Marine chemical contaminants – support to the harmonization of MSFD D8 methodological standards: Matrices and threshold values/reference levels for relevant substances

According to the Article 17(2) of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), Member States have to review and update their marine strategies every six years. This requires updates of the MSFD Articles 8, 9 and 10 by 2018. The current report provides an overview of the substances, matrices and threshold values that Member States intend to use for the assessment of the Descriptor 8 in this MSFD reporting cycle. This compilation aims at evaluating gaps and discrepancies between Member States and identifying aspects that need further harmonization. It also helps understand which issues should be addressed to achieve consistency with the new MSFD Commission Decision (EU 2017/848). The information has been gathered from the contributions of the MSFD Expert Network on Contaminants, an informal network established to support MSFD implementation. This work is part of a process to help regulators to assess relevant contaminants in their jurisdictional area, thus aiming at EU national authorities but also at Regional Sea Conventions in the shared marine basins.JRC.D.2-Water and Marine Resource

A MSFD complementary approach for the assessment of pressures, knowledge and data gaps in Southern European Seas : the PERSEUS experience

PERSEUS project aims to identify the most relevant pressures exerted on the ecosystems of the Southern European Seas (SES), highlighting knowledge and data gaps that endanger the achievement of SES Good Environmental Status (GES) as mandated by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). A complementary approach has been adopted, by a meta-analysis of existing literature on pressure/impact/knowledge gaps summarized in tables related to the MSFD descriptors, discriminating open waters from coastal areas. A comparative assessment of the Initial Assessments (IAs) for five SES countries has been also independently performed. The comparison between meta-analysis results and IAs shows similarities for coastal areas only. Major knowledge gaps have been detected for the biodiversity, marine food web, marine litter and underwater noise descriptors. The meta-analysis also allowed the identification of additional research themes targeting research topics that are requested to the achievement of GES. 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license.peer-reviewe

Suitability and Sensitivity of Golden Grey Mullet Chelon auratus (Risso, 1810) as a Reference Fish Species for Ecotoxicity Tests in the Black Sea

In recent years, hydrocarbon exploration and production operations have intensified in the Black Sea. Alongside growth in exploration and production activities, the influence of chemical usage across multiple industrial sectors within the Black Sea environment has become increasingly interesting. The aim of this research was to define a protocol for determining the acute toxicity of chemicals using the golden grey mullet, Chelon auratus (Risso, 1810), a native pelagic fish species of the Black Sea. Juvenile golden grey mullets were exposed for 96 h, under semi-static conditions, to dilutions of the reference toxicant 3,5-Dichlorophenol. Results from three reference toxicity tests (LC50 = 1.25 mg/L, 1.739 mg/L, and 1.409 mg/L) indicated that C. auratus is of moderate sensitivity when compared to literature values from EPAs Ecotox database. The protocol described within is intended to ensure Black Sea native organisms are represented by standard hazard assessment practices

Neutral Spores—An Easier Way to Cultivate Pyropia leucosticta (Thuret) Neefus & J.Brodie, 2011 (Bangiales, Rhodophyta) along the Romanian Black Sea Shore

Macroalgal cultures are currently of great interest worldwide. Although along the Romanian Black Sea coast, there is no tradition in this sense, currently, a major interest in developing this direction exists, taking into consideration that the overexploitation of wild seaweed resources involves the disturbance of the marine environment, with implications that can sometimes be irreversible. Porphyra and Pyropia species (also known as nori algae) are considered the world’s most valuable mariculture algal products due to their high nutritional value and multiple active principles, considered unique representatives of marine algae. Considering these aspects, attention was focused on the only nori species from the Romanian Black Sea coast, namely, Pyropia leucosticta. The species was cultivated in controlled laboratory conditions for 5.5 months by manipulating its reproductive elements. The aim was to establish a simple, low-cost method by avoiding the complicated conchocelis phase of the species; therefore, reproduction and further species development were achieved by collecting the released neutral spores and isolating them in culture vessels, ensuring, at the same time, proper nutrient conditions, using sterile enriched seawater and mimicking ambient conditions. At the end of the experiment, specimens of almost 80−90 mm were obtained, making this method suitable for obtaining ex situ P. leucosticta blades on the Romanian Black Sea shore

Lysosomal Membrane Stability of Mussel (<i>Mytilus galloprovincialis</i> Lamarck, 1819) as a Biomarker of Cellular Stress for Environmental Contamination

The lysosomal membrane stability (LMS) of hemocytes in wild mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) as a biomarker of cellular stress for chemical pollution was tested by neutral red retention time (NRRT) assays. To assess the environmental contamination in the study area, seawater quality and pollutant bioaccumulation throughout the soft tissue of mussels were investigated. The samples were collected in July 2022 at four sites on the Romanian Black Sea coast considered to be differently affected by contamination. To support the suitability of LMS as a biomarker of contaminant-induced stress, the contaminant body burdens of the mussels were compared with the NRRT values. The results showed a significantly reduced NRRT in all investigated locations, particularly in port areas (mean retention time between 11 and 14 min). The elevated bioaccumulation of organochlorinated pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and low NRRTs were observed at the most contaminated sites (i.e., ports). The low lysosomal stability reflected stress and damage in the hemocytes of mussels and could be related to the body burdens of contaminants. LMS is an effective indicator of health status in mussels and could be considered a sensitive biomarker of cellular stress induced by contaminant exposure

Review of the Commission Decision 2010/477/EU concerning MSFD criteria for assessing Good Environmental Status: Descriptor 9 Contaminants in fish and other seafood for human consumption do not exceed levels established by Community legislation or other relevant standards

This report represents the result of the scientific and technical review of Commission Decision 2010/477/EU in relation to Descriptor 9. The review has been carried out by the EC JRC together with experts nominated by EU Member States, and has considered contributions from the GES Working Group in accordance with the roadmap set out in the MSFD implementation strategy (agreed on at the 11th CIS MSCG meeting). The report is one of a series of reports (review manuals) including Descriptor 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10 that conclude phase 1 of the review process and, as agreed within the MSFD Common Implementation Strategy, are the basis for review phase 2, towards an eventual revision of the Commission Decision 2010/477/EU. The report presents the state of the technical discussions as of 30 April 2015 (document version 8.0: ComDecRev_D9_V8), as some discussions are ongoing, it does not contain agreed conclusions on all issues. The views expressed in the document do not necessarily represent the views of the European Commission.JRC.H.1-Water Resource

Article 8 MSFD Assessment Guidance

International audienc

CoCoNet: Towards coast to coast networks of marine protected areas (From the shore to the high and deep sea), coupled with sea-based wind energy potential

This volume contains the main results of the EC FP7 "The Ocean of Tomorrow" Project CoCoNet, divided in two sections: 1) a set of guidelines to design networks of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean and the Black Seas; 2) a smart wind chart that will allow evaluating the possibility of installing Offshore Wind Farms in both seas. The concept of Cells of Ecosystem Functioning, based on connectivity, is introduced to define natural units of management and conservation. The definition of Good Environmental Status, as defined in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, is fully embraced to set the objectives of the project, by adopting a holistic approach that integrates a full set of disciplines, ranging from physics to bio-ecology, economics, engineering and many sub-disciplines. The CoCoNet Consortium involved scientist sfrom 22 states, based in Africa, Asia, and Europe, contributing to build a coherent scientific community