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Packaging is fundamental for food preservation and transportation but generates an environmental burden from its production and end-of-life management. This review evaluates packaging contribution to the environmental performance of seafood products. Life cycle assessment (LCA) studies were evaluated by both qualitative and quantitative analysis. The qualitative analysis assessed how direct (e.g., packaging material) and indirect impacts (e.g., influence on seafood loss and waste) have been considered, while the quantitative analysis evaluated packaging contribution to products’ weight and climate change impact. Qualitative analysis revealed that seafood LCAs focus mainly on direct environmental impacts arising from packaging materials, for which some articles conducted sensitivity analysis to assess materials substitution. Recycling was found to be the most common recommendation to diminish direct potential environmental impacts arising from packaging end-of-life. However, standardized recovery rates and other end-of-life options (e.g., reuse), should be considered. Quantitative analysis revealed that cans' production contributes significantly to the overall climate change impact for canned products. On average, it contributes to 42% of a product's climate change impact and 27% of a product's weight. Packaging has a lower contribution when considering freezing, chilling, and other post-harvesting processing. It represents on average less than 5% of a product's climate change impact (less than 1 kg CO2 eq/kg) and 6% of a product's weight. Packaging material production is more relevant to aluminum, tinplate, and glass than for plastic and paper. Therefore, it is essential to accurately include these materials and their associated processes in inventories to improve the environmental assessment of seafood products. This work was supported by the NEPTUNUS project (EAPA_576/2018). The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of Interreg Atlantic Area. Ana Cláudia Dias, Paula Quinteiro and Tamíris da Costa acknowledge FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDB/50017/2020+UIDP/50017/2020), through national funds, and Ana Cláudia Dias and Paula Quinteiro to the research contracts CEECIND/02174/2017 and CEECIND/00143/2017, respectively. peer-reviewed 2022-08-24

Purpose Common octopus is the fishing species with highest economic revenue in Portugal, and its consumption per capita is very high. The majority of catches come from the small-scale fleet with pots and traps. The aims were to assess main environmental impacts of common octopus’ fishery with traps and pots in the Algarve region, where the most important fleet size and landings volume occurs, and to find if there are significant differences between both fishing gears. Methods The assessment includes standard LCA impact categories, fishery-specific impact categories, and quantification of macroplastics and microplastics emitted to the environment. The functional unit selected was 1 kg of octopus and the study was a ‘cradle to gate’ system. The scope included fishing operations until the product is landed at the harbour. Primary data was obtained by face-to-face questionnaires from 22 vessels, with an average of 1005 pots and 1211 traps per vessel, and 372 pots and 234 traps lost annually to the environment. Plastic pots have a concrete block and traps are a metal framed covered by plastic netting. Each trap or pot is connected to the main line at regular intervals. Unlike traps, pots do not need bait. Results and discussion Fuel contribution to global warming is very high and where the highest potential exists to lower down the carbon footprint. The fuel use intensity resulted in 0.9 L/kg of octopus. The bait used in traps is significant and raises further environmental costs related with fuel consumption. The use of traps represents more than two times the impacts found for pots in all the categories studied except ecotoxicity categories. Zinc use was the main contributor to ecotoxicity categories, but it has not been included in other fishery LCA studies. It was estimated that 12.2 g of plastics is lost to the environment per kg of octopus. The loss of macroplastics from fishing gears was the highest contributor. Conclusions The carbon footprint obtained was 3.1 kg CO2 eq per kg of octopus, being lower compared to other seafood products, and less than half compared to octopus caught with trawling. Pots and traps are highly selective fishing gears, causing negligible disturbance to the seafloor. The stock is not assessed, but management measures exist and can be improved. A drawback exists related with gears lost to the environment.

