Nephrops and Microplastics

Plastic litter, once introduced into the marine environment can fragment into smaller plastic pieces known as microplastics (MPs) due to weathering and degradation. The ubiquitous nature of MPs has led to an increased focus on commercial seafood species as there is potential for this contaminant to enter the human food chain. Several studies to date have reported MPs in the GIT of the Dublin Bay Prawn, Nephrops norvegicus and the surrounding sedimentary environment. The Dublin Bay prawn, N. norvegicus is one of the most commercially important species landed by the Irish Fleet, worth approximately €37 million in 2020. Due to their high economic value, spatial distribution, and ecological relevance N. norvegicus have the potential to be used as a bioindicator for MP contamination and can be used to provide information to guide policy makers and environmental managers. This research focuses on the MP loadings in N. norvegicus and the exploration of a potential relationship with their surrounding sedimentary habitat within six primary N. norvegicus fishing grounds in the North East Atlantic. While N. norvegicus has been documented to ingest MPs, this research builds on the knowledge base through exploring the ingestion and retention times of MPs of varying sizes. This research proposes a pan-European monitoring programme to detect MP abundances and changes in levels through the use of N. norvegicus as a potential bioindicator for MP contamination.EMF

FU19 Nephrops Grounds 2023 UWTV Survey Report and catch scenarios for 2024

This report provides the main results of the fourteenth underwater television survey of the various Nephrops patches in Functional Unit 19. The survey was multi disciplinary in nature collecting UWTV and other ecosystem data. In 2023 a total 42 UWTV stations were successfully completed. The mean density estimates varied considerably across the different patches. The 2023 raised abundance estimate showed a 15% decrease from the 2022 estimate and at 220 million burrows is below the MSY Btrigger reference point (430 million). Using the 2023 estimate of abundance and updated stock data implies catch in 2024 that correspond to the F ranges in the EU multi annual plan for Western Waters are between 224 and 248 tonnes (assuming that discard rates and fishery selection patterns do not change from the average of 2020–2022). One species of sea pen was observed; Virgularia mirabilis which has been observed on previous surveys of FU19. Trawl marks were observed at 10% of the stations surveyed.Marine Institut

Monitoring microplastic pollution: The potential and limitations of Nephrops norvegicus

Microplastics are a major global concern in the marine environment. The use of marine biota to monitor MP pollution has been previously highlighted as a method of providing data. This review focuses on the current data available on the presence of microplastics in Nephrops norvegicus, a commercially important seafood species, highlighting the advantages and limitations of the species to determine its potential use for monitoring microplastic pollution. At present, there is no harmonized and standardised methodologies for microplastic analysis available, therefore, this review has proposed future research on microplastics at a European scale. Given the complexity of microplastics present in the marine environment, the authors recommend a more holistic approach with the integration of Nephrops and sediments along with other species and matrices to cover all ecosystem compartments to provide a comprehensive database of microplastic levels and trends in the marine environment

Aquaculture with focus on Vietnam and Thailand

: The breadth of material this book covers includes wide range of issues related to aquaculture production, including its development history, farming systems and technology aspects, seed production, feed and feeding, health management, genetics and selective breeding, climate change impacts, etc., with a focus on the Southeast Asian region of Thailand and Vietnam. The information within the textbook provides both first-hand knowledge and a systematic collection of information from the latest scientific sources on aquaculture. While this book has been written primarily to meet the needs of undergraduate and master students in the field of aquaculture, we hope that it will also be useful to a wider audience