The first genetic analyses of the leatherback turtle, dermochelys coriacea from a stranding in Central Mediterranean

On the 16 of July 2015, a dead Leatherback turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, stranded in Cirkewwa, Malta and was collected by the Armed Forces of Malta. This is the first stranded record of this species for the Maltese islands. As part of ongoing conservation field research on marine turtles around the Maltese islands, the presence of this species in the central Mediterranean has been monitored too for the past 20 years and has been recorded only three times. The specimen found dead and stranded wastissue sampled for genetic analyses at three mtDNA loci and three nuclear DNA loci. This allowed for a first time genetic study to compare the characters of this species in the Mediterranean with any other genetic sequence data already available for this species from other regions.peer-reviewe

Influence of nutrient enrichment and turbidity on macroalgal species composition of fouling assemblages in the Maltese Islands

The species composition of macroalgal assemblages was compared within and between impacted and non-impacted sites in a number of Maltese localities with different levels of nutrient enrichment and turbidity. Species composition in non-impacted sites differed significantly from that in impacted sites, and impacted sites also differed significantly among themselves. Differences among impacted sites were due to the presence or absence of chlorophytes, geniculate coralline rhodophytes, and filamentous rhodophytespeer-reviewe

Genetic barcoding of elasmobranches in Malta (Central Mediterranean)

The correct identification of species constitutes the first step in accurate fisheries data collection and sustainable management. DNA barcoding of a standardized sequence of the COI gene has proven to be a powerful tool in assisting conventional taxonomic methods in species identification, especially when considering species from taxa that are difficult to identify down to the species level. This paper presents work on a total of 77 elasmobranch specimens collected during commercial fishing activities between 2012 and 2013 within the 25 nautical mile Fisheries Management Zone around the Maltese Islands.peer-reviewe

Resolving bottlenose dolphin-fisheries association problems in Maltese waters, Central Mediterranean

Research on bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, distribution and ecology since 1997 has allowed the comparison of distribution of this species throughout the year in relation to anthropogenic activities including fishing and aquaculture. Bottlenose dolphins have been observed to increasingly forage close to the large tuna-penning zones, South East of Malta. As this area is also a traditional artisanal fishing zone, impacts on the fishing catches due to depredation and net damages by dolphins has caused hostile reactions by some fishermen. The use of pingers has been tested during a pilot research project to keep dolphins away from fishing gear in order to avoid entanglement and avert the increasing negative reactions by frustrated fishermen. Preliminary results indicate pingers may prove helpful to both dolphins and fishermen.peer-reviewe