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Microplastics are a major global concern in the marine environment. The use of marine biota to monitor MP pollution has been previously highlighted as a method of providing data. This review focuses on the current data available on the presence of microplastics in Nephrops norvegicus, a commercially important seafood species, highlighting the advantages and limitations of the species to determine its potential use for monitoring microplastic pollution. At present, there is no harmonized and standardised methodologies for microplastic analysis available, therefore, this review has proposed future research on microplastics at a European scale. Given the complexity of microplastics present in the marine environment, the authors recommend a more holistic approach with the integration of Nephrops and sediments along with other species and matrices to cover all ecosystem compartments to provide a comprehensive database of microplastic levels and trends in the marine environment.

Due to their late maturation, extreme longevity, low fecundity and slow growth rates, deep-sea Chondrichthyes are extremely vulnerable to human impacts. Moreover, assessing the impact of deep-sea fisheries is difficult, as many species (including sharks) are part of the bycatch and are often discarded at sea, and/or landed under generic commercial-species codes. The lack of this information on fishery data sets and the limited availability of species-specific life history data make challenging the management of deep-sea Chondrichthyes. The kitefin shark Dalatias licha is a cosmopolitan elasmobranch, mainly found on continental and insular shelf-breaks and slopes in warm-temperate and tropical waters. This species is a common by-catch of the deep-sea trawling, considered as “Endangered” by the IUCN Red List for all European waters, Mediterranean Sea included. Here we present the results of a study based on a total of 78 specimens of kitefin shark collected over 3 years in the Ligurian Sea (NW Mediterranean) as by-catch from deep-water fisheries. Total length ranged from 380 to 1164 mm, and individual weight ranged from 198 to 8000 g. Immature and mature individuals showed a sex ratio dominated by males. Adult males were observed throughout the year, while mature females were observed only in spring-summer. These data lead to hypothesise a spatial segregation between genders. The kitefin shark diet was dominated by bony fish (mainly Macrouridae) and other small sharks (e.g., Galeus melastomus and Etmopterus spinax), but their gut included plastic items and parasites. Data reported here underline the rarity, complex ecology and the threat for this shark species and support the urgency of promoting initiatives for their monitoring and conservation.

The present study, based on microsatellite markers, describes a population genetic analysis of the small-spotted catshark Scyliorhinus canicula (Linnaeus, 1758), representing one of the most abundant and commonly caught cartilaginous fishes in the Mediterranean Sea and adjacent areas. The analyses were performed to unravel the genetic features (variability, connectivity, sex-biased dispersal) of their relative geographic populations, both at the small (around the coast of Sardinia, Western Mediterranean Sea) and at a larger spatial scale (pan-Mediterranean level and between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea). Individual clustering, multivariate and variance analyses rejected the hypothesis of genetic homogeneity, with significant genetic differences mainly within the Mediterranean between the Western and Eastern basins, as well as between the Mediterranean and the NE Atlantic Ocean. In detail, our results seem to confirm that the Strait of Gibraltar could not represent a complete barrier to the exchange of individuals of small-spotted catshark between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. In the latter area, a complex genetic structuring for S. canicula was found. Apart from differences among the Western, Eastern and Adriatic sites, within the Western basin the small-spotted catsharks around Sardinian waters are strongly differentiated from all others (both from the eastern Tyrrhenian Sea and southernmost part of the Algerian basin) and are demographically stable. Several possible mechanisms, both biological and abiotic (e.g., migratory behavior, waterfronts, and oceanographic discontinuities), are discussed here to explain their peculiar characteristics. Overall, the genetic data presented, both at the local and regional level, could represent a baseline information, useful for the temporal monitoring of populations, and to assess the effects of present or future fishing/management/conservation measures.

Abstract Introduction Coronavirus Disease‐2019 (COVID‐19) affects multiple organ systems in the acute phase and also has long‐term sequelae. Research on the long‐term impacts of COVID‐19 is limited. The Post COVID‐19 Interdisciplinary Clinical Care Network (PC‐ICCN), conceived in July 2020, is a provincially funded resource that is modelled as a Learning Health System (LHS), focused on those people with persistent symptoms post COVID‐19 infection. Methods The PC‐ICCN emerged through collaboration among over 60 clinical specialists, researchers, patients, and health administrators. At the core of the network are the post COVID‐19 Recovery Clinics (PCRCs), which provide direct patient care that includes standardized testing and education at regular follow‐up intervals for a minimum of 12 months post enrolment. The PC‐ICCN patient registry captures data on all COVID‐19 patients with confirmed infection, by laboratory testing or epi‐linkage, who have been referred to one of five post COVID‐19 Recovery Clinics at the time of referral, with data stored in a fully encrypted Oracle‐based provincial database. The PC‐ICCN has centralized administrative and operational oversight, multi‐stakeholder governance, purpose built data collection supported through clinical operations geographically dispersed across the province, and research operations including data analytics. Results To date, 5364 patients have been referred, with an increasing number and capacity of these clinics, and 2354 people have had at least one clinic visit. Since inception, the PC‐ICCN has received over 30 research proposal requests. This is aligned with the goal of creating infrastructure to support a wide variety of research to improve care and outcomes for patients experiencing long‐term symptoms following COVID‐19 infection. Conclusions The PC‐ICCN is a first‐in‐kind initiative in British Columbia to enhance knowledge and understanding of the sequelae of COVID‐19 infection over time. This provincial initiative serves as a model for other national and international endeavors to enable care as research and research as care.

