The Integrated Assessment as the main goal for achieving an Ecosystem Approach to Management in the Western European Shelf Seas

Providing regional integrated ecosystem assessments (IEA) is a key challenge identified in the ICES Strategic Plan (2014-2018). IEAs are seen as a fundamental link between advice and ecosystem science inachieving Ecosystem Based Management (EBM).While EBM is not a new concept, difficulties in achieving such an ambitious goal have been highlighted by the extensive work conducted in this area. The implementation of new regulation policies, such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and the reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in Europe,have challenged the scientific community to rapidly react despite these difficulties and provide scientific advice to support management decisions concerning these policies. RegionalICES groups have been tasked with developing methods and tools for IEA in their corresponding ecoregions; this is the case of the Working Group on Ecosystem Assessment of Western European Shelf Seas (WGEAWESS). The role of this group is to implement, and test tools and methods for the advisory process, focusing on the North Atlantic European continental shelf, including Celtic Seas, Bay of Biscay and Iberian Waters. In this presentation we show the progress made within this WG during its initial three years of activity, in relation to some of the terms of reference already addressed. An adaptation of the ODEMM framework has been selected as a tool for identifying a) links between components, processes, pressures and states, and b) gaps in data availability and indicator implementation. Some preliminary results of a first IEA exercise will also been shownwith emphasis onthe MSFD descriptors D1 (biological diversity) and D4 (food webs)

Elastin-derived peptides potentiate atherosclerosis through the immune Neu1-PI3Kγ pathway

Aims Elastin is degraded during vascular ageing and its products, elastin-derived peptides (EP), are present in the human blood circulation. EP binds to the elastin receptor complex (ERC) at the cell surface, composed of elastin-binding protein (EBP), a cathepsin A and a neuraminidase 1. Some in vitro functions have clearly been attributed to this binding, but the in vivo implications for arterial diseases have never been clearly investigated. Methods and results Here, we demonstrate that chronic doses of EP injected into mouse models of atherosclerosis increase atherosclerotic plaque size formation. Similar effects were observed following an injection of a VGVAPG peptide, suggesting that the ERC mediates these effects. The absence of phosphoinositide 3-kinase γ (PI3Kγ) in bone marrow-derived cells prevented EP-induced atherosclerosis development, demonstrating that PI3Kγ drive EP-induced arterial lesions. Accordingly, in vitro studies showed that PI3Kγ was required for EP-induced monocyte migration and ROS production and that this effect was dependent upon neuraminidase activity. Finally, we showed that degradation of elastic lamellae in LDLR−/− mice fed an atherogenic diet correlated with atherosclerotic plaque formation. At the same time, the absence of the cathepsin A-neuraminidase 1 complex in cells of the haematopoietic lineage abolished atheroma plaque size progression and decreased leucocytes infiltration, clearly demonstrating the role of this complex in atherogenesis and suggesting the involvement of endogenous EP. Conclusion Altogether, this work identifies EP as an enhancer of atherogenesis and defines the Neuraminidase 1/PI3Kγ signalling pathway as a key mediator of this function in vitro and in viv

Different bottom trawl fisheries have a differential impact on the status of the North Sea seafloor habitats

Fisheries using bottom trawls are the most widespread source of anthropogenic physical disturbance to seafloor habitats. To mitigate such disturbances, the development of fisheries-, conservation-, and ecosystem-based management strategies requires the assessment of the impact of bottom trawling on the state of benthic biota. We explore a quantitative and mechanistic framework to assess trawling impact. Pressure and impact indicators that provide a continuous pressure–response curve are estimated at a spatial resolution of 1 χ 1 min latitude and longitude (~2 km2) using three methods: L1 estimates the proportion of the community with a life span exceeding the time interval between trawling events; L2 estimates the decrease in median longevity in response to trawling; and population dynamic (PD) estimates the decrease in biomass in response to trawling and the recovery time. Although impact scores are correlated, PD has the best performance over a broad range of trawling intensities. Using the framework in a trawling impact assessment of ten métiers in the North Sea shows that muddy habitats are impacted the most and coarse habitats are impacted the least. Otter trawling for crustaceans has the highest impact, followed by otter trawling for demersal fish and beam trawling for flatfish and flyshooting. Beam trawling for brown shrimps, otter trawling for industrial fish, and dredging for molluscs have the lowest impact. Trawling is highly aggregated in core fishing grounds where the status of the seafloor is low but the catch per unit of effort (CPUE) per unit of impact is high, in contrast to peripheral grounds, where CPUE per unit of impact is low.</p

Distolambrus maltzami (Miers, 1881) (Brachyura: Parthenopidae) with observed and modelled distribution in the North-east Atlantic

We present the distribution of the parthenopid crab species Distolambrus maltzami from the North-east Atlantic with a first record from UK seas. The distribution of D. maltzami in the Celtic-Biscay area in the eastern Atlantic, is both described based on recent records from survey data and estimated from modelling its environmental niche. The predicted probability of occurrence is greatest in areas with fluctuating tidal currents and water masses that are rich in chlorophyll-a, cold (minimum bottom temperature lower than 10°C) and oxygen-rich. We include a simple key to distinguish the two parthenopid crab species previously encountered in the region and highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to fisheries data collection

Climate-induced changes in the suitable habitat of cold-water corals and commercially important deep-sea fishes in the North Atlantic

The deep sea plays a critical role in global climate regulation through uptake and storage of heat and carbon dioxide. However, this regulating service causes warming, acidification and deoxygenation of deep waters, leading to decreased food availability at the seafloor. These changes and their projections are likely to affect productivity, biodiversity and distributions of deep-sea fauna, thereby compromising key ecosystem services. Understanding how climate change can lead to shifts in deep-sea species distributions is critically important in developing management measures. We used environmental niche modelling along with the best available species occurrence data and environmental parameters to model habitat suitability for key cold-water coral and commercially important deep-sea fish species under present-day (1951–2000) environmental conditions and to project changes under severe, high emissions future (2081–2100) climate projections (RCP8.5 scenario) for the North Atlantic Ocean. Our models projected a decrease of 28%–100% in suitable habitat for cold-water corals and a shift in suitable habitat for deep-sea fishes of 2.0°–9.9° towards higher latitudes. The largest reductions in suitable habitat were projected for the scleractinian coral Lophelia pertusa and the octocoral Paragorgia arborea, with declines of at least 79% and 99% respectively. We projected the expansion of suitable habitat by 2100 only for the fishes Helicolenus dactylopterus and Sebastes mentella (20%–30%), mostly through northern latitudinal range expansion. Our results projected limited climate refugia locations in the North Atlantic by 2100 for scleractinian corals (30%–42% of present-day suitable habitat), even smaller refugia locations for the octocorals Acanella arbuscula and Acanthogorgia armata (6%–14%), and almost no refugia for P. arborea. Our results emphasize the need to understand how anticipated climate change will affect the distribution of deep-sea species including commercially important fishes and foundation species, and highlight the importance of identifying and preserving climate refugia for a range of area-based planning and management tools