scholarly journals The RADMED monitoring program: towards an ecosystem approach

2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 645-671 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. López-Jurado ◽  
R. Balbín ◽  
B. Amengual ◽  
A. Aparicio-González ◽  
M. L. Fernández de Puelles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Environment ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Biological Variables ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Planktonic Communities

Abstract. In the Western Mediterranean, the IEO-RADMED monitoring program is already conducting many of the evaluations required under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MFSD) along the Spanish Mediterranean coast. The different aspects of the ecosystem that are regularly sampled under this monitoring program are the physical environment and the chemical and biological variables of the water column, together with the planktonic communities, biomass and structure. Moreover, determinations of some anthropogenic stressors on the marine environment, as contaminants and microplastics, are under develop. Data are managed and stored at the IEO Data Center that works under the SeaDataNet infrastructure and are also stored under the IBAMar database. In combination with remote sensing data they are used to address open questions on the ecosystem in the Western Mediterranean sea.

scholarly journals The RADMED monitoring programme as a tool for MSFD implementation: towards an ecosystem-based approach

Ocean Science ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 897-908 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. López-Jurado ◽  
R. Balbín ◽  
F. Alemany ◽  
B. Amengual ◽  
A. Aparicio-González ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
Monitoring Programme ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Biological Variables ◽  
Open Questions ◽  
Development Data ◽  
Planktonic Communities

Abstract. In the western Mediterranean Sea, the RADMED monitoring programme is already conducting several of the evaluations required under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MFSD) along the Spanish Mediterranean coast. The different aspects of the ecosystem that are regularly sampled under this monitoring programme are the physical environment and the chemical and biological variables of the water column, together with the planktonic communities, biomass and structure. Moreover, determinations of some anthropogenic stressors on the marine environment, such as contaminants and microplastics, are under development. Data are managed and stored at the Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO) Data Centre that works under the SeaDataNet infrastructure, and are also stored in the IBAMar database. In combination with remote sensing data, they are used to address open questions on the ecosystems in the western Mediterranean Sea.

scholarly journals Migration, residency, and homing of bluefin tuna in the western Mediterranean Sea

2013 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 510-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Marc Fromentin ◽  
Daniel Lopuszanski
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Spatial Dynamics ◽  
Bluefin Tuna ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Careful Consideration ◽  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
The North ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Local Enrichment

Abstract This study presents the results of an electronic tagging programme on mature Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABFT) that has been conducted since 2007 offshore of the French Mediterranean Coast. The spatial distributions of ABFT showed little year-to-year variation and the fish concentrated in a small area of the central northwestern Mediterranean, where they may stay for several months. The individual tracks display sinuous trajectories in this area, indicating the possibility of feeding behaviour. No fish went out to the North Atlantic, but several fish displayed some migration to the southern western Mediterranean Sea during winter and the central Mediterranean during the spawning season. The homing behaviour of one fish after a full year as well as the back and forth of several fish further indicates that this restricted feeding area is probably persistent from year to year. We hypothesize that this area could result from local enrichment due to permanent mesoscale oceanographic features related to the North Mediterranean Current and the North Balearic front. The option of a spatial management, through marine protected areas, for a highly migratory species, such as ABFT, thus deserves more careful consideration because those species displayed complex spatial dynamics (e.g. homing), and population structure (e.g. several subpopulations of different sizes).

scholarly journals Genetic differentiation among Parastichopus regalis populations from Western Mediterranean Sea: potential effects of its fishery and current connectivity.

2015 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 489 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. MAGGI ◽  
M. GONZÁLEZ-WANGÜEMERT
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Genetic Differentiation ◽  
Haplotype Diversity ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Coi Gene ◽  
Fixation Index ◽  
Morphological Description ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea

