Caractérisation des habitats benthiques et ponte des tortues marines autour du parc national de Campo-Ma’an (Cameroun)

Pour évaluer l’importance de la périphérie du parc national de  Campo-Ma’an pour la création d’un parc marin, une caractérisation des habitats benthiques a été réalisée durant 24 mois (2008-2009) et de suivi des plages pour évaluer l’importance de la population dans ce site. L’étude s’est faite à travers des suivis saisonniers de collecte  d’échantillons sous marins, grâce aux plongées sous marines dans les localités d’Ebodjé et de Mbodé. Des analyses révèlent 20 espèces d’algues marines, la distribution par groupes présente, 9 Rhodophycées (45%), 6 Phéophycées (30%) et 5 Clorophycées (25%). Ces différentes espèces sont distribuées dans 11 familles : Cladophoraceae, Dictyotaceae et Chaetangiaceae avec 3 espèces chacune ; Caulerpaceae, Gelidiaceae et Gracilariaceae 2 espèces chacune; Scytosiphonaceae, Squamariaceae, Sargassaceae, Grateloupiaceae, et Rhodomelaceae avec une espèce chacune. Des analyses des contenus stomacaux des spécimens des tortues marines prises mortes au filet confirment que ces algues font parties de l’alimentation des espèces fréquentant la zone. Des patrouilles nocturnes sur les plages de ponte ont été menées d’octobre 2008 à Mars 2009 ainsi que des sorties diurnes dans les pêcheries au retour des pêcheurs pour l’identification des espèces présentes, le comptage des traces, les relevés biométriques. Des résultats nous révèlent un total de3 450 oeufs provenant de 28 nids, soit une moyenne 150 ± 21,6 oeufs. Les incubations présentent des durées de 60 à 80 jours avec une moyenne de 70 jours.© 2013 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Mots clés: Habitats benthiques, algues marines, ponte, tortues marines, Cameroun

Priorities for Mediterranean marine turtle conservation and management in the face of climate change

As climate-related impacts threaten marine biodiversity globally, it is important to adjust conservation efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. Translating scientific knowledge into practical management, however, is often complicated due to resource, economic and policy constraints, generating a knowledge-action gap. To develop potential solutions for marine turtle conservation, we explored the perceptions of key actors across 18 countries in the Mediterranean. These actors evaluated their perceived relative importance of 19 adaptation and mitigation measures that could safeguard marine turtles from climate change. Of importance, despite differences in expertise, experience and focal country, the perceptions of researchers and management practitioners largely converged with respect to prioritizing adaptation and mitigation measures. Climate change was considered to have the greatest impacts on offspring sex ratios and suitable nesting sites. The most viable adaptation/mitigation measures were considered to be reducing other pressures that act in parallel to climate change. Ecological effectiveness represented a key determinant for implementing proposed measures, followed by practical applicability, financial cost, and societal cost. This convergence in opinions across actors likely reflects long-standing initiatives in the Mediterranean region towards supporting knowledge exchange in marine turtle conservation. Our results provide important guidance on how to prioritize measures that incorporate climate change in decision-making processes related to the current and future management and protection of marine turtles at the ocean-basin scale, and could be used to guide decisions in other regions globally. Importantly, this study demonstrates a successful example of how interactive processes can be used to fill the knowledge-action gap between research and management.This work was conducted under FutureMares EU project that received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 869300. The Mediterranean Marine Turtle Working Group was established in 2017 and is continuously supported by MedPAN and the National Marine Park of Zakynthos. The work of AC was supported by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (H.F.R.I.) under the “First Call for H.F.R.I. Research Projects to support Faculty members and Researchers and the procurement of high-cost research equipment grant” (Project Number: 2340).Peer reviewe

Estimating the economic damage caused by jellyfish to fisheries in Morocco

Although there is great fluctuation in annual recordings of jellyfish along the Moroccan Mediterranean coast and an absence of long-term datasets, there is a common perception that jellyfish numbers are rising. To better understand the possible economic losses sustained by Moroccan fisheries caused by the effects of jellyfish, we undertook a survey among fishers at the Atlantic port of Tangier and the Mediterranean port of M’diq. We focused on fishers’ perceptions about jellyfish blooms in Moroccan waters and whether and how blooms affect their fishing activities. Our findings confirm that blooms have negatively affected fishing activities over the past decade in the Moroccan Mediterranean, but that the degree of impact varies considerably by fishery and location. Of the total respondents at M’diq, 86% reported that jellyfish reduced their seasonal revenue. The species mainly responsible for these losses were Pelagia noctiluca, followed by Rhizostoma pulmo and Chrysaora hysoscella. The annual direct damage caused by jellyfish has been estimated to be as high as US$3.26 million per year for the fleet at the port of M’diq. When jellyfish outbreaks occur, fishers must spend time repairing nets damaged by jellyfish, which adds more than 1 783 person-hours of work per year

Using Fishermen's Knowledge and GIS to Identify Fishing Grounds, Gears and Species in the Projected Marine Protected Area ‘Jabal Moussa'

Marine spatial planning and ecosystem based management such as MPA's has been used as tools to manage human activities, to conserve coastal ecosystems and biodiversity for the sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources. In this study, we focused on establishing a spatial distribution of the fishing grounds used by local fishermen in the projected MPA “Jabal Moussa”, identifying the most important species targeted, the gears used, and the depths of fishing grounds. A survey with 99 skippers was conducted between February and March 2019. Then data collected was analyzed and geo-referenced through geographic information system (GIS). The results identified 16 fishing grounds. Distribution of fishing gears was dominated by the blackspot seabream longline which was the most used gear. The most targeted species was the blackspot seabream. Fishing grounds where blackspot seabream was found had a deep ranging from 95.9 m to 328.9 m. Results of the study will provide managers of the projected MPA with valuable information and data to help the to adopt direct measures that can reduce the pressure on these valuable species, preserve the ecosystem and lead to a sustainable fishing

Study of strandings of the jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca in the Mediterranean coastline of Tetouan (NW of the Morocco)

Trabajo presentado en el 2nd Scientific Workshop PERSEUS, celebrado en Marrakesh del 2 al 4 de diciembre de 2014.For a decade, we noticed outbreaks of jellyfish strandings in the coastline of Tetouan especially during heat waves. To examine factors that may be responsible for the stranding of the jellyfish Pelagia noctiluca (Forsskål, 1775) in the coastline of Tetouan (occidental Mediterranean part of Morocco), a monthly monitoring was done at 2 sites (M'diq and Martil) in the years 2011 and 2012. In this study the appearance of these organisms is studied in relation with the tidal currents, wind currents (East wind), weather conditions of the area and physic-chemical parameters of seawater. The appearance of this jellyfish began in June (22.1° C) and reached the maximum of abundance or density in September (24.7° C) to disappear in October. This density fluctuation is correlated with changes in ambient temperature. Analysis of the structure of the population size (umbrella diameter) of the jellyfish shows a size range between 10 mm and 90 mm and an average of 49 mm. Other studies have also observed that the outbreak of the Medusa seems to be related to warm temperatures. Nevertheless, the different processes that are involved in the appearance of jellyfish in a specific coastal area operate at diverse time and spatial scales, which demand to take into account an wide perspective in order to analyze their population dynamics.N