scholarly journals Conflicting interests and growing importance of non‐indigenous species in commercial and recreational fisheries of the Mediterranean Sea

Author(s):  
Periklis Kleitou ◽  
Dimitrios K. Moutopoulos ◽  
Ioannis Giovos ◽  
Demetris Kletou ◽  
Ioannis Savva ◽  
...  
NeoBiota ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 70 ◽  
pp. 151-165
Author(s):  
Francesco Zangaro ◽  
Benedetta Saccomanno ◽  
Eftychia Tzafesta ◽  
Fabio Bozzeda ◽  
Valeria Specchia ◽  
...  

The biodiversity of the Mediterranean Sea is currently threatened by the introduction of Non-Indigenous Species (NIS). Therefore, monitoring the distribution of NIS is of utmost importance to preserve the ecosystems. A promising approach for the identification of species and the assessment of biodiversity is the use of DNA barcoding, as well as DNA and eDNA metabarcoding. Currently, the main limitation in the use of genomic data for species identification is the incompleteness of the DNA barcode databases. In this research, we assessed the availability of DNA barcodes in the main reference libraries for the most updated inventory of 665 confirmed NIS in the Mediterranean Sea, with a special focus on the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) barcode and primers. The results of this study show that there are no barcodes for 33.18% of the species in question, and that 45.30% of the 382 species with COI barcode, have no primers publicly available. This highlights the importance of directing scientific efforts to fill the barcode gap of specific taxonomic groups in order to help in the effective application of the eDNA technique for investigating the occurrence and the distribution of NIS in the Mediterranean Sea.


2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bella Galil ◽  
Ferdinando Boero ◽  
Simona Fraschetti ◽  
Stefano Piraino ◽  
Marnie Campbell ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Carlo Nike Bianchi ◽  
Francesco Caroli ◽  
Paolo Guidetti ◽  
Carla Morri

Global warming is facilitating the poleward range expansion of plant and animal species. In the Mediterranean Sea, the concurrent temperature increase and abundance of (sub)tropical non-indigenous species (NIS) is leading to the so-called ‘tropicalization’ of the Mediterranean Sea, which is dramatically evident in the south-eastern sectors of the basin. At the same time, the colder north-western sectors of the basin have been said to undergo a process of ‘meridionalization’, that is the establishment of warm-water native species (WWN) previously restricted to the southern sectors. The Gulf of Genoa (Ligurian Sea) is the north-western reach for southern species of whatever origin in the Mediterranean. Recent (up to 2015) observations of NIS and WWN by diving have been collated to update previous similar inventories. In addition, the relative occurrences of both groups of southern species have been monitored by snorkelling between 2009 and 2015 in shallow rocky reefs at Genoa, and compared with the trend in air and sea surface temperatures. A total of 20 southern species (11 NIS and 9 WWN) was found. Two WWN (the zebra seabream Diplodus cervinus and the parrotfish Sparisoma cretense) and three NIS (the SW Atlantic sponge Paraleucilla magna, the Red Sea polychaete Branchiomma luctuosum, and the amphi-American and amphi-Atlantic crab Percnon gibbesi) are new records for the Ligurian Sea, whereas juveniles of the Indo-Pacific bluespotted cornetfish Fistularia commersonii have been found for the first time. While temperature has kept on increasing for the whole period, with 2014 and 2015 being the warmest years since at least 1950, the number of WWN increased linearly, that of NIS increased exponentially, contradicting the idea of meridionalization and supporting that of tropicalization even in the northern sectors of the Mediterranean basin.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Tamburini ◽  
Erica Keppel ◽  
Agnese Marchini ◽  
Michele F. Repetto ◽  
Gregory M. Ruiz ◽  
...  

Baseline port monitoring for fouling communities is an essential tool to assess non-indigenous species (NIS) introduction and spread, but a standardized and coordinated method among Mediterranean and European countries has not yet been adopted. In this context, it is important to test monitoring protocols that allow for the collection of standardized and directly comparable data, replicated across time and space. Here, for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea, we tested a standardized protocol developed by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) and used now in several countries. The 3-year monitoring survey (2018–2020) was conducted in the Gulf of La Spezia (Ligurian Sea, Italy), with the deployment of a total of 50 PVC panels per year in five different sites (a commercial harbor, three marinas and a site in the proximity of a shellfish farm). A total of 79 taxa were identified, including 11 NIS, ranging from zero to seven NIS for each panel. In comparison with previous surveys, new NIS arrivals were observed in the Gulf of La Spezia: Botrylloides cf. niger, Branchiomma sp., Branchiomma luctuosum, Paraleucilla magna, and Watersipora arcuata. At the end of the 3-year monitoring, mean richness? and percent cover of NIS were measured, and both measures differed across the monitoring sites, with higher values in two marinas and in the commercial harbor. Among years, richness of NIS was relatively stable at each monitoring site. The structure of the fouling was influenced more by native and cryptogenic species than by NIS. Moreover, among the monitoring sites, the density of artificial structures was not a reliable predictor or proxy for local NIS abundance. This first application of the SERC method in the Mediterranean Sea, demonstrates both pros and cons, including the detection of new NIS reported here. Further direct comparisons with other NIS monitoring tools are recommended, and additional tests to assess its effectiveness in this biogeographical area are encouraged. A broader application of this and other standard methods across temporal and spatial scales in the Mediterranean basin should be implemented, providing critical data needed to assess changes in the structure of fouling communities.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aylin Ulman ◽  
Agnese Marchini ◽  
Christos Arvanitidis ◽  
Anna Occhipinti

