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Anarhichas lupus is a boreo-Arctic species with biological characteristics often associated with vulnerability to over-exploitation. Although not commercially targeted in the North Sea, A. lupus is a bycatch species in mixed demersal fisheries. Here we provide an overview of the status of A. lupus in the North Sea, as observed from commercial landings and fishery-independent trawl survey data. A. lupus was once common across much of the central and northern North Sea but, since the 1980s, have declined in abundance, demographic characteristics (reduced size) and geographical range, with the shallower and more southerly parts of its range most impacted. A. lupus is still relatively frequent in the northern North Sea, where fishing intensity, though decreasing, is high. Bycatch through fishing remains a potential threat and, considering the likely impacts of predicted climate change on cold-water species, risks of further regional depletion and/or range contraction remain. Whether or not A. lupus is able to re-establish viable populations in former habitat in UK coastal waters is unknown. Given the lack of data, the precautionary principle would suggest that manageable pressures be minimised where the species and its habitat are at risk of further impacts, and more regular assessments of population status be undertaken. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

This study evaluates the relationship between both commercial and scientific spatial fisheries data and a new satellite-based estimate of potential fish production (Ocean Productivity available to Fish, OPFish) in the European Seas. To construct OPFish, we used productivity frontal features derived from chlorophyll-a horizontal gradients, which characterize 10%–20% of the global phytoplankton production that effectively fuels higher trophic levels. OPFish is relatively consistent with the spatial distribution of both pelagic and demersal fish landings and catches per unit of effort (LPUEs and CPUEs, respectively). An index of harvest relative to ocean productivity (HP index) is calculated by dividing these LPUEs or CPUEs with OPFish. The HP index reflects the intensity of fishing by gear type with regard to local fish production. Low HP levels indicate lower LPUEs or CPUEs than expected from oceanic production, suggesting over-exploitation, while high HP levels imply more sustainable fishing. HP allows comparing the production-dependent suitability of local fishing intensities. Our results from bottom trawl data highlight that over-exploitation of demersal species from the shelves is twice as high in the Mediterranean Sea than in the North-East Atlantic. The estimate of HP index by dominant pelagic and demersal gears suggests that midwater and bottom otter trawls are associated with the lowest and highest overfishing, respectively. The contrasts of fishing intensity at local scales captured by the HP index suggest that accounting for the local potential fish production can promote fisheries sustainability in the context of ecosystem-based fisheries management as required by international marine policies., With the institutional support of the ‘Severo OchoaCentre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S).

Ligia isopods are conspicuous inhabitants of rocky intertidal habitats exhibiting several biological traits that severely limit their dispersal potential. Their presence in patchy habitats and low vagility may lead to long term isolation, allopatric isolation and possible cryptic speciation. Indeed, various species of Ligia have been suggested to represent instead cryptic species complexes. Past studies; however, have largely focused in Eastern Pacific and Atlantic species of Ligia, leaving in doubt whether cryptic diversity occurs in other highly biodiverse areas. The Seychelles consists of 115 islands of different ages and geological origins spread across the western Indian Ocean. They are well known for their rich biodiversity with recent reports of cryptic species in terrestrial Seychellois organisms. Despite these studies, it is unclear whether coastal invertebrates from the Seychelles harbor any cryptic diversity. In this study, we examined patterns of genetic diversity and isolation within Ligia isopods across the Seychelles archipelago by characterizing individuals from locations across both inner and outer islands of the Seychelles using mitochondrial and nuclear markers. We report the presence of highly divergent lineages of independent origin. At Aldabra Atoll, we uncovered a lineage closely related to the Ligia vitiensis cryptic species complex. Within the inner islands of Cousine, Silhouette, and Mahé we detected the presence of two moderately divergent and geographically disjunct lineages most closely related to Ligia dentipes. Our findings suggest that the Seychelles may harbor at least three novel species of Ligia in need of description and that these species may have originated independently.

Reliable delimitation and identification of species is central not only to systematics, but also to studies of biodiversity, ecology and pest management. In the era of Internet-based biodiversity databases misidentifications are rapidly disseminated and may have far-reaching consequences. Leafhoppers from the genus Aphrodes (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae) are common and abundant, but, nevertheless, they are still a taxonomically challenging group whose members are often assessed in ecological studies and are also potential vectors of plant diseases. Previous study has shown that the syntype series for A. aestuarina (Edwards) includes also specimens of A. makarovi Zachvatkin and has suggested that misidentifications may be widespread in museum collections. We studied Aphrodes individuals collected from the U.K. and Slovenia in order to provide a more comprehensive analysis of this genus using multiple criteria. Combined work using male and female vibrational signals emitted during courtship, and a 600-bp fragment within the barcoding region of the COI mtDNA gene, provided validated specimens that we also used for morphometric study. Analyses confirmed A. aestuarina, A. bicincta, A. diminuta and A. makarovi as behaviourally, genetically and morphologically distinct species. Although any of these approaches could be used alone to distinguish between species, combining morphological and molecular approaches will help to improve reliability, especially when identifying females. Morphological investigation of validated individuals from the U.K. and Slovenia also revealed geographic differences within species. By combining several body and aedeagus morphological characters males can be reliably identified, however, morphological differences between species are, nevertheless, relatively small. By contrast, observed genetic distances between Aphrodes species are relatively large (4.2–7.0%). At about half of our collecting sites more than one Aphrodes species was found and A. makarovi was collected together with every other species, including A. aestuarina on tidal saltmarshes. Due to low morphological variation between syntopic congeners it is likely that many museum specimens of Aphrodes have been assigned to the wrong species and species identification in ecological and vector studies may also be questionable.

