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A specimen of a sixgill bluntnose shark, Hexanchus griseus (Bonnaterre, 1788), was caught 1.5 NM north of Cape Ronek (Izola, Slovenia) in a fishing net for large-sized flatfish (such as turbot) on 28 January 2018. Three other older cases of catch of sixgill bluntnose sharks were recorded in Slovenia and the Gulf of Trieste. Among these, the finding of the specimen in the Lagoon of Marano and Grado is unusual although there are reported cases of sixgill bluntnose sharks in rivers. An analysis of the available data on the bluntnose sixgill shark in the Adriatic Sea, obtained from different published papers, social media and other sources, was done to understand whether the occurrence of H. griseus in the northern Adriatic differs from other parts. A generalised linear model (GLM) approach revealed that larger specimens are more frequently sighted across the Adriatic Sea, while in the Northern Adriatic part, significantly smaller specimens (juveniles) were recorded in comparison to the Central and Southern parts. It seems that the bluntnose sixgill shark is not in conjunction with a common large shark decreasing trend across the whole Mediterranean Sea.

The concept of “blue growth,” which aims to promote the growth of ocean economies while holistically managing marine socioecological systems, is emerging within na-tional and international marine policy. The concept is often promoted as being novel; however, we show that historical analogies exist that can provide insights for contem-porary planning and implementation of blue growth. Using a case-study approach based on expert knowledge, we identified 20 historical fisheries or aquaculture ex-amples from 13 countries, spanning the last 40–800 years, that we contend embody blue growth concepts. This is the first time, to our knowledge, that blue growth has been investigated across such broad spatial and temporal scales. The past societies managed to balance exploitation with equitable access, ecological integrity and/or economic growth for varying periods of time. Four main trajectories existed that led to the success or failure of blue growth. Success was linked to equitable rather than open access, innovation and management that was responsive, holistic and based on scientific knowledge and monitoring. The inability to achieve or maintain blue growth resulted from failures to address limits to industry growth and/or anticipate the im-pacts of adverse extrinsic events and drivers (e.g. changes in international markets, war), the prioritization of short-term gains over long-term sustainability, and loss of supporting systems. Fourteen cross-cutting lessons and 10 recommendations were derived that can improve understanding and implementation of blue growth. Despite the contemporary literature broadly supporting our findings, these recommenda-tions are not adequately addressed by agendas seeking to realize blue growth.

Marine litter represents a transboundary challenge since it originates from manifold sources and travels long distances. Reducing marine litter can involve measures to prevent, mitigate, and remove litter, as well as to change behaviour. So far, the effects of prevention policies have been ineffective, resulting in great amounts of litter at sea and suggesting that removal actions are needed. Between 2014 and 2016, 15 ports in five countries (Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro and Greece) in the Adriatic-Ionian macroregion implemented Fishing for Litter (FFL) pilot projects. The FFL scheme is a clean-up activity that aims to remove marine litter from the seafloor: fishing vessels collect marine litter that is caught in their nets during fishing activities and dispose of it on the quayside. This study investigates the barriers to implementing the FFL scheme in the Adriatic-Ionian macroregion. We prioritized the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of the pilot projects in each country and compared the Adriatic-Ionian experience with that of the FFL initiatives in progress in Scotland since 2005 to achieve a comparative description and benefit from the lessons learnt. The lack of a comprehensive, holistic approach to marine litter management and an ambiguous bureaucracy with unclear definitions of the responsibilities are the main factors hampering the implementation of the FFL scheme in the Adriatic-Ionian macroregion. However, the increasing number of directives and strategies to address marine litter and the extensive public interest and media coverage represent opportunities to institutionalize the scheme as an effective clean-up strategy in the region.