The precious coral Corallium rubrum (Linnaeus, 1758) is a charismatic Mediterranean species. A recent large-scale investigation along the Italian coast highlighted its widespread occurrence at mesophotic and upper bathyal depths, especially on coralligenous and bathyal vertical hardgrounds. The lack of morphometric data limited the considerations on the structure and health status of the populations, fundamental to identify the most vulnerable sites and the correct management actions. For this reason, a ROV dataset, consisting of 624 dives carried out between 40 m and 1825 m in the Ligurian Sea, Tyrrhenian Sea, and Sicily Channel, was analysed to extrapolate quantitative data to describe the populations. Ten random frames were obtained from each of the 170 sites hosting red coral. Density, height, and entanglement were evaluated for about 15700 colonies counted in the frames. The densest populations were mainly found between 40 m and 80 m, with a clear latitudinal density decrease. The mesophotic populations were characterized by both scattered and densely aggregated colonies, while the bathyal ones were dominated by sparse colonies. This study identified 17 major coral areas based on the geographic proximity of the sites hosting red coral and their topographic and oceanographic affinity. The size-frequency distribution of the heights was skewed towards the smaller classes in almost all populations, with a modal class between 2 cm and 4 cm. This study depicted a stress situation of the populations throughout the entire study area, which could be correlated also to the long-term harvesting pressure carried out in the basins. Two additional sources of direct mortality were pointed out in this study. Entanglement to artisanal and recreational fishing gear interested about 18% of the recorded colonies, mainly at mesophotic depths. Almost all populations suffered from mechanical entanglement, with the highest percentages in the Ligurian Sea and Sicilian areas. This study also highlighted a massive occurrence of recent deep mortality events, mainly along the eastern and southern coast of Sardinia and in the Campanian Archipelago. Thirty sites with extensive patches of dead colonies still in place were reported from 70 m to around 200 m, but their formation remains unclear.

BackgroundAs a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, providing health care while maintaining social distancing has resulted in the need to provide care remotely, support quarantined or isolated individuals, monitor infected individuals and their close contacts, as well as disseminate accurate information regarding COVID-19 to the public. This has led to an unprecedented rapid expansion of digital tools to provide digitized virtual care globally, especially mobile phone–facilitated health interventions, called mHealth. To help keep abreast of different mHealth and virtual care technologies being used internationally to facilitate patient care and public health during the COVID-19 pandemic, we carried out a rapid investigation of solutions being deployed and considered in 4 countries. ObjectiveThe aim of this paper was to describe mHealth and the digital and contact tracing technologies being used in the health care management of the COVID-19 pandemic among 2 high-income and 2 low-middle income countries. MethodsWe compared virtual care interventions used for COVID-19 management among 2 high-income countries (the United Kingdom and Canada) and 2 low-middle income (Kenya and Rwanda) countries. We focused on interventions used to facilitate patient care and public health. Information regarding specific virtual care technologies was procured from a variety of resources including gray literature, government and health organization websites, and coauthors’ personal experiences as implementers of COVID-19 virtual care strategies. Search engine queries were performed to find health information that would be easily accessible to the general public, with keywords including “COVID-19,” “contact-tracing,” “tool-kit,” “telehealth,” and “virtual care,” in conjunction with corresponding national health authorities. ResultsWe identified a variety of technologies in Canada, the United Kingdom, Rwanda, and Kenya being used for patient care and public health. These countries are using both video and text message–based platforms to facilitate communication with health care providers (eg, WelTel and Zoom). Nationally developed contact tracing apps are provided free to the public, with most of them using Bluetooth-based technology. We identified that often multiple complimentary technologies are being utilized for different aspects of patient care and public health with the common purpose to disseminate information safely. There was a negligible difference among the types of technologies used in both high-income and low-middle income countries, although the latter implemented virtual care interventions earlier during the pandemic’s first wave, which may account for their effective response. ConclusionsVirtual care and mHealth technologies have evolved rapidly as a tool for health care support for both patient care and public health. It is evident that, on an international level, a variety of mHealth and virtual care interventions, often in combination, are required to be able to address patient care and public health concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic, independent of a country’s economic standing.

