scholarly journals Population Structure and Growth of the Threatened Pen Shell, Pinna rudis (Linnaeus, 1758) in a Western Mediterranean Marine Protected Area

2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 785 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. NEBOT COLOMER ◽  
M. VÁZQUEZ-LUIS ◽  
J. R. GARCÍA-MARCH ◽  
S. DEUDERO
Keyword(s):  
Protected Area ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Shell Width ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Pen Shell ◽  
Absolute Growth ◽  
Slow Growing ◽  
Established Population

Coastal ecosystems are being extensively degraded by human activities. Benthic, slow-growing and long-lived species are highly vulnerable to these impacts. Marine protected areas might avoid biodiversity losses through habitat protection. The pen shell Pinna rudis is a protected species, but scarce data are available on its ecology and biology. The present study is a comprehensive ecological study encompassing several unknown aspects of the growth and inner record in relation to habitat types, density and size distribution. A total of 418 strip transects were conducted by scuba diving in the Marine Protected Area of Cabrera National Park (39.14° N, 2.96° E), during the summers of 2011, 2012 and 2013. Sampling was conducted across different habitats and depths exploring 152,146.35 m2 in total. Densities varied spatially within the park (from 0 to 6.89 ind./100 m2) corresponding to a wide range of sizes and ages. Most pen shells were patchily distributed and mainly concentrated in caves. Two hotspots with high densities represent the highest densities ever recorded worldwide, showing a possible link to high larval accumulation and settlement. The population size structure showed a unimodal distribution with shell width ranging from 6.2 to 25.0 cm, with an average shell width of 16.0 ± 3.4 cm. The absolute growth was asymptotic, with a maximum age and length of 28-31 years and 45 cm, respectively. This study on the biology and ecology of a well-established population of Pinna rudis in the Western Mediterranean could set a baseline for the conservation of this species in other areas.

scholarly journals Structure and spatio-temporal dynamics of artisanal fisheries around a Mediterranean marine protected area

2009 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aitor Forcada ◽  
Carlos Valle ◽  
José L. Sánchez-Lizaso ◽  
Just T. Bayle-Sempere ◽  
Fabio Corsi
Keyword(s):  
Protected Area ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Marine Reserve ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Artisanal Fisheries ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Abstract Forcada, A., Valle, C., Sánchez-Lizaso, J. L., Bayle-Sempere, J. T., and Corsi, F. 2010. Structure and spatio-temporal dynamics of artisanal fisheries around a Mediterranean marine protected area. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 191–203. Marine protected areas (MPAs) have been proposed and established throughout the world, but few studies have adequately assessed the spatial adaptations of fishers to the limitations imposed by their placement. The main objectives of this work were to identify and describe the characteristics of the artisanal fisheries around Tabarca Marine Reserve (western Mediterranean Sea) and to define their activity in space and time. Data were collected through questionnaires to fishers and onboard sampling. The artisanal fisheries were complex owing to the multispecific nature of the landings, the variety of gears involved, and their marked seasonality. All boats of the three harbours around the MPA were assessed, for a total of 32 boats. The fishers exploit 18 fishing grounds with eight gear types, for a total of 17 métiers. Mullus trammelnet, Sepia trammelnet, and sparid longline are the most frequently used métiers. The main factors determining the spatial distribution of the fishing effort are proximity to home harbour, habitat heterogeneity, and closeness to the MPA. Total fishing effort appeared slightly concentrated around the MPA, but each métier showed different patterns of effort distribution. Although the sparid gillnet and the sparid longline concentrated along MPA boundaries, the Sepia trammelnet and the Mullus trammelnet did not.

scholarly journals Abundancia y estructura poblacional de dos recursos pesqueros bentónicos fuera y dentro del área de una concesión marítima portuaria en Caldera, Región de Atacama, Chile

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 232
Author(s):  
JM Alonso Vega ◽  
Marcelo Valdebenito ◽  
Luis Caillaux ◽  
Jorge Bravo
Keyword(s):  
Protected Area ◽  
Reference Site ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Sea Urchins ◽  
The Future ◽  
Management Plans ◽  
Benthic Resources ◽  
Loxechinus Albus ◽  
Lessonia Berteroana

This study compares density and size structure of kelp Lessonia berteroana and sea urchins Loxechinus albus inside and outside a port concession area in Caldera. Greater abundance and larger adult individuals in populations of both benthic resources in this zone preliminarily indicates that this might be replicating a marine protected area. In the future, this port concession could contribute to the conservation of benthic resources as a reference site, without access to fisheries, useful for validating or implementing measures and actions in management plans or other instruments to support conservation.