Marine litter is a threat to marine life and an economic burden for coastal communities, but efforts to address the issue are hampered by the lack of data for many countries. We performed the first harmonized assessment of seafloor litter (trawl and visual surveys) in six countries of the Adriatic-Ionian macroregion. Seafloor litter showed an uneven distribution throughout the area, with large differences in litter densities and composition among countries and locations. An emerging problem in the area resulted in short-term & single-use objects that represented the largest fraction of litter. Packaging was the economic sector contributing most to seafloor litter on the continental shelf and upper slope, while in some areas aquaculture (mussel farming) represented a key activity producing marine litter. In coastal areas and bays (e.g. Boka Kotorska bay, Montenegro), seafloor litter was mainly related to construction activities and electronic goods, which are a consequence of fly-tipping/illegal dumping.

The main objective of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) was to achieve a Good Environmental Status (GES) in European waters by 2020, according to 11 descriptors. Descriptor 10 is related to marine litter and envisages that the properties and quantities of marine litter are at a level that does not cause harm to the coastal and marine environment. Even if GES was not achieved by 2020, the first MSFD implementation cycle filled many gaps in knowledge. Here we present the first data (2015–2018) on beach litter densities along Italian coasts and discuss lessons learnt and future perspectives. The beach litter median density was 477 items/100 m (interquartile range: 261–934 items/100 m), but subregional differences emerged both in terms of litter quantities and composition. The Adriatic Sea was the most polluted subregion (590 items/100 m), followed by the Western Mediterranean Sea (491 items/100 m) and the Ionian Sea and Central Mediterranean Sea subregion (274 items/100 m). A high presence of aquaculture-related litter (mainly mussel nets) characterised beaches in the Adriatic Sea. At the same time, the numbers of cotton bud sticks were extremely high in some beaches of the Western Mediterranean Sea. General litter (items discarded or left by the public on the coast or inland and carried by winds and rivers or objects originating from tourism and recreation at land or sea, poor waste management practices, etc.) was the most common litter typology (38.8%). The results of this study represent the first baseline to compare achievement towards GES in the next years and the efficacy of the program of measures which entered into force in 2016, concerning beach litter densities and composition. They also highlight the necessity of a joint effort for deploying harmonised marine litter monitoring methodologies across the European Member States to obtain comparable results.

Macro- and microplastics abundances were determined in the Adriatic Sea following the MSFD TG10 protocol. The studied areas included populated gulfs, river outlets and offshore waters in five Adriatic countries. The use of small ships enabled us to detect small sized plastics (2.5–5 cm) and record average macroplastics densities of 251 ± 601 items km−2, one order of magnitude higher than previously considered. Results from manta net tows for microplastics revealed an average abundance of 315,009 ± 568,578 items km−2 (217 ± 575 g km−2). We found significantly higher microplastics abundances in nearshore (≤4 km) than in offshore waters (>4 km) and this trend seems to affect also the small sized macro plastic fragments (2.5–5 cm). The dominant polymers were polyethylene and polypropylene while the presence of some rare polymers and waxes used in food and dentistry indicated waste water treatment plants as potential sources of microplastics.

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In fisheries management there is now a broad consensus on the importance of including and integrating fishermen and their knowledge. This shift reflected by the latest reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy indicates, at least in principle, a move away from the traditional centralised ‘top-down’ model to a more decentralised ‘networked’ system of governance. What happens though to this ideal of participation when there is limited agreement about what the problems are and how to handle them? The GAP project case study in Chioggia, located in the Northern Adriatic, provides an opportunity to illustrate this question through exploring the differing perceptions and competing narratives surrounding ‘la crisi’ (the crisis) in the fisheries in question. Simply put, ‘la crisi’ represents a crisis in the sector, with stock collapse and the ruination of local fisheries-based livelihoods a likely outcome should the status quo be maintained. This perspective is held by many fishermen and a number of scientists working with them and yet is opposed by a counter narrative of ‘stability and ecosystem health’, promoted by regional fisheries managers and affiliated scientists. The Chioggia case study, a participatory research initiative between scientists and local fishermen, seeks to bridge this gap in knowledge by mapping the spatial and temporal distribution of resources and fishing effort in the Northern Adriatic Sea. The paper emphasises the challenges and opportunities that this research collaboration entails and assesses its capacity to catalyse or inhibit the conditions necessary for mobilising collective action in fisheries management.

