Survey data on public awareness on the value of marine biodiversity conservation in the Strait of Sicily (Central Mediterranean Sea).

The Strait of Sicily (SoS) is a region of key ecological importance because of its peculiar oceanographic conditions, high biodiversity, and critical role as a transition area between the western and eastern basins of the Mediterranean Sea. The SoS was designated as an Ecologically or Biologically Significant Area (EBSA) by the Contracting Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2014 [1] and acknowledged as an Important Shark and Ray Area (ISRA) in 2023 [2]. Ongoing research and conservation efforts are essential to protect this vital marine corridor from increasing anthropogenic pressures.

What, where, and when: Spatial-temporal distribution of macro-litter on the seafloor of the western and central Mediterranean sea.

The progressive increase of marine macro-litter on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea is an urgent problem that needs accurate information and guidance to identify those areas most at risk of accumulation. In the absence of dedicated monitoring programs, an important source of opportunistic data is fishery-independent monitoring campaigns of demersal resources. These data have long been used but not yet extensively.

All is fish that comes to the net: metabarcoding for rapid fisheries catch assessment.

Monitoring marine resource exploitation is a key activity in fisheries science and biodiversity conservation. Since research surveys are time consuming and costly, fishery-dependent data (i.e.

Hydrodynamic controls on connectivity of the high commercial value shrimp Parapenaeus longirostris (Lucas, 1846) in the Mediterranean Sea.

In the Strait of Sicily (SoS), a wide passage of the Mediterranean Sea, Parapenaeus longirostris, (Lucas, 1846; DPS hereafter) is the main target species of trawl fisheries, with an estimated annual market value of about 80 million euro. The exploitation of this resource is shared between Italian, Tunisian and Maltese bottom trawlers and its management raises social, economic and environmental interests. Recent stock assessment revealed high fishing mortalities and low size at first capture, thus promoting the adoption of a strategic plan for a sustainable management.

Extensive use of Fish Aggregating Devices together with environmental change influenced the spatial distribution of a tropical affinity fish.

Since the early 1990s of last century the spread of Caranx crysos a thermophilic fish species in the Mediterranean Sea has increased due to sea warming. Simultaneously, a large and unregulated use of fish aggregating devices has been recorded, and these devices seem to influence fish spatial distributions. Here we used a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the influence of environmental change and FAD presence on the spatial distribution of the tropical affinity fish species Caranx crysos across the Mediterranean Sea.

Benthic-pelagic coupling mediates interactions in Mediterranean mixed fisheries: An ecosystem modeling approach.

Benthic-pelagic coupling plays a pivotal role in aquatic ecosystems but the effects of fishery driven interactions on its functioning has been largely overlooked. Disentangling the benthic-pelagic links including effects of mixed fisheries, however, needs sketching a whole description of ecosystem interactions using quantitative tools. A holistic food web model has been here developed in order to understand the interplay between the benthic-pelagic coupling and mixed fisheries in a Mediterranean system such as the Strait of Sicily.

Improving the Conservation of Mediterranean Chondrichthyans: The ELASMOMED DNA Barcode Reference Library.

Cartilaginous fish are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic stressors and environmental change because of their K-selected reproductive strategy. Accurate data from scientific surveys and landings are essential to assess conservation status and to develop robust protection and management plans. Currently available data are often incomplete or incorrect as a result of inaccurate species identifications, due to a high level of morphological stasis, especially among closely related taxa.

Large-Scale Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Mediterranean Cephalopod Diversity.

Species diversity is widely recognized as an important trait of ecosystems' functioning and resilience. Understanding the causes of diversity patterns and their interaction with the environmental conditions is essential in order to effectively assess and preserve existing diversity. While diversity patterns of most recurrent groups such as fish are commonly studied, other important taxa such as cephalopods have received less attention.

Seagrass meadows (Posidonia oceanica) distribution and trajectories of change.

Posidonia oceanica meadows are declining at alarming rates due to climate change and human activities. Although P. oceanica is considered the most important and well-studied seagrass species of the Mediterranean Sea, to date there has been a limited effort to combine all the spatial information available and provide a complete distribution of meadows across the basin.

The seascape of demersal fish nursery areas in the North Mediterranean Sea, a first step towards the implementation of spatial planning for trawl fisheries.

The identification of nursery grounds and other essential fish habitats of exploited stocks is a key requirement for the development of spatial conservation planning aimed at reducing the adverse impact of fishing on the exploited populations and ecosystems. The reduction in juvenile mortality is particularly relevant in the Mediterranean and is considered as one of the main prerequisites for the future sustainability of trawl fisheries. The distribution of nursery areas of 11 important commercial species of demersal fish and shellfish was analysed in the European Union Mediterranean waters using time series of bottom trawl survey data with the aim of identifying the most persistent recruitment areas.

SMART: a spatially explicit bio-economic model for assessing and managing demersal fisheries, with an application to italian trawlers in the strait of sicily.

Management of catches, effort and exploitation pattern are considered the most effective measures to control fishing mortality and ultimately ensure productivity and sustainability of fisheries. Despite the growing concerns about the spatial dimension of fisheries, the distribution of resources and fishing effort in space is seldom considered in assessment and management processes. Here we propose SMART (Spatial MAnagement of demersal Resources for Trawl fisheries), a tool for assessing bio-economic feedback in different management scenarios.

Outlier SNP markers reveal fine-scale genetic structuring across European hake populations (Merluccius merluccius).

Shallow population structure is generally reported for most marine fish and explained as a consequence of high dispersal, connectivity and large population size. Targeted gene analyses and more recently genome-wide studies have challenged such view, suggesting that adaptive divergence might occur even when neutral markers provide genetic homogeneity across populations. Here, 381 SNPs located in transcribed regions were used to assess large- and fine-scale population structure in the European hake (Merluccius merluccius), a widely distributed demersal species of high priority for the European fishery.