Several elasmobranch species undergo shifts in body proportions during their ontogenetic growth. Such morphological changes could reflect variation in diet, locomotion, or, more broadly, in the species’ interactions with their environment. However, to date, only a few studies have been conducted on this topic, and most of them focused on particular body regions. In the present study, the ontogenetic growth of five different demersal shark species was investigated by using both traditional linear morphometry of the entire body and shape analysis of the caudal fin. A total of 449 sharks were analysed: 95 little gulper sharks, 80 longnose spurdogs, 103 kitefin sharks, 124 velvet belly lanternsharks, and 47 angular roughsharks. From each specimen, 36 linear morphometric measurements were taken. While a first canonical analysis of principal coordinates ruled out the possibility of different growth patterns between males and females, the same analysis statistically discriminated between small and large individuals in every species based on their morphology. A Similarity Percentage analysis revealed that the most important measurements in distinguishing these two groups were those related to body lengths, indicating that large individuals are more elongated than small individuals. The shape analysis of caudal fins revealed allometric growth during ontogenetic development, with adult individuals having a wider fin (discriminant analysis, p < 0.05). These findings could be related to changes in predatory skills, supporting the hypothesis of a shift in the ecological role that these sharks play in their environment, thus providing new essential information for their conservation.

Background: Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and/or angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors could alter mortality from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but existing meta-analyses that combined crude and adjusted results may be confounded by the fact that comorbidities are more common in ARB/ACE inhibitor users. Methods: We searched PubMed/MEDLINE/Embase for cohort studies and meta-analyses reporting mortality by preexisting ARB/ACE inhibitor treatment in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Random effects meta-regression was used to compute pooled odds ratios for mortality adjusted for imbalance in age, sex, and prevalence of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and chronic kidney disease between users and nonusers of ARBs/ACE inhibitors at the study level during data synthesis. Results: In 30 included studies of 17,281 patients, 22%, 68%, 25%, and 11% had cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and chronic kidney disease. ARB/ACE inhibitor use was associated with significantly lower mortality after controlling for potential confounding factors (odds ratio 0.77 [95% confidence interval: 0.62, 0.96]). In contrast, meta-analysis of ARB/ACE inhibitor use was not significantly associated with mortality when all studies were combined with no adjustment made for confounders (0.87 [95% confidence interval: 0.71, 1.08]). Conclusions: ARB/ACE inhibitor use was associated with decreased mortality in cohorts of COVID-19 patients after adjusting for age, sex, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. Unadjusted meta-analyses may not be appropriate for determining whether ARBs/ACE inhibitors are associated with mortality from COVID-19 because of indication bias. Résumé: Introduction: Les antagonistes des récepteurs de l'angiotensine (ARA) et/ou les inhibiteurs de l'enzyme de conversion de l'angiotensine (IECA) feraient varier la mortalité liée à la COVID-19, mais il est possible que les méta-analyses actuelles qui combinaient les résultats bruts et ajustés soient invalidées du fait que les comorbidités sont plus fréquentes chez les utilisateurs d'ARA/IECA. Méthodes: Nous avons effectué des recherches dans les bases de données PubMed/MEDLINE/Embase pour trouver des études de cohorte et des méta-analyses qui portent sur la mortalité associée à un traitement préexistant par ARA/IECA chez les patients hospitalisés atteints de la COVID-19. Nous avons utilisé la métarégression à effets aléatoires pour calculer les rapports de cotes regroupés de mortalité ajustés en fonction du déséquilibre de l’âge, du sexe, et de la prévalence des maladies cardiovasculaires, de l'hypertension, du diabète sucré et de l'insuffisance rénale chronique entre les utilisateurs et les non-utilisateurs d'ARA/IECA dans le cadre de l’étude durant la synthèse des données. Résultats: Dans les 30 études portant sur 17 281 patients, 22 %, 68 %, 25 % et 11 % avaient respectivement une maladie cardiovasculaire, de l'hypertension, le diabète sucré et de l'insuffisance rénale chronique. L'utilisation des ARA/IECA a été associée à une mortalité significativement plus faible après avoir tenu compte des facteurs confusionnels potentiels (rapport de cotes 0,77 [intervalle de confiance à 95 % : 0,62, 0,96]). En revanche, la méta-analyse sur l'utilisation des ARA/IECA n'a pas été associée de façon significative à la mortalité lorsque toutes les études ont été combinées sans ajustement sur les facteurs confusionnels (0,87 [intervalle de confiance à 95 % : 0,71, 1,08]). Conclusions: L'utilisation des ARA/IECA a été associée à la diminution de la mortalité au sein des cohortes de patients atteints de la COVID-19 après l'ajustement en fonction de l’âge, du sexe, des maladies cardiovasculaires, de l'hypertension, du diabète et de l'insuffisance rénale chronique. Les méta-analyses non ajustées peuvent ne pas permettre de déterminer si les ARA/IECA sont associés à la mortalité liée à la COVID-19 en raison du biais d'indication.

Mutations in PTEN have been associated with various human disease, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and cancer. Here, the authors assess the function of 106 PTEN variants in yeast, invertebrate models and cell culture and report that PTEN variants generally decrease protein stability.

