Length–weight relationships of bivalve species in Italian razor clam Ensis minor (Chenu, 1843) (Mollusca: Bivalvia) fishery

Length–weight relationships of bivalve species collected during razor clam (Ensis minor) surveys along Italian coastal waters (Northern Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Sea) in the 3-year period 2016–2018 are reported. A total of 13,588 individuals, belonging to 12 bivalve species and 20 populations between the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian Seas, were sampled for this study. Analyzing growth parameters for each population, we found 11 allometries and nine isometries. About half of the species investigated showed different growth characteristics between the two areas

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\u201344% 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. Fish pots are seen as alternative and a more sustainable gear type that allow reducing discards in SSFs. In this study, a collapsible pot was tested at three coastal sites in the north-western Adriatic Sea (GFCM GSA 17) to compare its catch efficiency with that of the local traditional trammel nets. Data analysis demonstrated a similar catch efficiency for the commercial species, both among sites and as a whole. Moreover, the trammel net caught a larger amount of discards, both in terms of species number and of CPUEW. The catch comparison study involved the two most abundant landed species, common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis and annular sea bream Diplodus annularis. The pots were more effective for S. officinalis, whereas the trammel net was more effective for the shorter length classes for D. annularis, which were mostly under the MCRS (12 cm). The innovative pots could provide a valuable alternative to the trammel nets traditionally used in the Adriatic Sea, at least in certain areas and periods. Their main advantages include that they do not require a different rigging and they can be used without bait, while their foldable design allows large numbers to be easily loaded on board SSF vessels. The results of this pilot study indicate that pots can achieve the objectives of reducing discards and bycatch in SSFs without penalizing the catch of commercial species

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. Specifically, we evaluated and compared the catch performance of the two codends allowed for this fishery, made of 40 mm square (SM40) and 50 mm diamond (DM50) meshes. Results showed that 50 and 80% of the catch in weight and count numbers, respectively, consisted of species without commercial value, demonstrating that large proportions of the catch are not considered when using the existing approach to evaluate the ecological impact of the fishing activity. Significant differences in catch profiles between the two codends were observed, especially for two commercial flatfish species, Arnoglossus laterna and Citharus linguatula, with larger contributions in the SM40. Further, the SM40 codend had a significantly higher retention, compared to DM50 codend, for specific sizes of Merluccius merluccius and Mullus barbatus. The outcomes of the study can be useful for the Mediterranean bottom trawl fisheries management

IL RESTAURO DEL PALAZZO DUCALE DI ASCOLI SATRIANO Un nuovo modello per la gestione del processo analitico

