Genomic analysis of NE Atlantic sardine () reveals reduced variation in a recently established North Sea population and directs reconsideration of management units.

The European sardine () is under intense fishing pressure and exhibits distributional/abundance shifts linked to environmental change. The current understanding of population demographics needed for sustainable management is uncertain due to concerns that previous genetic studies lacked resolution and limited sampling of sardine north of the Bay of Biscay. To address these issues, we performed mtDNA sequencing and genome wide SNP analysis of samples collected across the Bay of Biscay, Celtic Sea, English Channel and North Sea.

Assessment of interactive acoustic deterrent devices set on trammel nets to reduce dolphin-fishery interactions in the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea.

Dolphin-fishery interaction is a worldwide issue affecting dolphins through bycatch and fishers through catch or gear damages. Concerning the Mediterranean Sea, problematic interactions mainly occur between common bottlenose dolphin and small-scale fisheries. Acoustic Deterrent Devices such as pingers, are one of the most widespread measures used in attempts to face this issue.

Multi-benthic size approach to unveil different environmental conditions in a Mediterranean harbor area (Ancona, Adriatic Sea, Italy).

Harbors are hubs of human activity and are subject to the continuous discharge and release of industrial, agricultural, and municipal waste and contaminants. Benthic organisms are largely known to reflect environmental conditions they live in. Despite meio- and macrofauna interacting within the benthic system, they are ecologically distinct components of the benthos and as such may not necessarily respond to environmental conditions and/or disturbances in the same way.

Notes on the Spreading of Ives 1891 (Decapoda, Penaeidae) in the Mediterranean Sea and on Its Repeated Misidentifications in the Region.

The shrimp , native to the western Atlantic, was first reported in the eastern Mediterranean Sea in 2010. New records, from different Mediterranean localities, multiplied in the following years. The accurate search of the literature on non-indigenous species discovered it was misidentified more than once as another alien shrimp, , native to the Indo-Pacific region, with the result that its earlier presence in the Black Sea went unnoticed.

Every animal matters! Evaluating the selectivity of a Mediterranean bottom trawl fishery from a species community perspective.

Bottom trawl fisheries often catch several species simultaneously. However, most studies addressing the catch performance and selectivity of a specific trawl focus on a few commercially important or most vulnerable species requiring management measures. By contrast, the present study considers the multispecies nature of Mediterranean bottom trawl fisheries through a holistic approach that accounts for the full species community in the catches.

Evaluation and quantification of shell damage and survival of the striped venus clam (Chamelea gallina) harvested by hydraulic dredges.

The impact of hydraulic dredging on Chamelea gallina populations in the mid-western Adriatic Sea was assessed by evaluating and quantifying the damage exerted on harvested (non-sieved) and sorted (sieved by the mechanical vibrating sieve: commercial or discarded) individuals and by estimating the survival probability of discarded clams. The results showed that: i) dredging had a higher impact on determining shell damage than the mechanical vibrating sieve, ii) damage probability was strongly associated with shell length and in discard samples the effect of the shell length was greater due to the longer time spent by the individuals inside in the vibrating sieve before being rejected to the sea, iii) the survivability of the entire discarded fraction of clams was high. The findings support the Regulation (CE) 1380/2013 which foresees that discards from the Venus clam fishery must be returned to the sea and shall not be landed.

Chemical pollution and ecotoxicological effects of high-density polyethylene microplastics in Mytilus galloprovincialis from two Italian lagoon ecosystems.

Transitional water ecosystems have low water exchanges and can trap chemicals and microplastics (MPs). In this study, MPs, trace elements, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-PHAs levels and the oxidative stress response were assessed in Mytilus galloprovincialis from two Italian lagoon ecosystems (Orbetello and Varano). In addition, the ecotoxicological effects induced by the exposure of M.

Sparkling plastic: Effects of exposure to glitter on the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis.

Microbeads and fragments have been widely studied, while glitter remains neglected by the literature although found in a variety product (e.g., body paints, nail polish, cosmetics, craft products).

Antifouling Systems Based on Copper and Silver Nanoparticles Supported on Silica, Titania, and Silica/Titania Mixed Oxides.

Silica, titania, and mixed silica-titania powders have been used as supports for loading 5 wt% Cu, 5 wt% Ag, and 2.5 wt% Cu-2.5 wt% Ag with the aim of providing a series of nanomaterials with antifouling properties.

Free-living nematodes of Mediterranean ports: A mandatory contribution for their use in ecological quality assessment.

Free-living nematodes were investigated in three Mediterranean commercial ports (Ancona and Trieste, Italy; Koper, Slovenia) in terms of abundance, diversity and functionality. Results indicated that r-strategist genera were dominant in all ports and that a more diverse assemblage characterized Trieste, despite the high contamination levels, suggesting a potential adaptation to long-standing contamination. The main environmental factor that shaped the assemblage in all ports were Total Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, while Total Organic Carbon and the grain-size were less relevant.

Chamelea gallina reproductive biology and Minimum Conservation Reference Size: implications for fishery management in the Adriatic Sea.

Background: The striped venus clam Chamelea gallina is an economically important species in Adriatic Sea fisheries. The use of hydraulic dredging for its catch has a long history in Italy and its management faced several stages of development in the last 40 years. A great effort has been made in the past two decades to move from poorly or weakly managed fisheries to a well-structured co-management system to improve the sustainability of this fishery.

New insights into the structure and function of the prokaryotic communities colonizing plastic debris collected in King George Island (Antarctica): Preliminary observations from two plastic fragments.