Maturity is one of the most important biological parameters used in stock assessment programmes. Indeed, the macroscopic stage of gonadal development is an essential feature in estimating the maturity ogive and spawning stock biomass. It is also useful for determining the spawning season of a species and for monitoring long-term changes in the spawning cycle as well as for many other research needs related to the biology of fish. Despite the efforts made during the last few decades to standardize maturity stage data among all the researchers, marine biologists continue without a manageable and unique maturity scale to describe the reproductive development of fish gonads. For these reasons, the objectives of this article are 1) to investigate the biological parameters of five selected key species (Mullus barbatus, Galeus melastomus, Etmopterus spinax, Aristeus antennatus, Loligo vulgaris) with different reproductive strategies following the macroscopic maturity scales based on the same univocal criteria adopted in the MEDITS programme and described in this work; and 2) to compare them among some Mediterranean geographical sub-areas (GSAs) involved in the programme. Neither spawning periods nor size at first maturity (SFM50) for the studied species showed particular differences in the investigated GSAs.

Marine litter is one of the main sources of anthropogenic pollution in the marine ecosystem, with plastic representing a global threat. This paper aims to assess the spatial distribution of plastic macro-litter on the seafloor, identifying accumulation hotspots at a northern Mediterranean scale. Density indices (items km–2) from the MEDITS trawl surveys (years 2013-2015) were modelled by generalized additive models using a Delta-type approach and several covariates: latitude, longitude, depth, seafloor slope, surface oceanographic currents and distances from main ports. To set thresholds for the identification of accumulation areas, the percentiles (85th, 90th and 95th) of the plastic spatial density distribution were computed on the raster data. In the northern Mediterranean marine macro-litter was widespread (90.13% of the 1279 surveyed stations), with plastic by far the most recurrent category. The prediction map of the plastic density highlighted accumulation areas (85th, 90th and 95th percentiles of the distribution, respectively, corresponding to 147, 196 and 316 items km–2) in the Gulf of Lions, eastern Corsica, the eastern Adriatic Sea, the Argo-Saronic region and waters around southern Cyprus. Maximum densities were predicted in correspondence to the shallower depths and in proximity to populated areas (distance from the ports). Surface currents and local water circulation with cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies were identified as drivers likely facilitating the sinking to the bottoms of floating debris.

Thanks to the availability of the MEDITS survey data, a standardized picture of the occurrence and abundance of demersal Chondrichthyes in the northern Mediterranean has been obtained. During the spring-summer period between 2012 and 2015, 41 Chondrichthyes, including 18 sharks (5 orders and 11 families), 22 batoids (3 orders and 4 families) and 1 chimaera, were detected from several geographical sub-areas (GSAs) established by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean. Batoids had a preferential distribution on the continental shelf (10-200 m depth), while shark species were more frequent on the slope (200-800 m depth). Only three species, the Carcharhiniformes Galeus melastomus and Scyliorhinus canicula and the Torpediniformes Torpedo marmorata were caught in all GSAs studied. On the continental shelf, the Rajidae family was the most abundant, being represented in primis by Raja clavata and then by R. miraletus, R. polystigma and R. asterias. The slope was characterized by the prevalence of G. melastomus in all GSAs, followed by S. canicula, E. spinax and Squalus blainville. Areas under higher fishing pressure, such as the Adriatic Sea and the Spanish coast (with the exception of the Balearic Islands), show a low abundance of chondrichthyans, but other areas with a high level of fishing pressure, such as southwestern Sicily, show a high abundance, suggesting that other environmental drivers work together with fishing pressure to shape their distribution. Results of generalized additive models highlighted that depth is one of the most important environmental drivers influencing the distribution of both batoid and shark species, although temperature also showed a significant influence on their distribution. The approach explored in this work shows the possibility of producing maps modelling the distribution of demersal chondrichthyans in the Mediterranean that are useful for the management and conservation of these species at a regional scale. However, because of the vulnerability of these species to fishing exploitation, fishing pressure should be further incorporated in these models in addition to these environmental drivers.

In this study we investigated the spatio-temporal distribution of gurnards (8 species of Triglidae and one species of Peristediidae) in the northern Mediterranean Sea using 22 years of MEDITS bottom trawl survey data (1994-2015). Gurnards showed significant differences in terms of abundance, dominance and composition among geographical sub-areas and ecoregions, with the highest relative biomass (BIy) being found in Malta, eastern Corsica, the Balearic Islands and the eastern Ionian Sea. The lowest gurnards BIy were observed in the highly exploited areas of the western Mediterranean and the Adriatic Sea, where the largest number of species with a negative linear trend in BIy was also found. The temporal trends in species abundances highlighted a general decrease for the coastal species (C. lucerna, C. lastoviza, C. obscurus) as compared with the species inhabiting the deep continental shelf and slope (T. lyra, P. cataphractum). The results provide for the first time an overview of the spatiotemporal trend in the abundance of gurnards over the wide spatial scale of the northern Mediterranean Sea, also suggesting the possible use of these species as indicators for monitoring the impact of fishing pressure on demersal fish assemblages.