Packaging is essential to protect food, inform consumers, and avoid food waste, yet it can also contribute to the environmental footprint of products. Recycling waste treatment potentially provides more environmental benefits than other options (e.g., landfill), but only 66 % of packaging waste goes to recycling in the European Union. However, the prevention of packaging production with greater reuse, while extending the lifetime or improving packaging design should be firstly encouraged. This highlights the need to assess the willingness of consumers in reducing the environmental impact of seafood products from packaging. An online questionnaire was conducted in three countries (Portugal, Spain, and Ireland), composed of four sections: (i) seafood consumption, (ii) waste separation to be sent recycling, (iii) willingness to purchase seafood products with packaging designed to reduce environmental impact, and (iv) sociodemographic characteristics. Findings revealed that respondents from Spain and Portugal reported a slightly higher frequency of waste sent to recycle compared to Ireland. Irish respondents appear to have more difficulties about the type of plastic materials that can be sent to recycling due to Irish waste management capabilities; whereas Spanish and Portuguese respondents were not fully aware that packaging does not need to be washed prior to recycling. The most popular alternatives to improve the sustainability of seafood packaging were the use of reusable packaging, compostable packaging material, glass jars for canned seafood instead of cans, and intelligent packaging. Most respondents were willing to pay more for seafood products that use more sustainable packaging (62 % for Spain, 68 % for Ireland, 70 % for Portugal) and half of the respondents intimated that they avoid seafood products due to excessive packaging. With more detailed information on the waste management of packaging, seafood consumers could actively contribute with their attitudes where commensurate changes can improve environmental assessment of seafood.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) has been widely applied in many different sectors, but the marine products and seafood segment have received relatively little attention in the past. In recent decades, global fish production experienced sustained growth and peaked at about 179 million tonnes in 2018. Consequently, increased interest in the environmental implications of fishery products along the supply chain, namely from capture to end of life, was recently experienced by society, industry and policy-makers. This timely review aims to describe the current framework of LCA and its application to the seafood sector that mainly focused on fish extraction and processing, but it also encompassed the remaining stages. An excess of 60 studies conducted over the last decade, along with some additional publications, were comprehensively reviewed; these focused on the main LCA methodological choices, including but not limited to, functional unit, system boundaries allocation methods and environmental indicators. The review identifies key recommendations on the progression of LCA for this increasingly important sustaining seafood sector. Specifically, these recommendations include (i) the need for specific indicators for fish-related activities, (ii) the target species and their geographical origin, (iii) knowledge and technology transfer and, (iv) the application and implementation of key recommendations from LCA research that will improve the accuracy of LCA models in this sector. Furthermore, the review comprises a section addressing previous and current challenges of the seafood sector. Wastewater treatment, ghost fishing or climate change, are also the objects of discussion together with advocating support for the water-energy-food nexus as a valuable tool to minimize environmental negativities and to frame successful synergies. This work was supported by the EAPA_576/2018 NEPTUNUS project. The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support of Interreg Atlantic Area. Ana Cláudia Dias and Paula Quinteiro acknowledge FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDB/50017/2020+UIDP/50017/2020), through national funds, and to the research contracts CEECIND/02174/2017 and CEECIND/00143/2017, respectively. peer-reviewed 2022-12-14

Portugal has the third highest seafood consumption per capita in the world and current patterns of seafood consumption are linked to how seafood products were embodied in the Portuguese society. The objective of this research is to understand Portuguese seafood consumption's main drivers and its consequences. For that official statistics were analyzed and a literature review on seafood consumption was undertaken. Portuguese seafood consumption is characterized by a wide diversity of species and preparing modes, when compared to other countries in Europe. Cod (salted and dried), does not exist in Portuguese waters but due to several factors, such as politics, religion and tradition, became the main species in Portuguese seafood consumption, representing around 38% of the national seafood demand. Five drivers are suggested to explain why Portuguese eat so much seafood: geography, marine resources, fisheries, social forces and politics; and consequences for the environment, economy and health are discussed. Hence while most dietary recommendations advise an increase in fish consumption is not applicable to Portugal and a more sustainable seafood consumption for the future is advocated.

This study aims to assess the environmental impacts of canned sardines in olive oil, by considering fishing, processing, and packaging, using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The case study concerns a product of a canning factory based in Portugal and packed in aluminum cans. It is the first LCA of a processed seafood product made with the traditional canning method. The production of both cans and olive oil are the most important process in the considered impact categories. The production of olives contributes to the high environmental load of olive oil, related to cultivation and harvesting phases. The production of aluminum cans is the most significant process for all impact categories, except ozone depletion potential and eutrophication potential, resulting from the high energy demand and the extraction of raw materials. To compare to other sardine products consumed in Portugal, such as frozen and fresh sardines, transport to the wholesaler and store was added. The environmental cost of canned sardines is almost seven times higher per kilogram of edible product. The main action to optimize the environmental performance of canned sardines is therefore to replace the packaging and diminish the olive oil losses as much as possible. Greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by half when plastic packaging is considered rather than aluminum. Frozen and fresh sardines represent much lower environmental impacts than canned sardines. Nevertheless, when other sardine products are not possible, it becomes feasible to use sardines for human consumption, preventing them from being wasted or used suboptimally as feed

Purpose The purse seine fishery for sardine is the most important fishery in Portugal. The aim of the present study is to assess the environmental impacts of sardine fished by the Portuguese fleet and to analyse a number of variables such as vessel size and time scale. An additional goal was to incorporate fishery-specific impact categories in the case study.

