Description of the ecology of the Gulf of Lions shelf and slope area and identification of the areas that may deserve to be protected

64 pages, 13 figures, 1 tableThe Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (UNEP-MAP-RAC/SPA), with support from the European Commission and the Mediterranean Trust Funds, started in 2008 an ambitious project to identify and establish Marine Protected Areas in the open seas, including the deep seas, in order to promote the establishment of a representative ecological network of protected areas in the Mediterranean. The first phase of the project was based on the provisions of the Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean (SPA/BD Protocol) and was completed at the end of 2009. Its main result was the identification of twelve areas as priority conservation areas in the open seas, including the deep seas, likely to include sites that could be candidates for inclusion in the SPAMI list. One of these areas is the so-called Gulf of Lions shelf and slope area (Figure 1). [...]This document has been prepared in the framework of the project for supporting the establishment of MPAs in open seas, including deep seas, with financial support of the European CommissionPeer Reviewe

Environmental drivers of salp Thalia democratica population dynamics from in situ observations

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2016. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Inter-Research for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Marine Ecology Progress Series 561 (2016): 189-201, doi:10.3354/meps11915.Thalia democratica blooms are a recurrent phenomenon in many coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea and have significant ecological effects. To better understand the environmental drivers of salp blooms, we conducted 8 surveys to sample T. democratica in contrasting seasonal, temperature and chlorophyll conditions. In each survey, short-term variations in the abundances of different salp stages were assessed by sampling the same population at 30 min intervals. Using these data, we estimated the parameters in a set of stage-classified matrix population models representing different assumptions about the influence of temperature and chlorophyll on each stage. In the model that best explains our observations, only females are affected by changes in water temperature. Whether this is a direct influence of temperature or an indirect effect reflecting low food availability, female reproduction cessation seems to slow population growth under unfavourable conditions. When conditions become favourable again, females liberate the embryo and change sex to male, allowing for mating under extremely low salp densities and triggering the bloom. In contrast to previous findings, our results suggest that females, rather than oozooids, are responsible for the sustainability of salp populations during latency periods.This work was founded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación under the Fishjelly project, the European commission ENPI CBC MED project under the Jellyrisk project and the European LIFE Commission under the Cubomed project. M. G. Neubert acknowledges the support of the US National Science Foundation (DEB-1145017 and DEB-1257545)

Diversity, structure and spatial distribution of megabenthic communities in Cap de Creus continental shelf and submarine canyon (NW Mediterranean)

The continental shelf and submarine canyon off Cap de Creus (NW Mediterranean) were declared a Site of Community Importance (SCI) within the Natura 2000 Network in 2014. Implementing an effective management plan to preserve its biological diversity and monitor its evolution through time requires a detailed character ization of its benthic ecosystem. Based on 60 underwater video transects performed between 2007 and 2013 (before the declaration of the SCI), we thoroughly describe the composition and structure of the main mega benthic communities dwelling from the shelf down to 400 m depth inside the submarine canyon. We then mapped the spatial distribution of the benthic communities using the Random Forest algorithm, which incor porated geomorphological and oceanographic layers as predictors, as well as the intensity of the bottom-trawling fishing fleet. Although the study area has historically been exposed to commercial fishing practices, it still holds a rich benthic ecosystem with over 165 different invertebrate (morpho)species of the megafauna identified in the video footage, which form up to 9 distinct megabenthic communities. The continental shelf is home to coral gardens of the sea fan Eunicella cavolini, sea pen and soft coral assemblages, dense beds of the crinoid Leptometra phalangium, diverse sponge grounds and massive aggregations of the brittle star Ophiothrix fragilis. The submarine canyon off Cap de Creus is characterized by a cold-water coral community dominated by the scleractinian coral Madrepora oculata, found in association with several invertebrate species including oysters, brachiopods and a variety of sponge species, as well as by a community dominated by cerianthids and sea urchins, mostly in sedimentary areas. The benthic communities identified in the area were then compared with habitats/biocenoses described in reference habitat classification systems that consider circalittoral and bathyal environments of the Mediterranean. The complex environmental setting characteristic of the marine area off Cap de Creus likely produces the optimal conditions for communities dominated by suspension- and filter-feeding species to develop. The uniqueness of this ecosystem and the anthropogenic pressures that it faces should prompt the development of effective management actions to ensure the long-term conservation of the benthic fauna representative of this marine area3,26

