2020 programme).

Fishery, market and consumption of edible jellyfish are currently limited in western countries by the lack of market demand for jellyfish products and the absence of processing technologies adequate to the western market safety standards. The development of technology-driven processing protocols may be key to comply with rigorous food safety rules, overcome the lack of tradition and revert the neophobic perception of jellyfish as food. We show thermal treatment (100 °C, 10 min) can be used as a first stabilization step on three common Mediterranean jellyfish, the scyphomedusae Aurelia coerulea, Cotylorhiza tuberculata, Rhizostoma pulmo, differently affecting protein and phenolic contents of their main body parts. The antioxidant activity was assessed in thermally treated and untreated samples, as related to the functional and health value of the food. Heat treatment had mild effect on protein and phenolic contents and on antioxidant activity. The jellyfish Rhizostoma pulmo, showed the better performance after thermal treatment.

Aliphatic hydrocarbon levels were determined by the GC/MS technique in fish livers of Engraulis encrasicolus (Ee) and Trachurus trachurus (Tt), collected from a particular area of the Mediterranean Sea, called GSA 10, which is located exactly in Tyrrhenian Sea between Campania coast and North Sicily coast. The aim was to evaluate their potential use as specific bioindicators towards this class of contaminants. Both Tt and Ee are considered to be pollution monitoring bioindicators, due to their dominance in marine communities and economic fishing interest. Ee showed a higher tendency to bioaccumulate TAHs, due to the lower quantity of fatty acids in liver tissues with respect to Tt. The area under study has been characterised a) chemically with the acquisition of temperature, oxygen and salinity profiles along the water column, and b) ecologically with the determination of amino acid contents in fish eyes, in order to gain information on the adaptation to environmental changes. Moreover, specific activities of two hydrolytic enzymes, such as alkaline phosphatase and peroxidase in fish epidermal mucus, together with lactate in blood plasma and cortisol levels, have been investigated for the first time, in order to obtain insights into the effects of hydrocarbons on animal welfare. A multiple co-inertia analysis was also applied to chemical and environmental parameters, in order to explore any possible correlation between different variables. The multivariate approach showed a clear spatial distribution between environmental and chemical variables in Ee, whilst there was an absence of a spatial trend in Tt. Moreover, the chemometric analysis showed a very high correlation between amino acid profiles and environmental variables for both species, confirming the possibility of being used as ecological welfare indices for short-term environmental variations.

The effective management and conservation of fishery resources requires knowledge of their spatial distribution and notably of their critical life history stages. Predictive modelling of the European hake (Merluccius merluccius L., 1758) distribution was developed in the south-central Mediterranean Sea by means of historical fisheries-independent databases available in the region. The study area included the international waters of the south-central Mediterranean Sea and the territorial waters of Italy, Malta, Tunisia and Libya. Distribution maps of predicted population abundance index, and probabilistic occurrence of recruits and large adults were obtained by means of generalized additive models using depth and seafloor characteristics as predictors. Presence/absence data of the two life stages was obtained using threshold values applied to the mean weight of the survey catches. Modelling results largely matched previously reported knowledge on habitat preference of the species and its critical life phases. Hake recruits showed an occurrence peak at 200 m depth with preference for soft bottoms. Large adults preferred deeper and harder bottom substrates. Prediction maps allowed to improve our knowledge on the distributional patterns of one of the most important shared stocks in the south-central Mediterranean. This knowledge is essential for an appropriate development of regional-spatial-based management plans.

