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This study underscores the crucial role of small-scale fisheries (SSF) in promoting sustainable fishing practices within the Mediterranean context, emphasizing the necessity to align fisheries commerce with local seafood consumption. SSF in the Mediterranean, particularly in the Balearic Islands, are vital for local communities, contributing significantly to fish catches, while being deeply intertwined with cultural heritage and traditional values. However, these fisheries face several threats, including resource depletion, management strategies favouring fleet reduction, and increase of seafood imports. Our research investigates the relationships between the local fishing sector and resident population, exploring perspectives on sustainability. We examine SSF activities and perceptions through face-to-face questionnaires in nine fishing ports and assess seafood consumption habits through phone questionnaires. The study reveals an aging fishing sector rooted in family traditions that face administrative hurdles in implementing strategies such as fish tourism and direct sales, but seeks to enhance local product consumption. Despite the traditional relevance of fish in the Mediterranean diet, our findings also show low consumption of fresh and local seafood due to consumer’s limited knowledge on local species and related cooking methods and perceived high costs. However, the cultural importance of these products remains undiminished. To reinforce the cultural heritage of SSF and improve the future perspectives of the sector, we advocated for a multi-pronged approach, including raising consumers’ awareness about local species, controlling local prices, and promoting certified products through a reduction in the administrative burden and by promoting the active involvement of SSF.

Dispersal shapes population connectivity and plays a critical role in marine metacommunities. Prominent species for coastal socioecological systems, such as jellyfish and spiny lobsters, feature long pelagic dispersal phases (LPDPs), which have long been overlooked. Here, we use a cross-scale approach combining field surveys of these species with a high-resolution hydrodynamic model to decipher the underlying mechanisms of LPDP patterns in northwestern Mediterranean shores. We identified basin-scale prevailing dispersal routes and synchronic year-to-year patterns tightly linked to prominent circulation features typical of marginal seas and semienclosed basins, with an outstanding role of a retentive source area replenishing shores and potentially acting as a pelagic nursery area. We show how the atmospheric forcing of the ocean, a marked hydrological driver of the Mediterranean Sea, modulates dispersal routes and sources of LPDP at interannual scales. These findings represent a crucial advance in our understanding of the functioning of metapopulations of species with LPDP in marginal seas and may contribute to the effective management of coastal ecosystem services in the face of climate change.

Larval dispersal is dependent on multiple physical and biotic factors and is a key driver of population connectivity. Connectivity is believed to be important in determining how species will cope in a changing climate by allowing species’ ranges to expand or constrict in response to environmental shifts. In the following study, we couple a 3D physical model system with an individual-based model in order to answer whether climate change effects on mussel larvae will affect the dispersal and the structure of the demographic connectivity in the Limfjord. The Limfjord in Denmark supports a large mussel fishery of the species Mytilus edulis and extensive mussel farming, which may be impacted by changes in larval supply under climate change. We produced scenarios changing the pelagic larval duration, spawning time, and presence of spawning mussels after events of hypoxia, and analysed the changes in potential larval recruitment. The results showed that only the 6-day and 36-day pelagic larval duration scenarios are significantly different from the reference scenario. There was no significant event on changes in spawning time. We described the hydrography of the basins to explain the connectivity results and concluded that severe events of hypoxia could potentially lead to isolation of the south-eastern areas of the fjord. Overall, this well-connected system is very stable to the changes addressed in this study. It is important to continue the research in this area since the adaptation and evolution of species in a changing ocean will bring new discoveries that will be useful for future management and conservation decisions.

Posidonia oceanica is a crucial seagrass species in the Mediterranean Sea, providing key ecological, physical, and economic benefits. Unfortunately, P. oceanica meadows have been in decline due to human activities and climate change, particularly in the Balearic Islands where tourism exacerbates pressures. Connectivity between patches of seagrass is an overlooked factor in conservation planning. We used a high-resolution hydrodynamic model and individual-based model to simulate the dispersal of P. oceanica fruits from semi-enclosed bays and nearshore locations in the NW Mediterranean region during the fruit-generating season from 2017 to 2021. Graph theoretic analysis of the simulations revealed significant differences in dispersal probabilities between years, with some sites being important in all years. Alcudia Bay was found to be a significant sink, and crucial links were discovered between Menorca and Mallorca and between Mallorca and Ibiza. Our study demonstrates the usefulness of dispersal modelling and network analysis in conservation planning for foundation species like P. oceanica, particularly in a regional, integrated conservation management context.