Knowledge of the distribution of benthic assemblages is important for monitoring the environmental status of the seafloor and understanding the spatial pattern of demersal fish species and their essential habitats. This knowledge may allow for the enforcement of spatially explicit management approaches, such as those requested by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. However, traditional methods for benthic fauna sampling are time consuming and expensive, especially when surveying wide areas and relying on expensive sampling platforms, such as research vessels. We developed and tested a photographic method based on mega-epifauna identification and quantification through the analysis of pictures of demersal trawler discards. The method was tested with samples collected in the Northern Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea) at different spatial scales. In this framework, species compositions and abundance were determined through analysis of discard pictures. These samples were compared to those derived from discard samples simultaneously collected during field activities whose specific composition was analysed in the laboratory. The direct comparison between the photographic and laboratory data highlighted a significantly strong correlation in abundance estimates, although the photographic method was less effective for the detection of small-sized or hidden species. The multivariate comparisons of species site matrices obtained with the two methods also showed a strong, significant correlation, and the spatial patterns of assemblages were significantly consistent. Our results indicate that epifauna discarded by commercial demersal trawlers can be efficiently characterized and quantified using the photographic method, thereby halving the time needed for sample processing and easing practical barriers for sample collection and storage. These data may be used to identify different benthic assemblages and their distributions. This approach could take advantage of ongoing monitoring of commercial fishing activities and/or direct involvement of the fishing industry to allow the collection of benthic species/assemblage data over a wide spatial scale and with a high spatial/temporal resolution, thus making use of fishing vessels as an efficient sampling platform for benthic habitat investigations. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Marine litter is an environmental problem of global concern with well-documented impacts on marine biodiversity and ecosystems. At a global scale, marine litter is mainly composed of plastic. Plastics can affect marine organisms mainly through ingestion and entanglement but also through the facilitation of transport of organisms via rafting or the provision of new habitats for colonization. Impacts vary according to the type and size of the plastics and can occur at different levels of biological organization in a wide variety of habitats. In this chapter, we reviewed and synthesized literature in order to describe the impact of litter on marine life in the Mediterranean sensitive ecosystem. The review focused on the following impact categories: ingestion, entanglement and other effects (e.g. colonization and rafting). In the Mediterranean, reports of ingestion were made for more than 49,454 individuals from 116 species, of which the taxonomic group with the greatest number of species impacted was Teleosts (~59%). Forty-four species were found entangled in marine litter (59% were invertebrates, mainly Cnidarians), of which the species with the highest number of entanglement records in the Mediterranean Sea was the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta). One hundred and seventy-eight taxa were found rafting on floating objects or using marine litter as a substratum, including Chromista and Bacteria. The most common phyla rafting on marine litter were Arthropods and Cnidarians.

Historic data on biodiversity provide the context for present observations and allow studying long-term changes in marine populations. Here we present multiple datasets on fish and fisheries of the Adriatic Sea covering the last two centuries encompassing from qualitative observations to standardised scientific monitoring. The datasets consist of three groups: (1) early naturalists' descriptions of fish fauna, including information (e.g., presence, perceived abundance, size) on 255 fish species for the period 1818-1936; (2) historical landings from major Northern Adriatic fish markets (Venice, Trieste, Rijeka) for the period 1902-1968, Italian official landings for the Northern and Central Adriatic (1953-2012) and landings from the Lagoon of Venice (1945-2001); (3) trawl-survey data from seven surveys spanning the period 1948-1991 and including Catch per Unit of Effort data (kgh