Climate change considerations are fundamental to management of deep‐sea resource extraction

Climate change manifestation in the ocean, through warming, oxygen loss, increasing acidification, and changing particulate organic carbon flux (one metric of altered food supply), is projected to affect most deep‐ocean ecosystems concomitantly with increasing direct human disturbance. Climate drivers will alter deep‐sea biodiversity and associated ecosystem services, and may interact with disturbance from resource extraction activities or even climate geoengineering. We suggest that to ensure the effective management of increasing use of the deep ocean (e.g., for bottom fishing, oil and gas extraction, and deep‐seabed mining), environmental management and developing regulations must consider climate change. Strategic planning, impact assessment and monitoring, spatial management, application of the precautionary approach, and full‐cost accounting of extraction activities should embrace climate consciousness. Coupled climate and biological modeling approaches applied in the water and on the seafloor can help accomplish this goal. For example, Earth‐System Model projections of climate‐change parameters at the seafloor reveal heterogeneity in projected climate hazard and time of emergence (beyond natural variability) in regions targeted for deep‐seabed mining. Models that combine climate‐induced changes in ocean circulation with particle tracking predict altered transport of early life stages (larvae) under climate change. Habitat suitability models can help assess the consequences of altered larval dispersal, predict climate refugia, and identify vulnerable regions for multiple species under climate change. Engaging the deep observing community can support the necessary data provisioning to mainstream climate into the development of environmental management plans. To illustrate this approach, we focus on deep‐seabed mining and the International Seabed Authority, whose mandates include regulation of all mineral‐related activities in international waters and protecting the marine environment from the harmful effects of mining. However, achieving deep‐ocean sustainability under the UN Sustainable Development Goals will require integration of climate consideration across all policy sectors.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2020 The Authors. Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Lt

Diversity, structure and spatial distribution of megabenthic communities in Cap de Creus continental shelf and submarine canyon (NW Mediterranean)

The continental shelf and submarine canyon off Cap de Creus (NW Mediterranean) were declared a Site of Community Importance (SCI) within the Natura 2000 Network in 2014. Implementing an effective management plan to preserve its biological diversity and monitor its evolution through time requires a detailed characterization of its benthic ecosystem. Based on 60 underwater video transects performed between 2007 and 2013 (before the declaration of the SCI), we thoroughly describe the composition and structure of the main megabenthic communities dwelling from the shelf down to 400 m depth inside the submarine canyon. We then mapped the spatial distribution of the benthic communities using the Random Forest algorithm, which incorporated geomorphological and oceanographic layers as predictors, as well as the intensity of the bottom-trawling fishing fleet. Although the study area has historically been exposed to commercial fishing practices, it still holds a rich benthic ecosystem with over 165 different invertebrate (morpho)species of the megafauna identified in the video footage, which form up to 9 distinct megabenthic communities. The continental shelf is home to coral gardens of the sea fan Eunicella cavolini, sea pen and soft coral assemblages, dense beds of the crinoid Leptometra phalangium, diverse sponge grounds and massive aggregations of the brittle star Ophiothrix fragilis. The submarine canyon off Cap de Creus is characterized by a cold-water coral community dominated by the scleractinian coral Madrepora oculata, found in association with several invertebrate species including oysters, brachiopods and a variety of sponge species, as well as by a community dominated by cerianthids and sea urchins, mostly in sedimentary areas. The benthic communities identified in the area were then compared with habitats/biocenoses described in reference habitat classification systems that consider circalittoral and bathyal environments of the Mediterranean. The complex environmental setting characteristic of the marine area off Cap de Creus likely produces the optimal conditions for communities dominated by suspension- and filter-feeding species to develop. The uniqueness of this ecosystem and the anthropogenic pressures that it faces should prompt the development of effective management actions to ensure the long-term conservation of the benthic fauna representative of this marine area