Primers were developed for leafhoppers of the genus Aphrodes amplifying 84–244 bp fragments of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene. DNA was extracted from legs of over 100-year-old archived museum specimens, amplified and sequenced. The fragments contain sufficient variation to unequivocally identify the different species. The majority of the analysed museum specimens, including three specimens of the syntype series for the UK endemic species A. aestuarina (Edwards 1908), were found to have been assigned to the wrong species. This work clearly underlines the need to validate museum specimens using molecular methods where identity is in doubt, based on reliable standards for species discrimination.

Background: The whale shark feeding aggregation in the Seychelles has been studied in detail since 2002, including aerial survey and collection of environmental data. In these coastal waters previous tagging studies have shown whale sharks spend considerable time in the top 10m of water (44-60% of daylight hours). Although protected locally there is currently no management structure to conserve them outside of protected areas. This is the first attempt to develop Temporary Protected Areas using statistical modeling of their ecological distribution to conserve the aggregation. Methods: Data on whale shark occurrence and distribution were collected via standardized aerial surveys from microlight aircraft that also recorded locations of surface-feeding schools of fish and environmental variables. These data were input into Geographical Information System (GIS) software to create density distribution maps; further layers generated included distance from the coastline, and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration (from MODIS satellite imagery). MAXENT ecological modeling software and Kernel Density Estimate analysis were used to produce a habitat suitability map and probability distribution estimate. The MAXENT model was tested using pseudo-absence data in a binomial generalized linear model. Results: Chl-a concentration, distance from coast and fish schools were all found to influence whale shark presence and Maxent results closely matched those from the Kernel Density Estimate analysis. Predictions of suitable habitat for whale sharks avoided higher Chl-a concentrations, but showed positive correlations with schools of fish, possibly acting as a direct indication of zooplankton abundance. Whale sharks preferentially selected feeding areas close to the coast. Conclusion: Maxent and Kernel Density Estimates can provide useful tools to guide the development of appropriate conservation and management of this species that take into consideration temporal behavior and ecology.

Background: Worldwide, whale shark encounters are a highly sought ecotourism activity. Encounter Codes are implemented to help reduce anthropogenic disturbances. To assess their design and effectiveness, aerial behavioral surveys provide an excellent platform to identify behaviors with little or no observer induced bias. Methods: Five-minute focal-animal behavioral surveys were conducted during micro-light aerial surveys of whale sharks in Seychelles, both in the absence (n=26) and presence (n=24) of Marine Conservation Society, Seychelles research/ecotourism boats and in-water swimmers (following boat and in-water Encounter Codes). Whale shark behaviors with no anthropogenic influences were identified from encounters without boats and recorded as the percentage of survey time. Ordinal logistic regression (OLR) was used to determine whether the proportion of time sharks spent on the surface was dependent upon environmental, morphometric and/or anthropogenic predictors. Differences between the surface swimming time before and after arrival of a boat were also assessed using a paired t-test. Results: The altitude of the aircraft was not found to influence whale shark behavior, neither did environmental factors. There was a significant probability of whale sharks spending shorter periods of time swimming on the surface when in the presence of boats and in-water swimmers (OLR p-valueConclusions: Aerial survey methods permit monitoring of behavior without observer induced bias, enabling critical evaluation of encounter management. Boat presence and in-water swimmers did affect the behavior of sharks suggesting that experimental examination of encounter regulations can help determine optimal restrictions to minimize the disturbance to this protected species.

Objectives To determine contentment with the performance of primary mission emergency care providers. Methods A prospective cohort study was conducted using key informant interviews to assess quality of life and self-rated degree of contentment with care in geriatric emergencies. Results Interviews concerning a total of 152 geriatric emergency cases in nursing homes were conducted with patients in 13 (8.6%) cases, geriatric nurses in 132 (86.8%) cases and emergency physicians in 116 (76.3%) cases within a 3-month period. All responding patients as well as the majority of nurses (96.2%) and physicians (79.4%) were content with the quality of emergency care, but showed less contentment with communication (57.6% of nurses; 22.4% of physicians) and with cooperation on-site (57.6% of nurses; 20.7% of physicians). Conclusions Participants perceived a deficit in communication and cooperation on-site. There is a need for intensified education in managing geriatric emergency patients, especially with regard to communication and psychosocial issues.