The diversity of benthic communities on continental shelves is tightly linked to the diversity of habitats. Therefore, considering seascape habitat composition can help to gain insights into the spatial variability of benthic communities and move away from single-habitats approaches. This perspective needs different analytical methods, such as network analysis that enable the study of complex ecological interactions. This work explores the relationships between habitat and benthic species diversity in the Menorca Channel (the Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean). The seascape in the study area is a mosaic of alternating biogenic and sandy habitats that increases the total benthic species richness. Of the 442 benthic species included in the analyses, 286 species are shared by the six habitats identified, contributing to ecological connectivity across the seascape; 73 generalist species inhabit all six habitats simultaneously, however, 156 species are specialists and are linked to a single habitat, particularly to biogenic habitats, which increases specialization and the vulnerability of the species to habitat fragmentation. The network approach shows a tight link between epibenthic species diversity and the distribution of habitats over the continental shelf, providing essential information for optimal conservation strategies that move from a focus on protecting the most sensitive habitats to marine conservation schemes that encompass a diversity of habitats.

The increasing consumption of pharmaceuticals, alongside their limited removal in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), have led to their ubiquitous occurrence in receiving aquatic environments. This study addresses the occurrence of 68 pharmaceuticals (PhACs) in the Ebro River Delta region (NE Spain), as well as their distribution in different environmental compartments, including surface water, sediments, biota (river biofilm and fish tissues), and field-collected plastic litter. In addition, their concentrations in serving WWTPs, as possible sources of environmental contamination, were also determined. Our study confirmed the widespread occurrence of PhACs in riverine and, to a more limited extent, coastal environments. Most frequently detected PhACs belonged to analgesics/anti-inflammatories (e.g., ibuprofen) and psychiatric drugs (e.g., venlafaxine) therapeutic groups, followed by antihypertensives (e.g., valsartan) and antibiotics (e.g., azithromycin). Seasonal differences in cumulative levels of PhACs were reported for water and sediments (winter>summer). Despite spatial gradients were not clear along the river, a non-negligible contribution of upstream Ebro sites (reference area) was highlighted, which was unexpected based on the low anthropogenic pressure. Sediments represented a minor attenuation pathway for the selected PhACs, whereas they were more heavily accumulated in biota: fish liver (up to 166 ng/g dw), river biofilms (up to 108 ng/g dw), fish plasma (up to 63 ng/mL), and fish muscle (up to 31 ng/g dw). These findings highlight the importance of biomonitoring in the characterization of polluted areas and prioritization of hazardous substances (e.g., psychiatric drugs) in aquatic systems, and a particular interest of fish plasma as non-destructive biomonitoring matrix. PhACs were also detected on plastic litter, demonstrating their role as environmental sinks for certain PhACs (e.g., analgesics/anti-inflammatories, psychiatric drugs). Overall, the wi

Marine population connectivity involves organism movement and interactions in oceanic and coastal settings. It is essential for biodiversity by aiding genetic diversity, species distribution, and recovery from disturbances. It guides resource management strategies like fisheries and conservation planning, ensuring marine ecosystem sustainability. Seagrass meadows play a pivotal role within coastal ecosystems, contributing to essential ecological, physical, and economic functions. Despite the presence of protective policies, a continuous decline of seagrass meadows has been observed in recent years due to the impact of human activities and climate change. In the Balearic Islands of the Mediterranean Sea, these pressures are further intensified by tourism, underlining the pressing requirement to prioritize areas for protection and restoration while considering the connectivity between habitat patches. In this study, the dispersal of Posidonia oceanica, the most widespread seagrass species in the Mediterranean Sea, from semi-enclosed bays and nearshore locations within the Balearic Islands archipelago, is investigated using a high-resolution hydrodynamic model and an individual-based model. The simulations were subjected to analysis through a graph-theoretic approach, revealing significant variations in dispersal probabilities across different years. Notably, Alcudia Bay emerged as a prominent sink, while critical links were identified between Menorca and Mallorca, as well as between Mallorca and Ibiza. This study underscores the value of dispersal modelling and network analysis in conservation planning for foundational species, particularly within a regional, integrated framework of conservation management.

Larval dispersal is dependent on multiple physical and biotic factors and is a key driver of population connectivity. Connectivity is believed to be important in determining how species will cope in a changing climate by allowing species’ ranges to expand or constrict in response to environmental shifts. In the following study, we couple a 3D physical model system with an individual-based model to answer whether climate change effects on mussel larvae will affect the dispersal and the structure of the demographic connectivity in the Limfjorden. The Limfjorden in Denmark supports a large mussel fishery of the species Mytilus edulis and extensive mussel farming, which may be impacted by changes in larval supply under climate change. We produced scenarios changing the pelagic larval duration, spawning time, and presence of spawning mussels after events of hypoxia, and analysed the changes in potential larval recruitment. The results showed that only the 6-day and 36-day pelagic larval duration scenarios are significantly different from the reference scenario. There was no significant event on changes in spawning time. We described the hydrography of the basins to explain the connectivity results and concluded that severe events of hypoxia could potentially lead to the isolation of the fjord. Overall, this well-connected system is very stable to the changes addressed in this study. It is important to continue the research in this area since the adaptation and evolution of species in a changing ocean will bring discoveries that will be useful for future management and conservation decisions.