The present study analyzes spatial distribution and typology of marine litter on the seabed in the FAO Geographical Sub-Area 17 (northern and central Adriatic Sea). Two surveys were conducted during fall 2011 and 2012 and 67 stations were sampled each year. Litter items were collected using the "rapido" trawl, a modified beam trawl commonly used by the Italian fishermen to catch flat fish and other benthic species. Marine litter in the catches was sorted and classified in 6 major categories (plastic, metal, glass, rubber, wood, other). Plastic litter was further subdivided in 3 sub- categories based on its source: fishing nets, aquaculture nets and other. Plastic was dominant in terms of weight followed by metal and other categories. The highest concentration of litter was found close to the coast likely as a consequence of high coastal urbanization, river inflow and extensive navigation associated with the morphological and hydrological features of the basin. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The abundance, composition and sources of marine litter were determined on beaches located in the seven countries of the Adriatic-Ionian macroregion, namely Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Montenegro and Slovenia. A total of 70,581 marine litter items were classified and recorded through one-year long surveys carried out in 31 sites. The average litter density of 0.67 items/m2 found within this study is considered to be relatively high. The beaches investigated differed in terms of human-induced pressures; their majority is classified either as semi-urban or semi-rural, while very few beaches could be characterized as urban or remote/natural. The majority of litter items were made of artificial/anthropogenic polymer materials accounting for 91.1% of all litter. Litter from shoreline sources accounted for 33.4% of all litter collected. The amount of litter from sea-based sources ranged in the different countries from 1.54% to 14.84%, with an average of 6.30% at regional level.

International audience; Historical management experiences of Mediterranean community-based fisheries were particularly effective in fostering both social cohesion and sustainable utilization of coastal resources. This figure contrasts with the current status of Mediterranean fisheries, where about 90% of stocks are overexploited. The key question then is: can past experiences guide our current approach to reshaping governance in the Mediterranean fisheries? In our effort to answer this question, we analyzed the main attributes of selected fishing governance systems in the Early and Mid-Modern period and their evolution through time. We focussed on the Spanish Cofradías, the French Prud’homies and the Venetian Fraglie (Italy). They were characterized by the establishment of territorial user rights system of management and governed technical aspects of the fisheries, market access, and restrictions. Fishers and their communities, through their corporations/organizations, were directly involved in legislating and enforcing management policies and regulations/rules. This approach to fisheries management differs from the one introduced by the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), established in the late 1970s, which was mainly top-down. Despite the systematic efforts to reduce fishing capacity and pressure on marine resources and to impose severe technical and restrictive measures, Mediterranean fisheries are still in bad conditions. To cope with this situation the EU recently reformed the CFP establishing, among other things, a new paradigm that seeks to foster the harmonization of the decision-making process in the context of the so-called “regionalization” of fisheries management. However, this policy does not clearly establish a proper community-based approach and restricts participation to national fishers’ associations in the context of the Advisory Council of the Mediterranean Sea. Without effectively linking local and regional fisheries management structures by engaging fishers and re-establishing a sense of community through providing community-based rights for fishing, this new effort will likely not succeed in achieving Mediterranean fisheries sustainability.Common Fisheries PolicyCofradiaśPrud’homiesFraglie

Plastic is widely used in everyday life being one of the more versatile materials ever produced. The rising demand of plastic items to support the societal development has dramatically boosted the annual plastic production from 1.5 in the 1950s to 311 million tonnes in 2014 (PlasticEurope in Plastic-the Facts 2015: an analysis of European plastic production, demand, and waste data, 2014). The dark side of the plastic revolution is the marine pollution, with an estimated amount of 9.5 million tonnes of new plastic waste flowing into the oceans each year (Boucher and Friot in Primary microplastics in the oceans: a global evaluation of sources. IUCN, Gland, p. 43, 2017).