Joc de Terra o de Mar

Registro de la Propiedad Intelectual: Acta 7009 del Notario Pedro Antonio Mateo Salgado en Madrid. Documento, folio EK 3674025.-- El juego se compone de 133 imágenes del medio terrestre y 133 del medio marino y de una Guía explicativa de cada pareja de imágenes. Estas imágenes las hemos agrupado según cuatro niveles de dificultad, los dos primeros pensado en educación primaria y los dos segundos en educación secundaria, pero todos son para el público en general[EN] Aware that only knowledge will help create a widespread opinion about conserving the sea, as part of the “The Sea in Depth” project we have created an original and different way of helping people discover more about the ocean. This new approach is based on encouraging imaginations and observation skills by focusing on what we can see and observe on land and “imagining” what we would see in the ocean if we dived into it. As the terrestrial beings we are, we cannot enter the marine environment without the help of technology, a technology that is currently available to only a handful of people. However, analogies and similarities between the land and the sea can help us explore the ocean, indirectly but effectively, without actually being in them. The game we have created aims to help people indirectly discover and explore the ocean, in a comprehensible and educational way, based on seeking analogies and similarities between what we observe in our surroundings and their equivalence in the sea. To this aim, we have selected images of organisms, environmental phenomena, behaviors, processes, landscapes and relationships between organisms in air or land environments, which must be paired with their “marine” equivalent. The explanation of the equivalence for each pair is included in the teaching guide provided with the game[ES] Conscientes de que solo el conocimiento ayudará a hacer surgir una opinión generalizada de que hay que conservar el mar, en el marco del proyecto «El mar a fondo» hemos buscado una manera diferente y original de ayudar al público a conocer mejor el océano. Esta nueva aproximación se basa en incentivar la imaginación y la capacidad de observación de las personas, de forma que planteamos que, a partir de lo que podemos ver y observar en tierra, nos podemos «imaginar» cómo es lo que veríamos en los océanos si nos sumergiéramos. Como animales terrestres que somos, no podemos penetrar en el medio marino si no es con la ayuda de la tecnología, una tecnología que actualmente es accesible a muy pocas personas. En cambio, las analogías y similitudes entre tierra y mar nos pueden ayudar a explorar, de manera indirecta pero eficaz, el océano sin tener que adentrarnos en él. El juego que os proponemos tiene como objetivo descubrir y explorar el océano de forma indirecta, pero a la vez comprensible y didáctica, a partir de buscar la analogía, la similitud o el parecido entre lo que observamos en nuestro entorno terrestre y su equivalencia en el mar. Para conseguir este objetivo, hemos elegido un conjunto de imágenes de organismos, fenómenos ambientales, comportamientos, procesos, paisajes y relaciones entre organismos y medio correspondientes al medio aéreo o terrestre, de las cuales se tiene que encontrar la pareja «marina». La explicación de la equivalencia de cada pareja se encuentra en esta guía didáctica que ofrecemos con el juego[CAT] Conscients que només el coneixement ajudarà a fer sorgir l’opinió generalitzada que cal conservar el mar, en el marc del projecte «El mar a fons» hem buscat una manera diferent i original d’ajudar el públic a conèixer millor l’oceà. Aquesta nova aproximació es basa a incentivar la imaginació i la capacitat d’observació de les persones, de manera que plantegem que, a partir del que podem veure i observar a terra, ens podem «imaginar» com és el que veuríem a l’oceà si ens hi submergíssim. Com a animals terrestres que som, no podem penetrar en el medi marí si no és amb l’ajuda de la tecnologia, una tecnologia que actualment és accessible a ben poques persones. En canvi, les analogies i similituds entre terra i mar ens poden ajudar a explorar de manera indirecta però eficaç l’oceà sense haver d’endinsar-nos-hi. El joc que us proposem té com a objectiu descobrir i explorar l’oceà de manera indirecta, però alhora entenedora i didàctica, a partir de la cerca de l’analogia, la similitud o la semblança entre allò que observem al nostre entorn terrestre i la seva equivalència al mar. Per aconseguir aquest objectiu, hem triat un conjunt d’imatges d’organismes, fenòmens ambientals, comportaments, processos, paisatges i relacions entre organismes i medi corresponents al medi aeri o terrestre, a les quals s’ha de trobar la parella «marina». L’explicació de l’equivalència de cada parella es troba en aquesta guia didàctica que oferim amb el jocPeer reviewe