La necessit\ue0 di salvaguardare i Beni Culturali su scala mondiale \ue8 stato il viatico per lo sviluppo di diverse carte internazionali, scritte nel secolo scorso. Forse la pi\uf9 importante \ue8 la risoluzione ICOMOS che, dal 1972, ha sottolineato l\u2019Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) per la salvaguardia del patrimonio. Essere in grado di affrontare l\u2019inevitabile deterioramento e decadenza dei beni architettonici e archeologici \ue8 responsabilit\ue0 di tutta l\u2019umanit\ue0 e le politiche adeguate per il loro restauro sono la risposta. Le strategie per la conservazione sono molte, dalla ricostruzione virtuale alla disseminazione, dalla gestione alla valorizzazione. Tuttavia non c\u2019\ue8 ancora una crescita culturale coerente in questa direzione, in particolare in quegli organismi pubblici e privati che svolgono un ruolo importante nel processo di salvaguardia e valorizzazione di questi beni. Un contributo positivo invece \ue8 dato dalle nuove frontiere della Geomatica, che rappresenta attualmente una fonte essenziale di informazioni necessarie per raggiungere una conoscenza approfondita di un bene. Le tecniche geomatiche possono coprire un ampio spettro di applicazioni e scale, rappresentando cos\uec una valida soluzione per intraprendere strategie attive di conservazione. A tal fine, l\u2019ultimo aggiornamento della carta ICOMOS include, tra le altre, le azioni di \u201cDocumentazione\u201d, \u201cConoscenza\u201d e \u201cGestione\u201d. Il lavoro descrive lo sviluppo di un sistema informativo geografico (GIS), appositamente ideato per il progetto di restauro della Fortezza di Ascoli Satriano, utilizzando come dati di ingresso la sua modellazione 3D ottenuta con uno standard Multi-View Stereo (MVS) pipeline. In questa ricerca l\u2019implementazione GIS, proposta per la catalogazione e la gestione della conservazione degli edifici storici, serve a definire l\u2019abaco dei materiali, delle analisi e degli interventi (rappresentati con riferimento allo standard nazionale relativi al bene oggetto di studio. L\u2019obiettivo \ue8 creare un collegamento tra l\u2019output del sondaggio e informazioni descrittive utili per la gestione del restauro in tutte le fasi del lavoro.This paper deals with the development of a Geographic Information System (GIS), specifically designed for the restoration process of Ascoli Satriano Fortress (an important example of military architecture in the south of Italy), using as entry data its 3D modelling obtained with a standard Multi-View Stereo (MVS) pipeline. The work described has been developed following a methodological approach, highlighting best practices for the management of different information and the creation of specific thematic maps, demonstrating how a close cooperation between restorers and Geomatics experts can be the turnkey for the conservation process of the Architectural Heritage. In this research, the GIS implementation proposed for the cataloguing and the management of historical buildings serves to define the abacus of the materials and the decay analysis performed by restorers. The aim is to create a link between the survey\u2019s output and both quantitative/descriptive information, useful for managing the restoration process in all the steps of the work. The management of an historical building into an integrated system enables all the actors involved in the process to be as much faithful as possible with the real building features

An overview of bottom trawl selectivity in the Mediterranean Sea

In the Mediterranean Sea, where bottom trawling for demersal species is the most important fishery in terms of landings, around 75% of the assessed fish stocks are overfished. Its status as one of the world’s most heavily exploited seas and the one subject to the highest trawling pressure has become a global concern. An extensive overview of bottom trawl selectivity studies was performed to assess the sustainability of this fishery in the Mediterranean. The selectivity parameters were collected from 93 peer-reviewed publications from 10 countries, totalling 742 records and 65 species. Our review highlighted that i) the catch of the bottom trawls commonly employed in the Mediterranean, although they comply with current codend mesh regulations, still includes immature individuals of 64-68% of the species investigated, and individuals under the minimum conservation reference size (MCRS) of 78% of the species investigated, and that ii) the MCRS set for 59% of the species analysed is well below their length at first maturity and is therefore ecologically inadequate. Although square-mesh codends are slightly more selective, the models developed herein demonstrate that improving size and species selectivity would require considerably larger meshes, which may significantly reduce profitability. The urgent need to mitigate the biological impacts of bottom trawling in the Mediterranean should be addressed by promoting the adoption of more ecologically sustainable fishing gears through the introduction of more selective meshes or of gear modifications

An overview of bottom trawl selectivity in the Mediterranean Sea

In the Mediterranean Sea, where bottom trawling for demersal species is the most important fishery in terms of landings, around 75% of the assessed fish stocks are overfished. Its status as one of the world's most heavily exploited seas and the one subject to the highest trawling pressure has become a global concern. An extensive review of bottom trawl selectivity studies was performed to assess the sustainability of this fishery in the Mediterranean; the selectivity parameters were collected from 93 peer-reviewed publications of 10 countries, totalling 742 records and 65 species. The review highlighted that i) the catch of bottom trawls commonly employed in the Mediterranean, even complying with current regulations on codend meshes, still includes immature individuals for 64-68% of the species investigated, and individuals under the minimum conservation reference size (MCRS) for 78% of the species investigated, and that ii) the MCRS set for 59% of the species analyzed is well below their length at first maturity, and is therefore ecologically inadequate. Although square-mesh codends are slightly more selective, the models developed herein demonstrate that improving size and species selectivity would require considerably larger meshes, which may significantly reduce profitability. The urgent need to reduce the biological impacts of bottom trawling in the Mediterranean should be addressed by promoting the adoption of more ecologically sustainable fishing gears through the introduction of more selective meshes or gear modifications