Historic data on biodiversity provide the context for present observations and allow studying long-term changes in marine populations. Here we present multiple datasets on fish and fisheries of the Adriatic Sea covering the last two centuries encompassing from qualitative observations to standardised scientific monitoring. The datasets consist of three groups: (1) early naturalists’ descriptions of fish fauna, including information (e.g., presence, perceived abundance, size) on 255 fish species for the period 1818–1936; (2) historical landings from major Northern Adriatic fish markets (Venice, Trieste, Rijeka) for the period 1902–1968, Italian official landings for the Northern and Central Adriatic (1953–2012) and landings from the Lagoon of Venice (1945–2001); (3) trawl-survey data from seven surveys spanning the period 1948–1991 and including Catch per Unit of Effort data (kgh−1 and/or nh−1) for 956 hauls performed at 301 stations. The integration of these datasets has already demonstrated to be useful to analyse historical marine community changes over time, and its availability through open-source data portal will facilitate analyses in the framework of marine historical ecology.

Micro-plastic particles in the world's oceans represent a serious threat to both human health and marine ecosystems. Once released into the aquatic environment plastic litter is broken down to smaller pieces through photo-degradation and the physical actions of waves, wind, etc. The resulting particles may become so small that they are readily taken up by fish, crustaceans and mollusks. There is mounting evidence for the uptake of plastic particles by marine organisms that form part of the human food chain and this is driving urgent calls for further and deeper investigations into this pollution issue. The present study aimed at investigating for the first time the occurrence, amount, typology of microplastic litter in the gastrointestinal tract of Solea solea and its spatial distribution in the northern and central Adriatic Sea. This benthic flatfish was selected as it is a species of high commercial interest within the FAO GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean) area 37 (Mediterranean and Black Sea) where around 15% of the overall global Solea solea production originates. The digestive tract contents of 533 individuals collected in fall during 2014 and 2015 from 60 sampling sites were examined for microplastics. These were recorded in 95% of sampled fish, with more than one microplastic item found in around 80% of the examined specimens. The most commonly found polymers were polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, and polyamide, 72% as fragments and 28% as fibers. The mean number of ingested microplastics was 1.73 ± 0.05 items per fish in 2014 and 1.64 ± 0.1 in 2015. PVC and PA showed the highest densities in the northern Adriatic Sea, both inshore and off-shore while PE, PP and PET were more concentrated in coastal areas with the highest values offshore from the port of Rimini. Occurrence and polymeric composition of microplastics in stomach content of wild S. solea is assessed. Spatial distribution is more influenced both by polymers chemical-physical properties and peculiarities in the oceanographic conditions rather than by the feeding strategy of the species.

Since the origins of the first human settlements in the Venetian Lagoon, the exploitation of biological resources has represented the most important source of food for local communities. The Repubblica Serenissima strictly managed and controlled fishing activities because they were essential to the Venetian economy. Consequently, the Serenissima survived for over 1000 years in its lagoon, thanks to the numerous policies and regulations that were promulgated to enhance environmental quality, preserve biological resources and prevent degradation. An effective tool for assuring the sustainable use of resources was the establishment of fishermen's corporations called fraglie , which had the exclusive use of specific fishing grounds, introducing a sort of “restricted access” in lagoon resource management. Conversely, the fall of the Serenissima was followed by a progressive deregulation of fishing activities that was probably a consequence of the political instability of the area and the widespread poverty tha...

The biomagnification of tributyltin (TBT), dibutyltin (DBT), monobutyltin (MBT), and total butyltins (ΣBT) was analyzed in the Northern Adriatic food-web (Mediterranean) considering trophodynamic interactions among species and carbon sources in the food-web. Although it is acknowledged that these contaminants bioaccumulate in marine organisms, it is still controversial whether they biomagnify along food-webs. A wide range of species was considered, from plankton feeders to top predators, whose trophic level (TL) was assessed measuring the biological enrichment of nitrogen stable isotopes (δ(15)N). Carbon isotopic signature (δ(13)C) was used to trace carbon sources in the food-web (terrestrial vs marine). At least one butyltin species was detected in the majority of samples, and TBT was the predominant contaminant. A significant positive relationship was found between TL and butyltin concentrations, implying food-web biomagnification. Coherently, the Trophic Magnification Factor resulted higher than 1, ranging between 3.88 for ΣBT and 4.62 for DBT. A negative but not significant correlation was instead found between δ(13)C and butyltin concentrations, indicating a slight decreasing gradient of contaminants concentrations in species according to the coastal influence as carbon source in their diet. However, trophodynamic mechanisms are likely more important factors in determining butyltin distribution in the Northern Adriatic food-web.