This study seeks to identify the hotspots for the secondary spread of non-indigenous species (NIS) resulting for recreational boating travel patterns across the Mediterranean Sea, and investigate the potential for internal spread within each study region. Three Mediterranean regions will be sampled for: 1) NIS richness in the marinas and NIS richness and abundance from recreational vessels; 2) biopollution level of transient recreational boats; 3) geographic range of NIS within each region; 4) hull cleaning and travel history of recreational boats. The results will then be tested with other abiotic factors to determine which factors are significant in contributing to making some marinas more high-risk for the presence and transfer of alien species. Finally, a spatial connectivity network analysis will be presented of the 30 sampled marinas by combining a risk-level for each marina along with recreational boating travel patterns. Marina selection is based on the busiest marinas for recreational boaters in each region in combination with securing permission and feasibility. Samples for Amathia verticillatum will be collected from each region and genetically tested to determine if they share the same initial or secondary source of invasion.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 469 ◽  
Author(s):  
ARGYRO ZENETOS ◽  
EIRINI GRATSIA ◽  
ANA-CRISTINA CARDOSO ◽  
KONSTANTINOS TSIAMIS

Time lags in non-indigenous species (NIS) reporting can create uncertainty in the analysis of NIS introduction rates, which can lead to inadequate actions, prevention measures and their evaluation. The present study aims to highlight time lags in marine NIS reporting in the Mediterranean Sea, i.e.: the time that mediates from the detection of a new NIS in the Mediterranean Sea until its publication. Our results revealed that the time lag in NIS reporting in the Mediterranean Sea has been considerably decreased during the last decades. There is also a noticeable difference in the time lag of reporting NIS in association with the taxonomic group of the species. Fish have generally shorter time lags in their reporting when compared with other taxonomic groups (e.g. macrophytes, Annelida, Bryozoa). Considering the widespread concern on marine introductions, it is essential to recognize the importance of taking into account time lags of reporting NIS that skew introduction patterns of marine NIS, permitting thus more accurate management assessments.


Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1062
Author(s):  
Cinzia Gravili ◽  
Sergio Rossi

The aims of the present paper were to review the knowledge about the Mediterranean non-indigenous species of the taxa Cnidaria and Ctenophora (CC NIS), to screen the risk of 98 species for their potential invasiveness in the Mediterranean Sea and their approach to the Italian waters. Of these, 38% are well established in the basin, 4% are known for their invasiveness, 44% are casual, 11% have a taxonomic status unresolved, and 3% are included in the category ”cryptogenic”. The biodiversity CC NIS of the Mediterranean Sea has changed considerably in the last two decades and 27 out of 98 Mediterranean CC NIS are present in the Italian waters. Fifteen CC NIS, some equipped with high invasive potential, should be regarded as good candidates to become future immigrants of the Italian waters. Anticipatory NIS forecast based on biogeographical and ecological analyses may provide a useful tool for targeted management of the CC NIS issue and for the assessment of the second descriptor of Good Environmental Status. On the other hand, conservation and management of marine ecosystem should be based on the conservation of the essential environmental conditions for the functioning of these ecosystems instead of the contamination or eradication of alien species.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aylin Ulman ◽  
Agnese Marchini ◽  
Christos Arvanitidis ◽  
Anna Occhipinti

This study seeks to identify the hotspots for the secondary spread of non-indigenous species (NIS) resulting for recreational boating travel patterns across the Mediterranean Sea, and investigate the potential for internal spread within each study region. Three Mediterranean regions will be sampled for: 1) NIS richness in the marinas and NIS richness and abundance from recreational vessels; 2) biopollution level of transient recreational boats; 3) geographic range of NIS within each region; 4) hull cleaning and travel history of recreational boats. The results will then be tested with other abiotic factors to determine which factors are significant in contributing to making some marinas more high-risk for the presence and transfer of alien species. Finally, a spatial connectivity network analysis will be presented of the 30 sampled marinas by combining a risk-level for each marina along with recreational boating travel patterns. Marina selection is based on the busiest marinas for recreational boaters in each region in combination with securing permission and feasibility. Samples for Amathia verticillatum will be collected from each region and genetically tested to determine if they share the same initial or secondary source of invasion.


2018 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-90
Author(s):  
Manuela I. Parente ◽  
Daniela Gabriel ◽  
Joana Micael ◽  
Andrea Z. Botelho ◽  
Enric Ballesteros ◽  
...  

AbstractAcrothamnion preissiiis an invasive species in the Mediterranean Sea, and is listed among the 100 worst non-indigenous species. In July and August 2009, this non-native red macroalga was found for the first time in the Azores (on Santa Maria), and this represents the first record of this species in the Atlantic. Here, we describe the establishment of this invasive species in the Atlantic. In recent surveys,A. preissiidisplayed an invasive behaviour. As suggested for the Mediterranean Sea, hull fouling is the most likely vector for its introduction into the Azores.


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