Taphonomy of Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis) pellets from the Chafarinas islands (Spain)

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilie Guillaud ◽  
Arturo Morales-Muñiz ◽  
Eufrasia Roselló-Izquierdo ◽  
Philippe Béarez
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Diagnostic Criteria ◽  
Fish Bone ◽  
Sardina Pilchardus ◽  
Larus Michahellis ◽  
Fish Remains ◽  
Bone Accumulation ◽  
Digestive Processes

Fish are consumed by many predators in addition to humans. Identifying the agent responsible for an archaeological fish bone accumulation is a crucial yet far from straightforward task in the absence of diagnostic criteria. It is for this reason that exploring the features of fish bone collections produced by animals constitutes a key issue of archaeozoological research. In this paper, one such study is presented for the Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis J.F. Naumann, 1840). A total of 48 pellets were collected in a colony of the species on two islands of the Chafarinas archipelago (Mediterranean Sea). The analyses demonstrate that fish remains, represented by 13 species and 1 genus, made up 93% of the 2789 identified remains. Most assemblages were dominated by the European pilchard (Sardina pilchardus (Walbaum, 1792)). Our study indicates that digestive processes modify skeletal elements through abrasion and fragmentation. Based on the modifications that were recorded, a set of diagnostic criteria is proposed to serve as proxies for spotting fish bone deposits produced by Yellow-legged Gulls on archaeological assemblages.

Radiological risks assessment due to natural radioactivity in Mediterranean sea fishes

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Caridi ◽  
G. Belmusto
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Sparus Aurata ◽  
Dicentrarchus Labrax ◽  
Sardina Pilchardus ◽  
Cancer Risks ◽  
Merluccius Merluccius ◽  
Solea Solea ◽  
Mullus Surmuletus ◽  
Thunnus Alalunga ◽  
Belone Belone

Background and Objectives: In this article a comprehensive study was carried out for the determination of natural radioactivity in Mediterranean sea fishes and the evaluation of radiological health risks due to their ingestion. All analyzed samples came from the Calabria region, southern Italy, and, in particular, from the district of Reggio Calabria. Method: A total of seventy representative samples, five for each investigated species (Sardina Pilchardus, Mugil Cephalus, Scomber Scombrus, Sparus Aurata, Dicentrarchus Labrax, Tonnus Thynnus, Thunnus Alalunga, Xiphaias Gladius, Pagellus Erythrinnus, Engraulis Encrasicholus, Belone Belone, Solea Solea, Merluccius Merluccius, Mullus Surmuletus) were analyzed through HPGe gamma spectrometry. The evaluation of dose levels and lifetime cancer risks for adult members of the population due to the fishes ingestion was also performed. Results: The specific activity of 40K was investigated and its mean value was found to be: (157 ± 17) for Sardina Pilchardus, (138 ± 14) for Mugil Cephalus, (118 ± 13) for Scomber Scombrus, (128 ± 14) for Sparus Aurata, (146 ± 17) for Dicentrarchus Labrax, (93 ± 11) for Tonnus Thynnus, (137 ± 15) for Thunnus Alalunga, (98 ± 10) for Xiphaias Gladius, (105 ± 12) for Pagellus Erythrinnus, (132 ± 14) for Engraulis Encrasicholus, (113 ± 12) for Belone Belone, (34 ± 5) for Solea Solea, (76 ± 9) for Merluccius Merluccius and (96 ± 11) for Mullus Surmuletus, respectively. Conclusions: The committed effective dose and the lifetime cancer risks for adult members of the population due to the consumption of the investigated samples are lower than the average world value, the maximum acceptable level and the allowed range, respectively. It can then be concluded that the Mediterranean sea fishes consumed in the study area pose no significant health risks to the population from a radiological point of view.

scholarly journals Habitat suitability modelling for sardine juveniles (Sardina pilchardus) in the Mediterranean Sea

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 367-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARIANNA GIANNOULAKI ◽  
MARIA M. PYROUNAKI ◽  
BERNARD LIORZOU ◽  
IOLE LEONORI ◽  
VASILIS D. VALAVANIS ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Habitat Suitability ◽  
Sardina Pilchardus ◽  
Habitat Suitability Modelling ◽  
The Mediterranean

Interpreting archaeological fish remains

Antiquity ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 87 (337) ◽  
pp. 890-892 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon M. Erlandson
Keyword(s):  
Fish Bone ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Important Paper ◽  
Early Date ◽  
Timor Leste ◽  
Anatomically Modern Humans ◽  
Terminal Pleistocene ◽  
Fish Remains ◽  
Pelagic Fishing ◽  
Marine Fishing

In an important paper, O'Connor et al. (2011) described evidence for marine fishing from around 42 000-year-old (cal BP) deposits at Jerimalai Shelter on Timor-Leste. The paper's title referred to evidence for pelagic fishing and the maritime skills of anatomically modern humans (AMH). Considering that not long ago human seafaring and marine fishing were considered to be limited to the terminal Pleistocene or early Holocene (see Erlandson 2001), the paper's broader significance lies in the further evidence for Pleistocene voyaging required to colonise Timor-Leste and the quantities of fish bone that represent a substantial marine fishing effort at a relatively early date.

Dechlorane Plus in eggs of two gull species (Larus michahellis and Larus audouinii) from the southwestern Mediterranean Sea

2012 ◽  
Vol 404 (9) ◽  
pp. 2765-2773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Muñoz-Arnanz ◽  
Jose Luis Roscales ◽  
Alba Vicente ◽  
Jose Ignacio Aguirre ◽  
Begoña Jiménez
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Dechlorane Plus ◽  
Larus Michahellis ◽  
Larus Audouinii

scholarly journals Reproduction and Sexual Maturity of European Sardine (Sardina pilchardus) in the Central Mediterranean Sea

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gualtiero Basilone ◽  
Rosalia Ferreri ◽  
Salvatore Aronica ◽  
Salvatore Mazzola ◽  
Angelo Bonanno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Peer Review Process ◽  
Fish Population ◽  
Size At Maturity ◽  
Sardina Pilchardus ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Central Mediterranean Sea

Understanding drivers of fish maturity is essential to predict the productivity, stability, and resiliency of exploited populations. Size at maturity for European sardine (Sardina pilchardus) in the Central Mediterranean Sea has never been published within rigorous peer review process. In the past, stock assessment working groups in the Mediterranean requested such information; however, the size at which 50% of the fish population reaches the sexual maturity (L50) often received weak estimates based on a single or few years of observation, which do not necessarily reflect the whole stock. To address this data gap for the Central Mediterranean Sea, the present research estimated size at maturity of European sardine in the Strait of Sicily. In the study period (2009–2017), sampled individuals exhibited significant differences in size range as well as in body condition and reproductive effort. Data also permitted a clear identification of the spawning season, starting in September–October and ending in March–April the following year. Along the analyzed period, the size at first maturity ranged from 108 to 124 mm (total length) for females and from 102 to 122 mm for males. Significant differences were recorded among genders and years. Moreover, a goodness-of-fit measure was proposed to assess the robustness and reliability of L50 estimates, and thus selecting those that minimize the fitting-associated errors. Finally, results suggested that the low proportion of immature individuals in the samples represents the main source of bias in L50 estimation and possible solution was also proposed.

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