[Several specimens of Ascidonia flavomaculata were collected during experimental fishing trials along the southern coast of Portugal. All specimens were associated with the solitary ascidian, Phallusia mammillata. The pontoniinae shrimp, A. flavomaculata is here recorded from the Portuguese coast for the first time, extending the species' known distribution range further north along the coast of the eastern Atlantic Ocean. No decurso de pescarias experimentais na costa Sul de Portugal foram recolhidos varios individuos de Ascidonia flavomaculata. Todos os individuos recolhidos encontravam-se associados com as ascidias solitarias Phallusia mammillata. O camarao pontonideo A. flavomaculata e registado na costa Portuguesa pela primeira vez, estendendo mais para norte a distribuicao conhecida para esta especie na costa do Atlântico Este., Several specimens of Ascidonia flavomaculata were collected during experimental fishing trials along the southern coast of Portugal. All specimens were associated with the solitary ascidian, Phallusia mammillata. The pontoniinae shrimp, A. flavomaculata is here recorded from the Portuguese coast for the first time, extending the species' known distribution range further north along the coast of the eastern Atlantic Ocean. No decurso de pescarias experimentais na costa Sul de Portugal foram recolhidos varios individuos de Ascidonia flavomaculata. Todos os individuos recolhidos encontravam-se associados com as ascidias solitarias Phallusia mammillata. O camarao pontonideo A. flavomaculata e registado na costa Portuguesa pela primeira vez, estendendo mais para norte a distribuicao conhecida para esta especie na costa do Atlântico Este.]

Purpose – Portugal is a country with one of the highest seafood consumption per capita in the world. The purpose of this paper is to understand the Portuguese knowledge and attitudes towards seafood and relate it to consumers’ environmental conscious. Design/methodology/approach – Using an internet-based survey the authors investigated the relation of socio-demographic variables to consumption frequency and how knowledge about seafood is associated with interest in different information when purchasing seafood products. Findings – Results demonstrate consumption of a high diversity of species. Tuna and cod are the top species related to convenience and food traditions. There is a preference to consume seafood mostly at home and prepared grilled. Differences between higher and lower knowledgeable consumers’ related to seafood, show that the first ones have a more diversified use of species and high prevalence of small pelagic fish. Research limitations/implications – The findings are influenced by the sample obtained, which over-represents well-educated and higher income people. Moreover the self-reported consumption can be biased by individuals own perceptions and different seafood products. Better estimations of consumption frequency could result from asking more detailed information, as such as by species or meal occasions. Practical implications – Portuguese consumers have high knowledge about seafood but it is not necessarily related to sustainable choices. To help in sustainable seafood choices it might be more effective to promote existing habits based on Portuguese traditions that still are good alternatives for the marine environment. Originality/value – A higher consumer’s knowledge does not necessarily mean more sustainability.

The Ria Formosa lagoon is an ecosystem whose water quality reflects the anthropogenic influence upon the surrounding areas. In this lagoon, the clam Ruditapes decussatus has a great economical importance and has been widely used as a biomonitor. A multibiomarker approach (δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase, metallothionein, lipid peroxidation, acetylcholinesterase, alkali-labile phosphates, DNA damage) was applied to assess the environmental quality of this ecosystem and the accumulation of contaminants and their potential adverse effects on clams. Clams were sampled in different shellfish beds in the period between July 2007 and December 2008 and abiotic parameters (temperature, salinity, pH and dissolved oxygen of seawater and organic matter in the sediment), condition index, metals (Cd, Cu, Zn, Ni, Pb), TBTs and PAHs concentrations were measured in clam tissues. Data was integrated using Principal Component Analyses and biomarker indices: IBR (Integrated Biomarker Response) and HSI (Health Status Index). This multibiomarker approach enabled discrimination of a time and space trend between sites with different degrees of anthropogenic contamination, identifying one of them (site 2) as the most stressful and summer months as the most critical period for clams due to an increase of environmental stress (anthropogenic pressure along with extreme environmental conditions, e.g. temperature, dissolved oxygen, organic matter in the sediments, etc). The selected biomarkers provided an integrated response to assess the environmental quality of the system, proving to be a useful approach when complex mixtures of contaminants occur.