Compared to their fossil counterparts, living brachiopods are investigated far less often, due to their occurrence in remote environments such as dark caves or deep environments. Due to the scarcity of studies targeting in situ brachiopods’ populations, large-scale information on their distribution and ecological preferences is still lacking, especially on hardgrounds. The extensive employment of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), however, has opened up the chance to better explore this taxon’s diversity and ecology in the mesophotic and bathyal zones. The analysis of over 600 h of video footage collected from 624 sites, from 40 m to 1825 m, located along the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian coasts of Italy and the Sicily Channel, allowed for a large-scale investigation. The four identified species, Novocrania anomala, Gryphus vitreus, Megerlia truncata and Terebratulina retusa, emerged as common macrofaunal components of the explored habitats, especially between 150 m and 250 m, with high occurrences in the northern areas, especially on offshore seamounts. All species can form dense aggregations of individuals, with M. truncata showing the densest populations on steep rocky terraces (up to 773 individuals m−2). Except for G. vitreus, the only species also recorded on soft bottoms, the others were found exclusively on hardgrounds, with N. anomala showing a peculiar ability to exploit anthropogenic substrates such as terracotta amphorae. No stable species-specific associations were noted, even if numerous species were frequently observed together. Although brachiopods do not show the conspicuous tridimensionality of large filter-feeders, their substrate occupancy and their role in pelagic–benthic processes support their importance in deep-sea Mediterranean ecosystems.

Plastic waste dumped in the marine environment has severe ecological, social and economic impacts. In recent years, a series of scientific studies documented the contamination by macroplastic and its impact on marine organisms through the accidental ingestion of microplastics, which also originate from the degradation of macroplastic. However, the relationship between the spatial distribution of marine litter and the ingestion of plastics by organisms have never been related. In this work, we aimed to investigate, through a modeling approach, the relations between potential sources of microplastic particles (i.e., seafloor macroplastic accumulation hotspots detected by means of trawl surveys), and the ingestion by the benthic crustacean Norwegian lobster (Nephrops norvegicus). According to the literature, N. norvegicus is characterized by a sedentary behavior and therefore it has been highlighted as a proficient sentinel species for local microplastic contamination. Despite no significant relation has been found between microplastic ingestion and the local presence of seafloor macroplastic, it seems that proximity to hotspots of macroplastic accumulation is significantly related to microplastics ingestion. These results highlight important considerations on the fate of plastic in the marine environments with significant impacts on biota and the quality of the product caught at sea.

Molecular identifications based on two mitochondrial markers (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I -COI- and 16S ribosomal RNA gene -16S-) have been implemented to confirm the morphological identification of eight specimens collected in the Central western Mediterranean. Molecular data show they belonged to a recently resurrected species of the genus Ommastrephes, i.e., O. caroli, known to be distributed in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Despite this, molecular analyses of COI sequences evidenced the presence of potential genetic differentiation between Mediterranean and Atlantic samples, highlighting the need for further studies, with more individuals to investigate the connectivity between individuals living in the two areas. Furthermore, morphological, biometric and reproductive features here reported, could be useful in evaluating possible distinctive biological features between the Mediterranean and Atlantic individuals. Female mature size was larger than the male. The relationships obtained between the beak measurements and body sizes (DML; TW) were better described by a power model. Asynchronous oocytes development with relatively small oocytes (0.05–1.10 mm) and a protracted intermittent spawning with active feeding were observed. This study also reported for the specie O. caroli the first data on the potential fecundity estimated (840061 oocytes), the oviducal load (90000 ripe oocytes) as well as the number of seminal receptacles and the size and morphology of the spermatangia found in the buccal mass of all mated females. Even if on a low sample size, beaks and eye lenses were used for the first time in O. caroli for age estimation. The statistically significant relationship found between increments counted in eye lenses and beaks highlighted the reliability of the lenses to estimate age in O. caroli, even if further studies will be needed for its validation. Assuming a daily increment for both structures, a mean life span of about 12–13 months was estimated for both sexes, which is consistent with the sexual maturity condition observed in all the samples and the semelparity known for cephalopods coleoids.

Abstract Fully protected areas (FPAs) help preserving biodiversity and reversing the global decline of fishery resources. Stocks of the European spiny lobster Palinurus elephas (Fabr. 1787), among the most precious gourmet seafood worldwide, are currently facing a dramatic decline. Previous attempts of recovery based on fishery restrictions or active post-larval restocking in marine reserves provided unsuccessful outcomes. Here we present results of a 5-year restocking program carried through a Collaborative Fishery Research (CFR) project, in three ad-hoc established FPAs replenished using below-legal size wild juveniles. Results showed that Catch per Unit Effort (CPUE) in terms of both density and biomass burst (by ca. 300–700%) just 2 years since FPAs establishment, regardless of location. We also report tangible spillover effects (ca. 30–50% increase in density and biomass CPUE outside the FPAs) by the end of the program. Data from a 15-years lasting monitoring of a pilot FPA established in 1998, where the restocking protocol was conducted and protection kept in force once restocking ceased, demonstrated the persistence in time of restocking’ benefits. We foster that creation of FPAs assisted with local restocking under oriented CFR programs can represent an option for the recovery of European spiny lobster stocks from overfishing.