An overview of gill net and trammel net size selectivity in the Mediterranean Sea

Mediterranean is one of the world's most heavily exploited seas, where more than 90 % of the assessed fish stocks are overfished. In this basin small scale fisheries (SSFs) play a major socioeconomic role in terms of fleet size, number of jobs and amount and value of landings. Passive nets (chiefly gillnets (GNs) and trammel nets (TNs)) are the most common fishing gears employed by SSFs. Since they are considered more selective and less harmful to stocks and habitats than other gears such as trawls, their selectivity and impacts are less explored. This study was performed to provide an accurate description of the selectivity of Mediterranean GNs and TNs in relation to legal provisions and the biological features of their most common target species. It was found that the minimum conservation reference size (MCRS) set for certain species is well under their length at first maturity (LFM) and does not contribute to sustainability. Moreover, a thorough overview of the technical features of Mediterranean passive nets highlighted that they catch mature individuals above the MCRS and are therefore size-selective. This characteristic goes a considerable way towards achieving several conservation priorities: to reduce fishing mortality, to minimize the capture of juveniles and discards, to spare sexually immature individuals, thus improving spawning stock biomass and increasing the yield per recruit while attenuating the impacts on benthic ecosystems

The Restoration of the Medieval Walls of San Ginesio: a Dedicated Study for the Conservation, Repair and Enhancement of an Important Military Fortification

The seismic events that occurred in central Italy in 2016 severely damaged the rich cultural heritage system present in the area hit by the earthquake. Particularly significant is the situation of the Marche Region, here it is necessary to intervene quickly and effectively in order to preserve and secure the damaged historical architectural heritage. Following the agreement signed in 2019 between the administration of the Municipality of San Ginesio and the Marche Polytechnic University, a collaboration has been established, which is the basis of the present research work, aimed at studying and deepening the possible actions to be undertaken to be able to repair, preserve and enhance the medieval walls of the city. The city walls, dating from the fourteenth century A.D., almost completely surround the historic center of the city and are characterized by the presence of a large part of the ancient fortifications such as towers, access doors, defensive walkways, loopholes, etc. Since there is no complete survey of the planimetric configuration and of the elevations of the medieval walls, updated to the situation created after the earthquake, the first phase of the research focused on data acquisition. Combining DJI Spark MMA1 photogrammetric UAV images with cloud point by Mobile laser SLAM Kaarta Stencil, the 3D-dimensional modelling of the walls was obtained with the accuracy related to the output scale of 1:200 and with a detail and complexity useful for the following conservative analysis. Once the data was acquired and processed, it was possible to carry out a complete analysis of the walls structure, identifying the materials and construction techniques, the state of preservation of the materials, the damage situation to the structures, the various construction phases with the consequent relative dating. The analytical phase was concluded, therefore, with the identification and cataloging of the types of walls present. Each of these has been characterized both from a typological and a technicalconstruction point of view, defining the wall quality (IQM) and the consequent mechanical parameters through the calculation process of the Wall Quality Index

Restauro e conservazione dell’architettura del Novecento: l’esperienza dell’edilizia italiana tra gli anni Venti e Sessanta. Piani conoscitivi, strumenti operativi e sviluppi didattici