Occurrence and Distribution of an Invasive Octocoral, Carijoa riisei in Malaysia’s Marine Park of Pulau Payar

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Normah S ◽  
◽  
Ismail MS ◽  
Md. Nizam I ◽  
Zaidnuddin I ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protected Area ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Diversity Indices ◽  
Percent Cover ◽  
Point Count ◽  
Marine Park ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Remedial Actions ◽  
Carijoa Riisei ◽  
Study Sites

The occurrence of the invasive snowflake coral, Carijoa riisei (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860) in Malaysian waters was reported after the species was first detected at Pulau Payar Marine Park in 2014. Its recent appearance in Pulau Payar highlights the need for baseline data concerning the distribution pattern and diversity of C. riisei within the Pulau Payar Marine Park and may enable effective remedial actions in controlling the overgrowth of this octocoral. The snowflake coral and other substrates were quantified over quadrats located randomly on a 50 m transects in three study sites, i.e. Coral Garden, Kaca Reef and Lembu Rock. The percent cover of each substrate category and diversity were determined using the Coral Point Count with Excel extensions (CPCe) software. The snowflake coral was most frequently observed at the depths of 10 to 20 m at each of the study sites. The area with highest coverage of this octocoral was in Kaca Reef at the depth of 20m. About one-third of the benthos and abiotic substrate at all sites was populated by C. riisei. Statistically, no significant differences were found between the distributions of C. riisei by sites. Using diversity indices, we were able to demonstrate the ability of this species to exploit a wide range of differing environments. This ability has allowed it to spread within this marine protected area. Based on this study, we suggested monitoring programs should be regularly conducted within Pulau Payar Marine Park, other reefs should be surveyed for its presence, and an effective mitigation program should be developed for the conservation of the marine ecosystems affected by this invasive species.

Colonization on Pinna nobilis at a marine protected area: extent of the spread of two invasive seaweeds

2014 ◽  
Vol 94 (5) ◽  
pp. 857-864 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maite Vázquez-Luis ◽  
Gàlia Banach-Esteve ◽  
Elvira Álvarez ◽  
Salud Deudero
Keyword(s):  
Protected Area ◽  
National Park ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Posidonia Oceanica ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Balearic Islands ◽  
Caulerpa Racemosa ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
Pinna Nobilis ◽  
North Western

Introduction of species is a major driver of global change and loss of biodiversity in ecosystems. The Mediterranean Sea is the most heavily invaded region in the world by introduced seaweeds. The fan mussel Pinna nobilis is the largest Mediterranean bivalve, and a protected species, present at depths from 0.5 m to 60 m. In Cabrera National Park marine protected area (MPA) (Balearic Islands, north-western Mediterranean) the population of P. nobilis is affected by the invasive seaweeds Lophocladia lallemandii and Caulerpa racemosa; however the extent of this colonization on the bivalve is unknown. Therefore, the main aims of the present study were to: (1) determine the extent of invasion of L. lallemandii and C. racemosa on the P. nobilis population; and (2) test if this invasion showed differences with depth. This is the first study assessing invasion by seaweeds on a large bivalve in a high density P. nobilis population. Pinna nobilis was distributed in all seagrass meadows surveyed within the MPA; we found a total of 872 live P. nobilis individuals, 449 and 423 of which were found at 10 and 20 m depth, respectively. High cover of L. lallemandii and low presence of C. racemosa were detected in the P. nobilis population, being quantified in 49.37% and 1.38% of the population of P. nobilis, respectively. Bathymetric differences on Lophocladia epizoism over P. nobilis has been recorded in this study; with increasing values of L. lallemandii cover index, biomass and volume at deeper depths. Pinna nobilis could be a preferential substratum for L. lallemandii in Posidonia oceanica meadows in deeper waters, acting as a stepping-stone for invasive seaweeds and facilitating the invasion throughout seagrass meadows.