In 1990s, the European spiny lobster Palinurus elephas, one of the most commercially important species in the Mediterranean, exhibited a population decline. For this reason, fully protected areas (FPAs) appeared effective in re-establishing natural populations and supporting fishery-management objectives. Here, the reproductive parameters of P. elephas populations in two different FPAs (Su Pallosu and Buggerru, central-western Mediterranean), where a restocking programme was carried out, and in their surrounding commercial zones, were investigated from quantitative and qualitative perspectives. The comparison of fecundity between females collected inside and outside FPAs did not show statistical differences as well as the vitellogenin concentration, which did not vary among eggs of different size classes of females caught inside and outside the FPAs, indicating the same reproductive potential. The study demonstrated a benefit of overexploited populations in terms of enhancement of egg production overtime (15 years for Su Pallosu and 6 years for Buggerru) with a mean egg production 4.25–5.5 times higher at the end of the study than that observed at the beginning of the study. The main driver of eggs production appeared to be size, with larger lobsters more present inside the FPAs than outside. Given these results, the dominant contribution of the two studied FPAs to the regional lobster reproduction is remarkable.

Marine animal forests are key mesophotic ecosystems that are under threat from increasing natural and human pressures. Despite the fact that various international agreements strive to preserve these fragile ecosystems, the environmental status of the majority of these animal-structured environments is unknown. Assessing their environmental status is the first step needed to monitor these essential habitats’ health over time and include them within conservation and protection frameworks, such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Based on Multibeam data and ROV footage, we characterized the geomorphological setting and evaluated the environmental status of seven black coral forests in the centre of the Western Mediterranean Sea, using the Mesophotic Assemblages Conservation Status (MACS) Index. The presence of two antipatharians, Antipathella subpinnata and Leiopathes glaberrima, characterized the seven investigated sites, dwelling on rocky substrate characterized by different environmental drivers (i.e., depth, slope of the substrate, terrain ruggedness, topographic positioning index, and aspect). From the combined evaluation of the associated benthic community status and the anthropogenic impacts affecting it, a “high” and “good” environmental status was assessed for five out of the seven studied black forests, with only two forests classified as having a “moderate” and “poor” status, respectively. Overall, our study showed a site-specific variability of mesophotic black coral forest status, explained by different biological community structures and environmental conditions mainly associated with morphological and anthropogenic factors.

The sub-order Scorpenoidei appears to be particularly interesting due to the presence of intermediate stages between oviparity and viviparity in several species. The present study aims to describe the ovarian morphology, using a histological and histochemical approach, in four ovuliparous species belonging to Scorpaena genus compared with a zygoparous species, H. dactylopterus, focusing also on the assessment of the ovarian dynamics in the populations of such species in Sardinia waters (central–western Mediterranean). Ovarian sections of all species were examined using light microscopy. All species showed a specialized ovary, cystovarian type II-3, strictly related to the production of gelatinous matrices surrounding the eggs. Some microscopic peculiarities in the oogenesis process were found: thin zona pellucida, small and low cortical alveoli, and a specialized ovarian wall during the spawning period. All species analyzed were batch-spawners with an asynchronous ovarian organization. A continuous recruitment of oocytes and the occurrence of de novo vitellogenesis was also observed. During the spawning period, low atresia intensity was detected, while a marked increase in this intensity found in the ovaries at the end of spawning season. Our observations may support an indeterminate fecundity type for these species.

Mediterranean red coral Corallium rubrum is considered the most precious coral worldwide. Harvesting activities are performed by licensed scuba divers and managed through the recent pan-Mediterranean management plan issued by General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) along with measures locally enacted, imposing limits on licenses, harvesting season, minimum depth of dive, and size. The use of Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) is prohibited, with the only exception being for scientific purposes. Despite measures already in force, the implementation of additional management tools has been recently recommended. This article reports results from the first monitoring campaign on C. rubrum harvesting based on ROVs for seabed exploration and Onboard Scientific Observers (OSOs), carried out from 2012 to 2015 along the coast of Sardinia (Mediterranean Sea—Western basin). More than 450 dives were monitored, confirming how ROV’s support eases the scouting of exploitable banks, leading to increases in catches. OSOs reported the collection of colonies below the minimum reference size and catches/dive above limits. Onboard observers collected data also on colony diameter, which is crucial for the estimation of population size structure and exploitation status. OSOs proved to be valid tools in providing additional and reliable information on red coral harvesting, thus deserving to be included among mandatory measures for the sustainable exploitation of red coral in the Mediterranean Sea.