Predicting the distribution and abundance of abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) in the deep sea of the Azores (North Atlantic)

Abandoned, lost, or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), represents a significant percentage of the global plastic pollution, currently considered one of the major sources from sea-based activities. However, there is still limited understanding of the quantities of ALDFG present on the seafloor and their impacts. In this study, data on the presence of ALDFG was obtained from a large archive of seafloor video footage (351 dives) collected by different imaging platforms in the Azores region over 15 years (2006-2020). Most ALDFG items observed in the images relate to the local bottom longline fishery operating in the region, and include longlines but also anchors, weights, cables and buoys. A generalized additive mixed model (GAMM) was used to predict the distribution and abundance of ALDFG over the seafloor within the limits of the Azores Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) using a suite of environmental and anthropogenic variables. We estimated an average of 113 ± 310 items km-2 (597 ± 756 per km-2 above 1000 m depth), which could imply that over 20 million ALDFG items are present on the deep seafloor of the Azores EEZ. The resulting model identified potential hotspots of ALDFG along the seabed, some of them located over sensitive benthic habitats, such as specific seamounts. In addition, the interactions between ALDFG and benthic organisms were also analysed. Numerous entanglements were observed with several species of large anthozoans and sponges. The use of predictive distribution modelling for ALDFG should be regarded as a useful tool to support ecosystem-based management, which can provide indirect information about fishing pressure and allow the identification of potential high-risk areas. Additional knowledge about the sources, amounts, fates and impacts of ALDFG will be key to address the global issue of plastic pollution and the effects of fishing on marine ecosystems.This work contributes to the PO2020 PLASTDEEP (ACORES-01-0145-FEDER-000125) and MapGES (Acores-01-0145-FEDER-000056) research projects and to the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and innovation programme under grant agreements No 678760 (ATLAS) and No 818123 (iAtlantic). This output reflects only the authors' views and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. We acknowledge all projects and programs that collected images by multiple ROV, submersible and towed video surveys, including those conducted within the MapGES, Estrutura de Missão para Extensão da Plataforma Continental (EMEPC; Cruzeiro Científico EMEPC/LUSO/Açores/2009), MEDWAVES (ATLAS No 678760, with logistic and technical assistance from the UTM –CSIC– and the financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitivity), Blue Azores 2018 (National Geographic Pristine Seas program, Oceano Azul Foundation, and Waitt Institute), NICO 12 Expedition, Pelagia Rainbow and Terceira 2019 (cruises 64PE441, 64PE454, and 64PE456; Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research NWO for funding and Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research NIOZ for organising the Netherlands Initiative Changing Oceans NICO expedition in 2018). The EXPLOSEA2 cruise was funded by the Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation as part of the project EXPLOSEA (grant CTM201675947-R). We deeply thank all PIs, crews and scientists that participated in all these surveys. CD-C was supported by the PO2020 projects MapGES and DeepWalls (Acores-01-0145-FEDER-000056 and Acores-01-0145-FEDER-000124) and by the FCT-IP Project UIDP/05634/2020. TM was supported by Program Investigador FCT (IF/01194/2013), and the IFCT Exploratory Project (IF/01194/2013/CP1199/CT0002) from the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (POPH and QREN). TM and MCS were also supported by the FCT-IP Program Stimulus of Scientific Employment (CCCIND/03345/2020 and CCCIND/03346/2020, respectively) and the H2020 programme No 689518 (MERCES) and No 818123 (iAtlantic). LR was supported by the H2020 programme No 818123 (iAtlantic) and Horizon Europe No 101059407 (MarinePlan). J.M.P. was funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) Doctoral Grant 2021.04875.BD. CKP received support from the Operational Program Azores 2020, through the Fund 01-0145-FEDER-000140 “MarAZ Researchers: Consolidate a body of researchers in Marine Sciences in the Azores” of the European Union. We also acknowledge funds through the FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., under the project OKEANOS UIDB/05634/2020 and through the FCT Regional Government of the Azores under the project M1.1. A/REEQ.CIENTÍFICO UI&D/2021/010.Peer reviewe