At present, few studies have investigated the marine litter abundance, composition and distribution on rocky bottoms due to sampling constraints. We surveyed by means of the ROV imaging technique a system of biogenic rocky outcrops classified as a Site of Community Importance in the Adriatic Sea. A mean density of 3.3 (+/- 1.8) items/100 m(2) was recorded, with a strong dominance of fishing- and aquaculture-related debris, accounting for 69.4% and 18.9% of the total, respectively. The abundance of litter over the rocky bottoms was significantly higher than that on soft substrates, and its spatial distribution proved to be related to hydrographic factors. Litter-fauna interactions were high, with most of the debris (65.7%) entangling or covering benthic organisms, in particular habitat constructors such as the endangered sea sponge Geodia cydonium. Unless appropriate measures are undertaken to address this problem, the abundance of marine litter in the area is likely to increase. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

This study investigated the nurseries of seven commercially important demersal species of the northern sector of the Strait of Sicily (central Mediterranean): red mullet. European hake, horned octopus, deep-water rose shrimp, greater forkbeard. Norway lobster and giant red shrimp. An eleven-year series of data collected through experimental trawling in the Strait of Sicily during spring and autumn was analyzed. The spatio-temporal persistence of the high-density aggregations (hot spots) of juvenile individuals in their first year of life was investigated to identify habitats that serve as nurseries. The density of recruits within the persistent nurseries was used as a proxy of the unit area contribution of individuals which recruit to the adult population. The spatial distribution patterns of the recruits of most the species were well defined and very stable in the long term. Persistent and potentially highly productive nurseries of European hake, deep-water rose shrimp and greater forkbeard were identified off the southern coast of Sicily. Persistent areas of recruits concentration were also observed for the other species investigated, but their specific potential contribution of individuals to the adult population was not substantial compared to adjacent grounds. The close or overlapped localization of sites which regularly host vulnerable life stages of different exploited species, revealed an area of great ecological significance which probably plays a major role in the dynamics of the fishery resources in the Strait of Sicily. Appropriate spatial protection measures of this area, including marine protected area designation, could complement conventional management approach for ensuring the long-term sustainability of these fisheries and stocks conservation. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

The identification of nursery and spawning areas of coastal fish and shellfish populations represents fundamental information for stock assessment essential for giving advice for managers within the framework of Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries. This study investigates the bathymetric and spatial distribution of young-of-the-year and mature females of the deep-water rose shrimp, Parapenaens longirostris, in the Strait of Sicily (Central Mediterranean Sea) in order to describe the species nursery and spawning areas. Data were obtained from trawl surveys carried out yearly in spring and autumn from 1994 to 2004, and nursery and spawning areas were inferred by means of GIS techniques. Species maximum abundance occurred between 100 and 300 m. We found that young-of-the-year concentrated on the outer shelf while mature females occurred mostly between the outer shelf and the upper slope. We detected four large areas of aggregation of young-of-the-year, and three areas of aggregation of mature females. High concentrations of young-of-the-year and mature females persistently occupied some of these areas, representing stable nursery and spawning areas. Young-of-the-year and mature females aggregate where retention and enrichment processes occur, linked to the semi-permanent patterns resulting from the meanders of the Atlantic Ionian Stream. We highlight the importance of studying the spatial distribution pattern of commercial species to identify habitats essential to those species' life cycle. We detected deep-water rose shrimp nursery and spawning areas in the Strait of Sicily and discuss their spatial pattern in relation to the hydrological characteristics of the area.