Corallium rubrum and Eunicella cavolini are two octocorals, reported as co-occurring species in the deep rocky habitats of the Mediterranean Sea with a high hydrodynamic and moderate eutrophication. Their spatial distribution and demography in the deep sea are mainly affected by temperature and direct and indirect anthropogenic activities; however, knowledge of the factors that potentially influence their co-existence is scarce. This paper provides novel data on the distribution and demography of these two species, at depths between 50 and 290 m in the Western Mediterranean Sea, providing insights on their co-occurrence. Both species exhibited the highest population density at deeper sites (>150 m), showing an inverse size–density relation. Density values ranged from 0.03 colonies m−2 to 32 and 80 col. m−2 for yellow gorgonian and red coral, respectively. The two species co-occurred in 13% of the total frames examined, mostly dwelling between 120 and 160 m depth. Distance-based linear modeling (DistLM) emphasized that when co-occurring the variability of the two species’ densities were significantly driven by the density—rather than the morphology (i.e., height)—of the other species. We stress the need for further studies to elucidate the possible mutual effects of suspension feeders and to test the role of different environmental factors potentially influencing inter-specific relationships.

Oviducal glands (OGs) are distinct expanded regions of the anterior portion of the oviduct, commonly found in chondrichthyans, which play a key role in the production of the egg in-vestments and in the female sperm storage (FSS). The FSS phenomenon has implications for understanding the reproductive ecology and management of exploited populations, but little information is available on its taxonomic extent. For the first time, mature OGs from three lecithotrophic oviparous and four yolk-sac viviparous species, all considered at risk from the fishing impacts in the central western Mediterranean Sea, were examined using light microscopy. The OG microanatomy, whose morphology is generally conserved in all species, shows differences within the two reproductive modalities. Oviparous species show a more developed baffle zone in respect to viviparous ones because of the production of different egg envelopes produced. Among oviparous species, Raja polystigma and Chimaera monstrosa show presence of sperm, but not sperm storage as observed, instead, in Galeus melastomus and in all the viviparous sharks, which preserve sperm inside of specialized structures in the terminal zone.

Cartilaginous fish are commonly recognized as key species in marine ecosystems for their fundamental ecological role as top predators. Nevertheless, effective management plans for cartilaginous fish are still missing, due to the lack of knowledge on their abundance, distribution or even life-history. In this regard, this paper aims at providing new information on the life-history traits, such as age, maturity, reproductive period, in addition to diet characteristics of eleven rare cartilaginous fish inhabiting the Central-Western Mediterranean Sea belonging to the orders Chimaeriformes (Chimaera monstrosa), Hexanchiformes (Heptranchias perlo and Hexanchus griseus), Myliobatiformes (Aetomylaeus bovinus and Myliobatis aquila), Rajiformes (Dipturus nidarosiensis and Leucoraja circularis), Squaliformes (Centrophorus uyato, Dalatias licha and Oxynotus centrina) and Torpediniformes (Tetronarce nobiliana), useful for their assessment and for future management actions. Particularly, the present paper provides for the first time the age estimation of D. nidarosienis and L. circularis which were both found capable of becoming older than ten years. In addition, the present study updates the sizes of first maturity of C. uyato and D. licha, which appeared to be capable of reproducing earlier than what was previously hypothesized, representing very valuable information for a better understanding of these rare species populations status and, eventually, their conservation. On the basis of the stomach content analysis, it was possible to identify five different predator groups.

While variations in sedimentary organic matter (OM) quantity, biochemical composition and nutritional quality as well as in meiofaunal abundance and assemblage composition at the macro- and mesoscale are relatively well known, information about variations at the microscale is much scarcer. To shed some light on this issue, we tested the null hypothesis by which abundance and composition of the meiofaunal assemblages, and the quantity, biochemical composition and nutritional quality of sedimentary organic matter in coastal shallow environments do not vary within a frame of 1 m2. No significant variation within the frame emerged for OM quantity, nutritional quality, biochemical composition and the abundance of meiofaunal assemblages. On the other hand, the composition of meiofaunal assemblages varied significantly within the frame and exhibited a clear segregation of assemblages farther to the shore, as a likely result of local micro-hydrodynamic conditions. Spatial autocorrelation analysis revealed that lipid and protein sedimentary contents had a random distribution, whereas carbohydrate and biopolymeric C contents and meiofaunal total abundance were characterized by a patchy distribution, with discrete peaks within the sub-frame squares (ca. 0.1 m2). Phytopigments showed a spatial positive autocorrelation distribution, following the micro-hydrodynamic pattern, with patches larger than the sub-frame square, but smaller than the entire one (1 m2). Overall, our results suggest that, within 1 m2 of subtidal sandy sediments, three replicates could be sufficient to assess correctly OM attributes and the abundance of meiofauna, but could be possibly inadequate for assessing meiofaunal assemblages’ composition at a finer scale (