scholarly journals Marine soundscape and fish biophony of a Mediterranean marine protected area

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12551
Author(s):  
Gabriella La Manna ◽  
Marta Picciulin ◽  
Alessia Crobu ◽  
Francesco Perretti ◽  
Fabio Ronchetti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Acoustic Monitoring ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Visual Census ◽  
Fish Sounds ◽  
The Impact

Background Marine soundscape is the aggregation of sound sources known as geophony, biophony, and anthrophony. The soundscape analysis, in terms of collection and analysis of acoustic signals, has been proposed as a tool to evaluate the specific features of ecological assemblages and to estimate their acoustic variability over space and time. This study aimed to characterise the Capo Caccia-Isola Piana Marine Protected Area (Italy, Western Mediterranean Sea) soundscape over short temporal (few days) and spatial scales (few km) and to quantify the main anthropogenic and biological components, with a focus on fish biophonies. Methods Within the MPA, three sites were chosen each in a different protection zone (A for the integral protection, B as the partial protection, and C as the general protection). In each site, two underwater autonomous acoustic recorders were deployed in July 2020 at a depth of about 10 m on rocky bottoms. To characterise the contribution of both biophonies and anthrophonies, sea ambient noise (SAN) levels were measured as sound pressure level (SPL dB re: 1 μ Pa-rms) at eight 1/3 octave bands, centred from 125 Hz to 16 kHz, and biological and anthropogenic sounds were noted. Fish sounds were classified and counted following a catalogue of known fish sounds from the Mediterranean Sea based on the acoustic characteristic of sound types. A contemporary fish visual census had been carried out at the test sites. Results SPL were different by site, time (day vs. night), and hour. SPLs bands centred at 125, 250, and 500 Hz were significantly higher in the daytime, due to the high number of boats per minute whose noise dominated the soundscapes. The loudest man-made noise was found in the A zone, followed by the B and the C zone, confirming that MPA current regulations do not provide protection from acoustic pollution. The dominant biological components of the MPA soundscape were the impulsive sounds generated by some invertebrates, snapping shrimps and fish. The vast majority of fish sounds were recorded at the MPA site characterized by the highest sound richness, abundance, and Shannon-Wiener index, coherently with the results of a fish visual census. Moreover, the acoustic monitoring detected a sound associated with a cryptic species (Ophidion spp.) never reported in the study area before, further demonstrating the usefulness of passive acoustic monitoring as a complementary technique to species census. This study provides baseline data to detect future changes of the marine soundscapes and some suggestions to reduce the impact of noise on marine biodiversity.

Short-term effect of human trampling on the upper infralittoral macroalgae of Ustica Island MPA (western Mediterranean, Italy)

2002 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
pp. 745-748 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Milazzo ◽  
R. Chemello ◽  
F. Badalamenti ◽  
S. Riggio
Keyword(s):  
Protected Area ◽  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Term Effect ◽  
Critical Levels ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Percentage Cover ◽  
Macroalgal Species ◽  
Human Trampling ◽  
Term Response

The short-term response of Mediterranean upper infralittoral macroalgal species to experimental human trampling was investigated. Disturbances of six different intensities were applied within the integral reserve of the Ustica Island marine protected area (Italy, Mediterranean Sea). The dominant macroalgal species Cystoseira brachicarpa v. balearica and Dictyota mediterranea were strongly affected by human trampling. Higher levels of disturbance significantly affected both algal percentage cover and canopy at an increasing rate. Three months after trampling, for both variables it was highlighted that the algal recovery from disturbance was incomplete, being significantly different among trampling intensities. The current study revealed that in the short-term it was not possible to identify critical levels of trampling that are sustainable for this shallow community.

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