Fiorentino, F., Badalamenti, F., D’Anna, G., Garofalo, G., Gianguzza, P., Gristina, M., Pipitone, C., Rizzo, P., and Fortibuoni, T. 2008. Changes in spawning-stock structure and recruitment pattern of red mullet, Mullus barbatus, after a trawl ban in the Gulf of Castellammare (central Mediterranean Sea). – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 1175–1183. The increase in biomass of red mullet, Mullus barbatus, in the Gulf of Castellammare (northwestern Sicily, central Mediterranean) after a 14-year trawl ban, prompted us to compare the spawning-stock structure and the recruitment pattern before and after the closure. Datasets obtained from three experimental trawl surveys were available before the ban (April and September 1985; April–May 1986) and four post-ban (September and November 2004; March and May 2005). Spawning-stock biomass increased significantly after the ban. Moreover, females at depths >50 m in the post-ban period were larger than those collected before the ban at the same depth. The recruitment pattern of the population also changed. Notably, recruit numbers increased and recruitment occurs over a broader period. The increase in biomass after the trawl ban seems to be the result of a combination of different processes, mainly associated with the lowering of fishing mortality. A positive trend in sea surface temperature in the area may have played a role too.

Historical baselines are needed to reconstruct long-term changes in marine animal populations and enhance our ability to articulate management recommendations. We reconstructed common angelshark (Squatina squatina) abundance in the Northern Adriatic Sea over the last two centuries by integrating different sources of formal and informal information. The wide amount of information collected helped assessing if the species is actually extirpated from the area, as stated in previous studies. According to naturalists’ accounts and historical documents, in the nineteenth and early twenty-first centuries the species was so abundant to sustain targeted fisheries, and large quantities of S. squatina were sold in the main fish markets. In the 1960s, the species collapsed and got economically extinct. Even if it was never caught in the area through scientific surveys during the period 1948–2014, from fishermen interviews emerged that the species is not extirpated. However, only 50% of interviewees caught S. squatina at least once and they were significantly older than the fishermen that never caught it (shifting baseline syndrome). Moreover, the size of the fish caught significantly decreased through time, indicating the depletion of larger individuals. Our integrated approach can be applied to any poorly assessed species so that appropriate international conservation measures can be prioritized.

Detecting the origin of marine benthic litter is fundamental for developing policies aimed at achieving the Good Environmental Status in European Seas by 2020, as requested by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). The abundance and composition of benthic litter in the Northern and Central Adriatic Sea were investigated at 67 stations with bottom trawl nets. Average density of benthic litter was 913 80 items/km(2), ranking the Adriatic as one of the most polluted basins worldwide, Plastic was dominant in terms of numbers (80%) and weight (62%), and mainly consisted in bags, sheets and mussel nets. Higher quantities of litter were found in coastal areas, especially in front river mouths, coastal cities and mussel farms. In deep waters, litter hotspots were associated with most congested shipping lanes, indicating an additional litter input to the basin. Benthic litter composition resulted to be largely driven by the vicinity to local sources, i.e. mussel farming installations and most congested shipping routes. These findings provide useful insights to set measures to manage marine litter in the Adriatic region, and possibly to minimize this anthropogenic pollution. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

As a discipline, marine historical ecology (MHE) has contributed significantly to our understanding of the past state of the marine environment when levels of human impact were often very different from those today. What is less widely known is that insights from MHE have made headway into being applied within the context of present-day and long-term management and policy. This study draws attention to the applied value of MHE. We demonstrate that a broad knowledge base exists with potential for management application and advice, including the development of baselines and reference levels. Using a number of case studies from around the world, we showcase the value of historical ecology in understanding change and emphasize how it either has already informed management or has the potential to do so soon. We discuss these case studies in a context of the science–policy interface around six themes that are frequently targeted by current marine and maritime policies: climate change, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem structure, habitat integrity, food security, and human governance. We encourage science–policy bodies to actively engage with contributions from MHE, as well-informed policy decisions need to be framed within the context of historical reference points and past resource or ecosystem changes.