11 pages, 8 figures, 2 tables, supplementary material http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2017.00240/full#supplementary-material, In recent years, caged finfish mariculture across European seas suffered production losses by severe fish mortality, following episodic outbreaks of invertebrate cnidarian stingers. Due to their stinging cells and injectable venoms, medusozoan jellyfish, or drifting propagules of polyp colonies at high density may impair caged fish health through toxic effects on vulnerable tissues of gills and skin, and related secondary bacterial infections. Gill disorders in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) fish farms along the Spanish Mediterranean coast are commonly reported, but regular monitoring of the frequency of cnidarian outbreaks and their potential impacts on caged fish is still poorly enforced. In this study, two sea bass mariculture farms in Southern Spain (Málaga; Almería) were monitored biweekly for zooplankton, phytoplankton and fish gills condition, over 13 or 30 months for the Málaga and Almería facilities, respectively, within the period 2012–2014. Significant, direct correlations were found among low water temperature, recorded fish mortalities, and high abundances of planktonic cnidarians, particularly of the hydrozoan siphonophores Muggiaea atlantica and M. kochii, and the larval stage of Ectopleura larynx, a common member of cage biofouling communities. A significant relationship between cnidarian densities and the quantitative scoring of gill pathology was also observed. In addition, high densities of long-bristled planktonic diatoms (Chaetoceros spp.) coincided with a major fish mortality event (April 2012, Almería farm). Standardised monitoring of plankton dynamics and composition may help in promoting response capacities of Mediterranean mariculture managers to fish health challenges (such as stinging plankton blooms) by (a) improving diagnostic tools and preventative countermeasures and (b) supporting the development of science-based spatial planning and sustainable growth of coastal mariculture, This work has received funding from the European Union's projects MED-JELLYRISK (grant n. I-A/1.3/098 - ENPI CBCMED programme), VECTORS (Vectors of Change in Oceans and Seas Marine Life, Impact on Economic Sectors, grant n. 266445, FP7th programme) and CERES (Climate Change and European Aquatic Resources, grant n. 678193, Horizon 2020 programme)

7 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables, supplemental material https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2016.11.005, In recent years, negative impacts of jellyfish blooms (JB) on marine human activities have been increasingly reported. Aquaculture has been affected by jellyfish outbreaks, mostly documented through repeated episodes of farmed salmon mortalities in Northern Europe; however, the valuation of JB consequences on the aquaculture sector still remains poorly quantified. This study aims to provide the first quantitative evaluation effects of JB on finfish aquaculture in the Mediterranean Sea and to investigate the general awareness of JB impacts among Mediterranean aquaculture professional workers. The aquaculture workers' perception about JB was assessed through a structured interview-based survey administered across 21 aquaculture facilities in central and western Mediterranean. The workers' awareness about JB impacts on aquaculture differed among countries. Italian and Spanish fish farmers were better informed about jellyfish proliferations and, together with Tunisian farmers, they all recognized the wide potential consequences of JB on sea bream and sea bass aquaculture. On the contrary, the majority of Maltese respondents considered JB as a non-significant threat to their activity, mostly based on off-shore tuna farming. This study for the first time shows that JB may negatively affect different Mediterranean aquaculture facilities from Tunisia (Sicily Channel) and Spain (Alboran Sea), by increasing farmed fish gill disorders and mortality, clogging net cages, or inflicting painful stings to field operators, with severe economic consequences. Available knowledge calls for the development of coordinated preventive plans, adaptation policies, and mitigation countermeasures across European countries in order to address the JB phenomenon and its impacts on coastal water activities, This work has received funding from the European Union's projects MED-JELLYRISK (grant n. I-A/1.3/098 - ENPI CBCMED programme), VECTORS (Vectors of Change in Oceans and Seas Marine Life, Impact on Economic Sectors, grant n. 266445, FP7th programme), and CERES (Climate Change and European Aquatic Resources, grant n. 678193, Horizon 2020 programme)

In the Mediterranean, sea breams are the most effective Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula predators. Generally, seabreams dislodge adult urchins from the rocky substrate, turn them upside down and crush their tests. Sea urchins may respond to fish attacks clinging tenaciously to the substratum. This study is the first attempt to investigate sea urchin adhesion strength in two alternative algal assemblages of the rocky infralittoral and valuated its possible implication for fish predation. We hypothesized that (1) sea urchin adhesion strength is higher in rocky shores dominated by encrusting macro-algae (ECA) than in erected macro algae (EMA); (2) predation rates upon sea urchins are lower in ECA than in EMA; and (3) predation rate on A. lixula is lower than that on P. lividus. We observed that attachment tenacity of both sea urchins was higher in ECA than EMA and that A. lixula exhibited a stronger attachment tenacity than P. lividus in ECA. Results supported the importance of adhesion strength, as efficient defence against sea bream attacks, only for, P. lividus. A. lixula adhesion strength does not seem to be an important factor in avoiding fish predation, possibly because of the low palatability of the species.These patterns may deserve particular interest in understanding the processes responsible for the maintenance of sea urchin barrens that are dominated by ECA assemblage.