Bottarga is a high-priced delicacy with high nutritional value, and, in Italy, bottarga from mullets has been recognized to be a traditional food product. The flathead grey mullet Mugil cephalus and the thinlip grey mullet Liza ramada are the main cultured grey mullets in the Mediterranean Sea. In this study, fresh roe and bottarga from these two species were investigated to evaluate the influence of the technological process and the species on their biochemical composition and health advantages. The 1 h/200 g salting-out step did not increase the levels of NaCl in the bottarga, although it highly decreased the levels of some heavy metals like Cu and Al. Processing of fresh roe in bottarga led to an essential modification of the lipid fraction, following a general series of monousatturated fatty acid (MUFA)> poliunsutturated fatti acid (PUFA) > saturated fatty acid (SAFA) and an increase in both ω3 and ω6 in Liza ramada. Moreover, bottarga showed higher levels of squalene and cholesterol and an increased Essential Amino Acid/Total Amino Acid ratio (EAA/TAA) in both species. In addition to the nutritional benefits for the consumer, the process proposed in this study may represent a reliable tool for local producers to obtain a final bottarga with both a reproducible biochemical composition and organoleptic characteristics.

Over the last decades, Global Climate Change (GCC) caused increase in seawater temperature, which have shown to be detrimental for Mediterranean red coral populations (Corallium rubrum). Recent researches described how responses to temperature increase can differ depending on location and previous stress history; however, investigations throughout a wide bathymetric range on the thermo-tolerance of specimens sharing the same thermally stable environment are still lacking. In order to test if C. rubrum colonies dwelling below the thermocline threshold have an intrinsic different sensitivity to thermal stress, corals at different depths (32 m and 100 m) were collected, kept in aquaria, and their responses to stress analysed in lab experiments. Oxygen consumption and necrosis dynamics were estimated at different temperature regimes (14°C; 21°C and 25°C). Shallow water samples showed a significant lower oxygen consumption and coenosarc necrosis at all temperatures, revealing a potential higher survival rate in stress conditions. On the other hand, significant differences in oxygen consumption between shallow and deep dwelling samples were detected in the 21°C treatment, and after 5 days in the necrosis experiment, underlining, however, a good capacity of tolerance to temperature increase also in deep colonies. Implications of the obtained results for conservation of Mediterranean red corals are illustrated and discussed.

Cartilaginous fish are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic stressors and environmental change because of their K-selected reproductive strategy. Accurate data from scientific surveys and landings are essential to assess conservation status and to develop robust protection and management plans. Currently available data are often incomplete or incorrect as a result of inaccurate species identifications, due to a high level of morphological stasis, especially among closely related taxa. Moreover, several diagnostic characters clearly visible in adult specimens are less evident in juveniles. Here we present results generated by the ELASMOMED Consortium, a regional network aiming to sample and DNA-barcode the Mediterranean Chondrichthyans with the ultimate goal to provide a comprehensive DNA barcode reference library. This library will support and improve the molecular taxonomy of this group and the effectiveness of management and conservation measures. We successfully barcoded 882 individuals belonging to 42 species (17 sharks, 24 batoids and one chimaera), including four endemic and several threatened ones. Morphological misidentifications were found across most orders, further confirming the need for a comprehensive DNA barcoding library as a valuable tool for the reliable identification of specimens in support of taxonomist who are reviewing current identification keys. Despite low intraspecific variation among their barcode sequences and reduced samples size, five species showed preliminary evidence of phylogeographic structure. Overall, the ELASMOMED initiative further emphasizes the key role accurate DNA barcoding libraries play in establishing reliable diagnostic species specific features in otherwise taxonomically problematic groups for biodiversity management and conservation actions.

Leiopathes glaberrima is a tall arborescent black coral species structuring important facies of the deep-sea rocky bottoms of the Mediterranean Sea that are severely stifled by fishing activities. At present, however, no morphological in vivo description, ecological characterization, age dating and evaluation of the possible conservation actions have ever been made for any population of this species in the basin. A dense coral population was reported during two Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) surveys conducted on a rocky bank off the SW coasts of Sardinia (Western Mediterranean Sea). L. glaberrima forms up to 2 m-tall colonies with a maximal observed basal diameter of nearly 7 cm. The radiocarbon dating carried out on a colony from this site with a 4 cm basal diameter revealed an approximately age of 2000 years. Considering the size-frequency distribution of the colonies in the area it is possible to hypothesize the existence of other millennial specimens occupying a supposedly very stable ecosystem. The persistence of this ecosystem is likely guaranteed by the heterogeneous rocky substrate hosting the black coral population that represents a physical barrier against the mechanical impacts acted on the surrounding muddy areas, heavily exploited as trawling fishing grounds. This favorable condition, together with the existence of a nursery area for catsharks within the coral ramifications and the occurrence of a meadow of the now rare soft bottom alcyonacean Isidella elongata in small surviving muddy enclaves, indicates that this ecosystem have to be considered a pristine Mediterranean deep-sea coral sanctuary that would deserve special protection.