Global warming is increasingly affecting marine ecosystems and ecological services they provide. One of the major consequences is a shift in species geographical distribution, which may affect resources availability to fisheries. We computed the mean temperature of the catch (MTC) for Italian catches from 1972 to 2012 to test if an increase of warmer-water species against colder-water ones was observed. We further analysed the relationship among MTC, landings, fishing effort and climatic factors through a Linear Mixed Models approach. Global MTC increased at a rate of 0.12 °C per decade. Though, by considering the influence of sea surface temperature (SST), a strongest increase (0.31 °C) was estimated in southernmost areas, while in the northernmost basin (Northern Adriatic Sea) a decrease of 0.14 °C was observed. SST resulted the most relevant driver, and the relationship between MTC and SST showed a high spatial variability both in terms of strength and sign, being positively stronger in southernmost areas while negative in the northernmost basin. The result is probably underestimated since several psychrophilous and thermophilous species were not included in the analysis. However, it seems that a change towards warmer-water species has already occurred in Italian marine ecosystems. Conversely, total landings temporal dynamics seem mostly driven by changes in fishing effort rather than by MTC and climatic factors. Consequently, fishery management strategies need to focalize primarily on fishing effort reduction, in order to reduce the pressure on the stocks while increasing their resilience to other stressors, among which global warming.

Over the last several years, a great deal of emphasis has been given to the use of participatory research to enhance knowledge co-production between fisheries stakeholders, involving fishers in the sampling of their catches both for scientific and control purposes. Indeed, this approach could complement data collection through trawl surveys and onboard observers, which is usually expensive and thus, does not allow much spatio-temporal coverage. Within the EU participatory research project, GAP2, electronic logbooks were installed on board otter-trawlers to collect haul-by-haul geo-referenced catch data in the Adriatic Sea (NW Mediterranean Sea). Between September 2012 and December 2013, catches of some of the most important otter-trawl target species (8 species including teleosts, cephalopods, and crustaceans) were recorded in 3588 self-sampled hauls. Because a major concern for the use of these data is related to their quality, self-sampling was run concurrently with a scientific observers’ program, which allowed the detailed monitoring of catches from 249 hauls. The latter dataset was used to test the reliability of fishers’ self-sampled data and for their validation. In all species, no significant disagreement between the two datasets was observed. The full self-sampled dataset was thus used to describe the spatio-temporal changes in catches, as derived by observers’ data, allowing important insights into species’ life cycles. Results agreed with available literature information and fishers’ experience-based knowledge, which was thus embedded in the process of data validation and results interpretation. The collaboration between scientists and fishermen was demonstrated to be a valuable approach for generating reliable fisheries data, allowing a better understanding and quantitative descriptions of species’ life cycles and the attainment of a common base of knowledge for the enforcement of spatially explicit fisheries management.

The understanding of fish communities' changes over the past centuries has important implications for conservation policy and marine resource management. However, reconstructing these changes is difficult because information on marine communities before the second half of the 20(th) century is, in most cases, anecdotal and merely qualitative. Therefore, historical qualitative records and modern quantitative data are not directly comparable, and their integration for long-term analyses is not straightforward. We developed a methodology that allows the coding of qualitative information provided by early naturalists into semi-quantitative information through an intercalibration with landing proportions. This approach allowed us to reconstruct and quantitatively analyze a 200-year-long time series of fish community structure indicators in the Northern Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea). Our analysis provides evidence of long-term changes in fish community structure, including the decline of Chondrichthyes, large-sized and late-maturing species. This work highlights the importance of broadening the time-frame through which we look at marine ecosystem changes and provides a methodology to exploit, in a quantitative framework, historical qualitative sources. To the purpose, naturalists' eyewitness accounts proved to be useful for extending the analysis on fish community back in the past, well before the onset of field-based monitoring programs.