Evaluating the impact of hydrometeorological conditions on E. coli concentration in farmed mussels and clams: experience in Central Italy.

Abstract Highly populated coastal environments receive large quantities of treated and untreated wastewater from human and industrial sources. Bivalve molluscs accumulate and retain contaminants, and their analysis provides evidence of past contamination. Rivers and precipitation are major routes of bacteriological pollution from surface or sub-surface runoff flowing into coastal areas. However, relationships between runoff, precipitation, and bacterial contamination are site-specific and dependent on the physiographical characteristics of each catchment. In this work, we evaluated the influence of precipitation and river discharge on molluscs' Escherichia coli concentrations at three sites in Central Italy, aiming at quantifying how hydrometeorological conditions affect bacteriological contamination of selected bivalve production areas. Rank-order correlation analysis indicated a stronger association between E. coli concentrations and the modelled Pescara River discharge maxima (r = 0.69) than between E. coli concentration and rainfall maxima (r = 0.35). Discharge peaks from the Pescara River caused an increase in E. coli concentration in bivalves in 87% of cases, provided that the runoff peak occurred 1–6 days prior to the sampling date. Precipitation in coastal area was linked to almost 60% of cases of E. coli high concentrations and may enhance bacterial transportation offshore, when associated with a larger-scale weather system, which causes overflow occurrence

Potential Impact of Microplastics and Additives on the Health Status of Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta) Stranded Along the Central Adriatic Coast

AbstractLoggerhead sea turtle (C. caretta) is the official European bioindicator of marine litter in the Mediterranean Sea. In 2019, 8 sea turtles, out of 28 specimens loggerhead on the Adriatic coast of Molise, were subjected to necropsy. The intestinal contents were collected and the microplastics until 0.45 μm were extracted. Qualitative and quantitative assessments were performed by stereomicroscope observation and spectroscopic analyses (attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ATR-FTIR and Raman microspectroscopy, RMS). Moreover, the analytical quantification of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC), para phthalic acid (PTA) and bisphenol A (BPA) in fat and liver tissues was performed by LC-MS/MS. Microparticles ranging from 0.45 μm to 1 mm were found in all turtles, for a total of 623, while plastic litter greater than 1 mm were found only in 4 specimens (ranging from 0.03 to 0.11 g). Nineteen different polymers and 10 pigments, including polyester (100% of animals), high-density polyethylene (50%) and polypropylene (50%) were identified. BPA, PTA and PET were detected in fat and liver tissues of all animals, while PC was found only in 50%. A major prevalence was registered in the abdominal fat tissue, although only PC compounds were significantly higher in abdominal tissue (p < 0.05), except for free PTA with liver tissue being the most contaminated (p < 0.05). Microplastics and additives surely impact the health status of turtles that showed gastrointestinal impairment and an important level of contamination in tissues. Graphical abstrac

Innovative Vibrating Hydraulic Dredge for Striped Venus (Chamelea gallina) Fishing

Special issue Evaluation of New Technological Solutions in Agriculture.-- 16 pages, 5 figures, 6 tables, supplementary materials https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/agriengineering4010001/s1.-- Data Availability Statement: Not applicableThis work proposes the experimentation of an innovative hydraulic dredge for clam fishing (Chamelea gallina) in the Adriatic Sea (Italy). This innovative gear aimed at increasing the selectivity of the typical hydraulic dredge used currently, while at the same reducing the impact on benthos through the conception, installation, and experimentation of innovative technological solutions, consisting mainly of a vibrating bottom panel on the dredge and a “warning device” on the dredge mouth. Comparative experiments of the traditional vs. the modified gear, employing two boats fishing in parallel on the northern coast of Abruzzi (Adriatic Sea) and contrasting the catch with both paired comparisons and through modelling, showed that the innovative hydraulic dredge retains fewer undersize clams while yielding similar amounts of commercial product, moreover of higher quality; at the same time, it takes on board less discard, and catches significantly less vagile fauna. In short, the innovative gear is gaining five times over a list of six parameters considered as positive and/or advantageous for the clam fishery. The results allow proposals of potential improvements to clam-fishing instruments to make the selection processes more effective while promoting a lower impacting fishery, which is essential for clam managementThis work has been funded by the Italian Ministry for Policies regarding Food, Agriculture and Forestry (MiPAAF), within the framework of the measure 1.39 of the program FEAMP 2014 2020With the institutional support of the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S)Peer reviewe