Submitted by Oleksii Kosenko (alexthegreek89@hotmail.com) on 2017-01-23T10:25:10Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2009_Veiga et al_ rel wl arade.pdf: 79393 bytes, checksum: f75f6e987669691d5395a6349f168118 (MD5) Approved for entry into archive by Filipa Custódio (fccustodio@ualg.pt) on 2017-01-24T17:04:38Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2009_Veiga et al_ rel wl arade.pdf: 79393 bytes, checksum: f75f6e987669691d5395a6349f168118 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2017-01-24T17:04:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2009_Veiga et al_ rel wl arade.pdf: 79393 bytes, checksum: f75f6e987669691d5395a6349f168118 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The faunal communities of four intertidal habitats namely sand, mud, seagrass (Zostera noltii) and seagrass patches (mixSM) of a temperate coastal lagoon, Ria Formosa (southern Portugal), were sampled. A total of 47 species were taken in 428 bottomless drop sampler samples, with the highest number of species and the more commonly occurring species belonging to the Mollusca phylum. The dominance of these gastropod species underlines the importance of the grazing food chain in these habitats. Bittium reticulatum was the most abundant species, being especially abundant in the seagrass habitat. The most frequent and highest biomass species in the community was Carcinus maenas, a predator that makes use of the available resources and that is adapted to the highly variable intertidal environment. Pomatoschistus microps was the most abundant fish species, with highest densities in the mud habitat, which demonstrates an ability to occupy a low depth area. The seagrass; habitat had the highest diversity, abundance and biomass, followed by the mixSM habitat and was different from all the others. Assemblages were highly influenced by the presence of vegetation, providing forage and refuge from predation. A well defined summer group was identified in all habitats. These results highlight the importance of seagrass beds and the idea that their decrease implies the decrease of lagoon production through the impoverishment of the trophic structure of the lagoon. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Erratum: Environmental assessment of sardine (Sardina pilchardus) purse seine fishery in Portugal with LCA methodology including biological impact categories (The International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment DOI: 10.1007/s11367-013-0646-5)

Dissertação mest., Biologia Marinha - Ecologia e Conservação Marinha, Universidade do Algarve, 2008 The hermit crabs population of Algarve Coast on soft bottom, until 30 meters depth, between Faro and Portim?o, was analysed within the scope of a project on the biologic characterisation of the sea bed. Samples were made with a beam trawl. Weight and morphometric data were taken from the specimens as well from their associated shells with the objective to characterise the shell use. Eleven species were identified, presenting a new record of Pagurus chevreuxi to Portuguese coast. Diogenes pugilator was the specie most abundant and most relevant in the community, being the most important in all seasons except in winter and dominant in the 0-10 meters range depth. This dominance can be related with the continuously reproduction during all year, it has a dominant attitude in regard with the others and an adaptation to some environmental conditions like hydordinamism. Two more species, Anapagurus laevis and Spiropagurus elegans, together with the last one were permanent in the community, being the first one the most important between the 20-30 metres depth, and the second in the winter. A total of 38 gastropods species, a sponge and a cnidaria covering all the shell were identified with hermit crabs. From these just 19 have been found in the habitat as living gastropods what can represent a preference of shells apart of the availability. The gastropod shell more used was Turritella communis, apart being the fourth species in the gastropod community of the sampled area. Diogenes pugilator was the most versatile specie using the highest number of gastropod species. The shell diameter was the best factor to explain the use of shells by the hermit crabs. These crabs seem to choose the shell that better adjust to their body because it makes easier the movement and protect them when confronting with other individuals or predators.

Tese de doutoramento, Ciências do Mar, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 2014 Submitted by Amelia Janeiro (ajaneiro@reitoria.ul.pt) on 2015-02-11T16:24:21Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ulsd069914_td_Cheila_Almeida.pdf: 2794516 bytes, checksum: 3864a23cf5e7cca2e7fce22792c82f56 (MD5) Made available in DSpace on 2015-02-13T18:08:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ulsd069914_td_Cheila_Almeida.pdf: 2794516 bytes, checksum: 3864a23cf5e7cca2e7fce22792c82f56 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)