A framework for the development of a global standardised marine taxon reference image database (SMarTaR-ID) to support image-based analyses

Video and image data are regularly used in the field of benthic ecology to document biodiversity. However, their use is subject to a number of challenges, principally the identification of taxa within the images without associated physical specimens. The challenge of applying traditional taxonomic keys to the identification of fauna from images has led to the development of personal, group, or institution level reference image catalogues of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) or morphospecies. Lack of standardisation among these reference catalogues has led to problems with observer bias and the inability to combine datasets across studies. In addition, lack of a common reference standard is stifling efforts in the application of artificial intelligence to taxon identification. Using the North Atlantic deep sea as a case study, we propose a database structure to facilitate standardisation of morphospecies image catalogues between research groups and support future use in multiple front-end applications. We also propose a framework for coordination of international efforts to develop reference guides for the identification of marine species from images. The proposed structure maps to the Darwin Core standard to allow integration with existing databases. We suggest a management framework where high-level taxonomic groups are curated by a regional team, consisting of both end users and taxonomic experts. We identify a mechanism by which overall quality of data within a common reference guide could be raised over the next decade. Finally, we discuss the role of a common reference standard in advancing marine ecology and supporting sustainable use of this ecosystem

Cruise report - 64PE479 onboard of R/V Pelagia Terceira Island 2020 - Hopper tow-cam video footage

Objectives: to explore deep-sea areas of the Azores EEZ to better understand the distribution patterns of large VME species and commercial fishes. Specifically, the objectives of the cruise were to (i) continue the characterization of benthic communities inhabiting the slopes of Terceira and neighbouring deep seamounts, (ii) identify new areas that may fit the FAO definition of what constitutes a Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem; and (iii) to contribute with additional data to address patterns and drivers of the distribution of deep-sea benthic biodiversity in the Azores region. It will also provide valuable information in the context of Good Environmental Status (GES), and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and provide new insights on how to sustainably manage deep-sea ecosystems. Vessel: R/V Pelagia Chief scientist: Fleur Visser (NIOZ) Scientific team: Carlos Dominguez-Carrió (IMAR-UAç), Sérgio Gomes (IMAR-UAç) Cruise summary: Three new hopper dives were performed during the cruise. One dive was performed on the southern slopes of Terceira island, covering a depth range between 150 and 750 m. The remaining two dives were performed in a deep seamount located southwest of Terceira Island, in two locations at 1000 and 1500 m depth. Overall, we collected 7 h of new video footage, covering 8.75 km of the seabed. More than 6 km corresponded to the deep seamount, from which no information was available until now

An introduction to quantitative video analysis for benthic studies

The Ramon Margalef Summer Colloquia, Patterns and processes in boundary marine ecosystems, 6-10 July 2015, BarcelonaThe increased accessibility to Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV) and manned submersibles used in the study of the marine benthos has led to a steady growth in the number of research projects based on the analysis of video images. However, only a limited part of these studies obtain quantitative data from the video observations. During the seminar, we will present the details of a quantitative method to analyze video images applied to the study of the marine megabenthos, from data acquisition at sea to video and statistical analyses. These techniques, employed at several depth ranges and in different areas from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, have been adapted to the objectives of this Colloquium, in order to show their value to determine discontinuities in marine benthic communities. Many of the discontinuities refer to boundaries between areas, populations or communities, and must be considered good descriptors of space heterogeneity and the processes that cause itPeer reviewe