Restauro e conservazione dell'architettura del Novecento: l'esperienza dell'edilizia italiana tra gli anni Venti e Sessanta. Piani conoscitivi, strumenti operativi e sviluppi didattici Parole chiave: restauro, conservazione, architettura moderna, novecento, didattica Restauro e conservazione dell'architettura del Novecento (FM) Nell'ottica suggerita sulle pratiche di intervento nel costruito, evidenziandone i possibili nodi problematici attuali, vorrei qui riassumere ed illustrare alcuni temi specifici della ricerca e della didattica svolti nel corso di restauro architettonico, incentrati sulle varie ed articolate problematiche del restauro e della conservazione dell'architettura del Novecento. Si evidenziano i seguenti argomenti-guida: il primo (Giuliano) si rivolge allo studio sistematico della manualistica d'epoca finalizzato alla creazione di un database tecnico sulle nuove applicazioni introdotte nell'architettura italiana tra gli anni Venti e Quaranta, indagando le mutue implicazioni generatesi fra politica, architettura e produzione industriale che hanno allora influenzato gli indirizzi della sperimentazione nel linguaggio progettuale. L'impellenza determinata dalla cronologia di queste architetture oramai progressivamente sempre più tutelate e vincolate ci sollecita ad approfondire la conoscenza tecnica al servizio del restauro dell'architettura moderna. Si programma così un confronto serrato tra la documentazione progettuale d'archivio, il rilievo e l'analisi dei manufatti indagando lo 'scarto' tra architettura progettata e architettura costruita con esiti in grado di modificare anche la valutazione storico critica di alcune 'icone' della produzione architettonica del periodo. Sempre in questo contesto si inserisce il secondo filone (Petetta), riferito all'edilizia sociale sovvenzionata del dopoguerra, ovvero i piani INA-CASA (1949-63) i quali, nonostante l'economicità delle realizzazioni, hanno portato spesso alla costruzione di edifici qualitativamente evoluti e di buona firma. Emergenze urbane che in molti casi – per qualità e/o cronologia – risultano essere 'vincolate' o in via di emissione di futuro vincolo da parte delle Soprintendenze che richiedono nuovi strumenti/requisiti normativi con i quali affrontare, anche in termini amministrativi la dovuta tutela. Infine, il terzo ambito (Marcelli) si pone l'obiettivo di individuare specifiche linee didattiche per l'insegnamento del moderno e del suo restauro, implicando approfondimenti teoretici sull'analisi del 'valore' dell'opera architettonica e la conseguente comparazione e valutazione delle opportune metodologie dell'intervento, tra conservazione e/o ripristino riferite alla 'monumentalità' dell'antico e quella del moderno. I materiali dell'architettura italiana tra le due guerre: conoscenza e catalogazione per il restauro architettonico (AAG) Le diverse iniziative volte a divulgare l'architettura del primo Novecento, in particolare quelle più recenti, hanno ormai introdotto definitivamente tale produzione nel dibattito sul restauro in corso, nonostante ancora oggi risulti difficile individuare un approccio metodologico che coinvolga i diversi contributi stilistici che hanno caratterizzato questo periodo. Superato l'approccio meramente stilistico, che tendeva ad attribuire maggior valore storico ed artistico ai contributi del movimento moderno, rispetto a testimonianze architettoniche legate ad altri linguaggi, lo sforzo che si sta conducendo è quello di ricercare un modello analitico coerente con i diversi stili

Age and Growth of Striped Venus Clam Chamelea gallina (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Mid-Western Adriatic Sea: A Comparison of Three Laboratory Techniques

Age and growth studies provide critical data for clam fishery management. Three aging techniques, thin sections and acetate peel replicas \u2013 which involve shell sectioning \u2013 and surface growth rings were used to estimate the age and growth of Chamelea gallina populations in the mid-western Adriatic Sea. Their results were compared to identify the most reliable and least time-consuming approach. There were no significant differences between the two shell sectioning techniques (\u3c72 = 4.66, df = 3, p = 0.198), which were described by the same von Bertalanffy (VBF) growth curve parameters (L8 = 43.9, k = 0.26, t0 = 120.84), whereas significantly different L8 and k values were found between the two shell sectioning techniques and surface growth rings (L8: \u3c72 = 13.62, df = 1, p < 0.001; k: \u3c72 = 9.18, df = 1, p < 0.002; these statistics refer to the comparison between acetate peels and surface growth rings). The latter approach proved unreliable and error-prone, as it underestimated age and overestimated the growth rate (L8 = 26.4, k = 1.91, t0 = 120.11). Although the thin sections and acetate peel techniques both provide reliable age and growth estimates, the former approach was less time-consuming. Our analyses demonstrated that shell growth is slower in the cold season and in older specimens and that it has slowed down over the past few decades