Parastichopus regalis (Cuvier, 1817) is the most expensive seafood product on the catalonian market (NE Spain), with prices around 130 €/Kg (fresh weight). Despite its ecological and economic importance, biological and genetic information on this sea cucumber species is scarce. We provided the first insight on the genetic structure of P. regalis using sequences of cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and 16S genes, as well as a morphological description of its populations. Individuals were collected in six locations along the Spanish Mediterranean coast, including an area under fishery pressure (Catalonia). We found high haplotype diversity and low nucleotide diversity for both genes, with higher levels of genetic diversity observed on COI gene. Population pairwise fixation index (FST), AMOVA and correspondence analysis (CA) based on COI, revealed significant genetic differentiation among some locations. However, further analysis using nuclear markers (e.g. microsatellites) would be necessary to corroborate these results. Moreover, the genetic and morphological data may indicate fishery effects on the Catalonian population with decrease of the size and weight average and lower genetic diversity compared to locations without fishery pressure. For an appropriate management of this species, we suggest: 1) an accurate assessment of the stocks status along the Spanish coasts; 2) the study of the reproductive cycle of this target species and the establishment of a closed fishery season according to it; 3) the founding of protected areas (i.e. not take zones) to conserve healthy populations and favour the recruitment on the nearby areas.

Identification of sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) nursery areas in the north-western Mediterranean Sea

2009 ◽  
Vol 89 (7) ◽  
pp. 1367-1374 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Dufour ◽  
M. Cantou ◽  
F. Lecomte
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Lagoons ◽  
Dicentrarchus Labrax ◽  
Sea Bass ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
European Sea Bass ◽  
Nursery Areas ◽  
The North ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Gulf Of Lion

Nursery areas of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax, L.) were investigated from spring 2005 to summer 2006 in areas along the French Mediterranean coast of the Gulf of Lion. Nurseries were identified by the presence of settling individuals of sea bass and young juveniles. These nurseries represent different types of sheltered shallow habitats, both natural such as coastal lagoons, estuaries, and artificial such as marinas. Settlement occurred from April to June during both years. The number of settling individuals varied between sites from just a few individuals to several thousand. In one given site, settlement also varied between 2005 and 2006. The size distribution of sampled individuals revealed that several pulses arrived in each nursery. At this stage, sea bass already exhibited a strong orientation capacity but a limited swimming ability. The magnitude of sea bass settlement in marinas requires better environmental management of such artificial areas.

Diet of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in the western Mediterranean Sea

2001 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
pp. 1053-1058 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Blanco ◽  
O. Salomón ◽  
J.A. Raga
Keyword(s):  
Tursiops Truncatus ◽  
Diet Composition ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
Important Prey ◽  
Western Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Causative Factors ◽  
Behavioural Patterns

The stomach contents of 16 bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus (Cetacea: Odontoceti) stranded in the Spanish Mediterranean coast were examined. Remains and size of prey were analysed and correlated with the ecological characteristics and behavioural patterns of this dolphin. Fish and cephalopods represented the main diet components, and hake Merluccius merluccius was the most important prey. The food habits were considered as mainly demersal according to the characteristics of the prey. The study suggested ontogenic and sexual differences in feeding behaviour based on diet composition and hake size. The potential causative factors, particularly as they relate to dolphin social structure, are discussed.

Advancing an Ecosystem Approach in the Gulf of Maine

2012 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Fisheries Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Gulf Of Maine ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Ecosystem Approach ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
Biological Variables ◽  
Assessment Approach ◽  
New Research ◽  
Science Symposium

<i>Abstract</i>.—This chapter summarizes contributions to a theme session of the 2009 Gulf of Maine Science Symposium held in St. Andrew’s, New Brunswick in October, 2009. The session highlighted the present status of science required to observe, interpret, and predict changes in the Gulf of Maine ecosystem in the context of strategies for regional implementation of an ecosystem approach to management (EAM). Perspectives on present ecosystem approaches to Gulf of Maine fisheries management contrast the integrated ecosystem assessment approach by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, with the more incremental advancement to EAM based on traditional fisheries management practices undertaken by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. A section on contributions from the broader research community provides perspectives on observations and different approaches to analysis, including coupled physical biological modeling as a tool for the integration, interpretation, and prediction of multidisciplinary environmental data. The Atlantic Zonal Monitoring Program has established an observing system for physical and biological characteristics of Canadian coastal waters, and NERACOOS (the Northeast Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems) is developing infrastructure for coordination of U.S. regional observing activities. A common theme is the need for more sustained time series of critical physical and biological variables that document change, especially in nearshore, coastal, and benthic habitats. Additionally, there is a need to development and maintain bridges to transfer new research knowledge, understanding, and analysis tools to the state, provincial, and federal agencies and fisheries management councils where EAM will be implemented.

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