In Antarctic regions, the composition and metabolic activity of microbial assemblages associated with plastic debris ("plastisphere") are almost unknown. A macroplastic item from land (MaL, 30 cm) and a mesoplastic from the sea (MeS, 4 mm) were collected in Maxwell Bay (King George Island, South Shetland) and analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in attenuated total reflectance geometry (FTIR-ATR), which confirmed a polystyrene foam and a composite high-density polyethylene composition for MaL and MeS, respectively. The structure and function of the two plastic-associated prokaryotic communities were studied by complementary 16S ribosomal RNA gene clone libraries, total bacterioplankton and culturable heterotrophic bacterial counts, enzymatic activities of the whole community and enzymatic profiles of bacterial isolates.

Reburial potential and survivability of the striped venus clam (Chamelea gallina) in hydraulic dredge fisheries.

The striped venus clam (Chamelea gallina) is the main edible bivalve living in Italian waters. According to Regulation (EU) 2020/2237, undersized specimens (total length of the shell, < 22 mm) must be returned to the sea. C.

Hydrogen Peroxide Effects on Natural-Sourced Polysacchrides: Free Radical Formation/Production, Degradation Process, and Reaction Mechanism-A Critical Synopsis.

Numerous reactive oxygen species (ROS) entities exist, and hydrogen peroxide (HO) is very key among them as it is well known to possess a stable but poor reactivity capable of generating free radicals. Considered among reactive atoms, molecules, and compounds with electron-rich sites, free radicals emerging from metabolic reactions during cellular respirations can induce oxidative stress and cause cellular structure damage, resulting in diverse life-threatening diseases when produced in excess. Therefore, an antioxidant is needed to curb the overproduction of free radicals especially in biological systems (in vivo and in vitro).

Functional and Quality Characteristics of Ginger, Pineapple, and Turmeric Juice Mix as Influenced by Blend Variations.

In this current work, the functional and quality characteristics of ginger, pineapple, and turmeric juice mix as influenced by blend variations were investigated. Specifically, the blends had constant ginger amounts, decreased pineapple, and increased turmeric proportionally. Additionally, the functional properties involved physicochemical (pH, soluble solids (SS), total titratable acidity (TA) and viscosity), proximate (moisture, protein, fat and ash), minerals (Ca, and Mg) and vitamin C and β-carotene analyses, whereas quality properties involved microbiological and sensory analyses.

Population Genetic Structure and Connectivity of the European Lobster in the Adriatic and Mediterranean Seas.

Highly selective fishing has the potential to permanently change the characteristics within a population and could drive the decline of genetic diversity. European lobster is an intensively fished crustacean species in the Adriatic Sea which reaches high market value. Since knowledge of population structure and dynamics is important for effective fisheries management, in this study, we used 14 neutral microsatellites loci and partial mitochondrial COI region sequencing to explore population connectivity and genetic structure by comparing samples from the Adriatic Sea and the adjacent basins of the Mediterranean Sea.

Nanoplastics affect moulting and faecal pellet sinking in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) juveniles.

Plastic debris has been identified as a potential threat to Antarctic marine ecosystems, however, the impact of nanoplastics (<1 μm) is currently unexplored. Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) is a keystone species of Southern Ocean pelagic ecosystems, which plays a central role in the Antarctic food webs and carbon (C) cycle. Krill has been shown to rapidly fragment microplastic beads through the digestive system, releasing nanoplastics with unknown toxicological effects.

Pots vs trammel nets: a catch comparison study in a Mediterranean small-scale fishery.

Passive bottom-set nets are the most widely used fishing gears in Mediterranean small-scale fisheries (SSFs). Trammel nets, in particular, have key advantages such as their ease of use and handling and high capture efficiency for numerous commercial species. However, they entail high discard rates (5-44% of the total catch) connected to high mortality, thus exerting an adverse impact on benthic communities, besides catching individuals of commercial species under the minimum conservation reference size (MCRS) and specimens of protected species.

Using online questionnaires to assess marine bio-invasions: A demonstration with recreational fishers and the Atlantic blue crab Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1986) along three Mediterranean countries.

Marine bioinvasions require integrating monitoring tools with other complementary strategies. In this study, we collected information about the invasive alien crab Callinectes sapidus in Italy, Croatia and Montenegro, by means of online questionnaires administered to recreational fishers (n = 797). Our records matched the current distribution of the species: C.

Litter in alien species of possible commercial interest: The blue crab (Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896) as case study.

Marine litter levels were measured in the stomach contents, hepatopancreas, and gonad tissues of crustacea decapod (Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896; n = 6), a widespread alien species affecting the Lesina lagoon. Results highlight a mean of 2.5 (SD = 1.

Adverse effects of plastic ingestion on the Mediterranean small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula).

Plastics are widely diffused in the oceans and their ingestion by marine organisms is raising concern for potentially adverse effects. The risk of harmful interactions with marine plastic pollution depends on the biology of the species as well as the distribution and abundance of the different plastic types. The aim of this study was to assess the occurrence of plastic ingestion by the small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula), one of the most abundant elasmobranchs in the Mediterranean Sea.

Life-history traits of the spiny dogfish Squalus acanthias in the Adriatic Sea.

Pivotal life history traits concerning age structure and reproduction of the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias, Linnaeus 1758) were investigated in the Adriatic Sea from mid February 2012 to mid July 2013 and in 2016. The whole sample consisted of 176 females and 150 males, ranging between 217-1025 mm and 219-875 mm, respectively. The individual age, which was estimated using a cross-sectioning technique of the second dorsal-fin spine, ranged from 0 to 13+ years for females and from 0 to 9+ years for males.