Studio sull’efficacia di un sistema di depurazione a ciclo chiuso su molluschi bivalvi

Obiettivo del presente studio è stato la messa a punto ed applicazione di protocolli per la depurazione microbiologica dei molluschi bivalvi (Chamelea gallina e Mitylus galloprovincialis). Lo studio è stato articolato nelle seguenti fasi: allestimento di n. 2 vasche a circuito chiuso, per la depurazione dei molluschi bivalvi, dotate di sistemi di filtrazione meccanica, chimica e biologica; contaminazione e la depurazione dei molluschi bivalvi; determinazioni analitiche sui molluschi bivalvi e sulle acque di depurazione (analisi biometriche e microbiologiche); l’elaborazione dei dati ottenuti nella fase sperimentale. Il challenge effettuato con Escherichia coli ha mostrato un’elevata efficacia del sistema di depurazione utilizzato e, di conseguenza, la possibilità di commercializzare i bivalvi in tempi relativamente brevi. Le prove di depurazione verso Salmonella Typhimurium, sono state efficaci solo dopo 72-84 ore. I risultati ottenuti utilizzando Vibrio parahaemolyticus hanno mostrato una scarsa diminuzione della carica batterica dei bivalvi durante tutto il periodo di osservazione. Di contro, nelle sperimentazioni condotte con i mitili, i tempi di depurazione sono stati più brevi. In particolar modo, sono stati rilevati valori assimilabili alla assenza di V. parahaemolyticus dopo 36-48 ore

New protocols to improve the deposition and hatching of Sepia officinalis' eggs

The objective of this study was the development of hatching protocols in controlled conditions to obtain juveniles, in order to restock and increase the resource of Sepia officinalis. The study was divided into the following phases: development and application of artificial surfaces at specific sites of the Molise coast in Italy; induction of eggs hatching and juveniles maintenance under controlled condition; juveniles introduction into specific sites and assessment their increment; experimental data elaboration. The obtained results concerned both the effectiveness of the artificial surfaces tasted during the study and the importance of the recovery of the eggs laid on artificial surfaces (artefacts and fishing gear) for preservation and the management of the Sepia officinalis resource. The induction tests conducted on eggs hatching under controlled conditions confirmed what described in the extant literature. Water salinity was detected as the only limiting factor, with values ≤ 20% related to the absence of hatching. The described practices for harvesting and induction of hatching for the production of juvenile cuttlefish may be endorsed by the operators at relatively low cost and throughout the year, with obvious economic benefits

Biological Early Warning Systems: The Experience in the Gran Sasso-Sirente Aquifer

Biological early warning systems (BEWS) are installed worldwide for the continuous control of water intended for multiple uses. Sentinel aquatic organisms can alert us to contaminant presence through their physiological or behavioural alterations. The present study is aimed at sharing the experience acquired with water biomonitoring of the Gran Sasso-Sirente (GS-S) aquifer. It represents the major source of the Abruzzi region surface water, also intended as drinkable and for irrigation use. Besides the biomonitoring of drinkable water of the Teramo Province made by Daphnia Toximeter and irrigation water of the L’Aquila Province by Algae Toximeter, a novel sensor named “SmartShell” has been developed to register the behaviour of the “pea clam” P. casertanum, an autochthonous small bivalve living in the Nature 2000 site “Tirino River spring”. The valve movements have been recorded directly on the field. Its behavioural rhythms have been analysed through spectral analyses, providing the basis for further investigations on their alterations as early warnings and allowing us to propose this autochthonous bivalve species as a novel sentinel organism for spring water