15 research outputs found
Catches of the sport fishing competitions along the Maltese coast
Coastal fish communities suffer from various anthropogenic activities. To improve integrated coastal zone management and
conservation, recreational sport fishing along the coast of Malta, unstudied before, is the focus of research that started in July
2012. Results from creel surveys conducted during 35 sport fishing competitions and with 26 hobby anglers are presented here. A
total of 13,205 fish were recorded from 64 different species belonging to 25 families. Benthic species were predominant in
catches. This first scientific study in collaboration with sports and recreational fishermen allows for conservation measures to be
increasingly considered and integrated in the activities of these recreational fishing activities. Stakeholders participate and learn
from the scientific process while working closely with conservation scientists.peer-reviewe
Preliminary results from monitoring of selected sparidae species caught by recreational and sports anglers along the Maltese coast
Conservation research to monitor the catches of Diplodus annularis, Diplodus vulgaris, Diplodus sargus, Oblada melanura
and Lithognathus mormyrus with the cooperation of Maltese hobby and sport shore fishermen. Catches were scientifically
measured between July 2012 and December 2013. This year
-round scientific research allows assessment of demographic,
distribution, habitat selection, diet and reproductive patterns for these species. Catches from 701 hobby and sports anglers were
recorded to analyse the exploitation rate. Preliminary results indicate that these species are frequently targeted by these fishermen
with no previous records of the catches and effects of these activities on respective coastal populations. This research may fill the
gap in knowledge aiding conservation measures for these species.peer-reviewe
The first record of the longjaw squirrelfish, Holocentrus Adscensionis (Osbeck, 1765) (Holocentriformes : Holocentridae), in the Mediterranean Sea
Research and monitoring of coastal habitats and biodiversity is increasingly contributing to
the discovery of new alien species, which highlights the use of long-term monitoring for
timely assessment and management due to marine environmental changes. Research work
undertaken through coastal snorkelling surveys and working with fishermen allow for
additional monitoring effort to record biodiversity changes and new alien species presence.
One such new alien fish species was observed during spring snorkelling research while a
specimen was collected in August 2016 to undertake detailed morphological, meristic and
genetic analyses. Mitochondrial DNA barcoding analyses were undertaken to confirm the
species' identity as the family Holocentridae is composed of a number of species that have
very similar and overlapping morphological characters which may lead to misidentification.
This research led to the identification of the first record of a specimen of Longjaw
squirrelfish, Holocentrus adscensionis (Osbeck, 1765), in the Mediterranean Sea. This is a
subtropical reef-associated species native to the Atlantic Ocean and may compete with native
Mediterranean reef species.peer-reviewe
The first record of the African Sergeant, Abudefduf hoefleri (Perciformes : Pomacentridae), in the Mediterranean Sea
Background: Alien fish species are increasing in the Mediterranean Sea, urging closer monitoring of coastal
habitats and biodiversity towards achieving timely assessment and management. Among the alien fish species
found in Maltese waters there are members of the Abudefduf genus.
Methods: Research work undertaken with the cooperation of fishermen allows for additional monitoring effort to
record the presence of alien species and their possible impacts. One such alien fish specimen collected from Maltese
waters in January 2014 was studied through morphological, meristic and genetic analyses. Mitochondrial DNA
barcoding analyses were undertaken to confirm the species' identity given that the specimen found belonged
to the genus Abudefduf which is composed of a number of congeners that have similar morphological characters.
Results and conclusion: This research led to the identification of the first record of the African Sergeant, Abudefduf
hoefleri (Steindachner 1881) (Perciformes: Pomacentridae), in the Mediterranean Sea. This alien tropical species is native
of the East Atlantic and may aggressively compete with native Mediterranean reef species for territories and resources.peer-reviewe
“New records of rare species in the Mediterranean Sea” (October 2021)
“New records of rare species in the Mediterranean Sea” (October 2021
Morphological and genetic analyses of the first record of the Niger Hind, Cephalopholis nigri (Perciformes: Serranidae), in the Mediterranean Sea and of the African Hind, Cephalopholis taeniops, in Malta
Unpublished Mediterranean and Black Sea records of marine alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species
To enrich spatio-temporal information on the distribution of alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, a collective effort by 173 marine scientists was made to provide unpublished records and make them open access to the scientific community. Through this effort, we collected and harmonized a dataset of 12,649 records. It includes 247 taxa, of which 217 are Animalia, 25 Plantae and 5 Chromista, from 23 countries surrounding the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. Chordata was the most abundant taxonomic group, followed by Arthropoda, Mollusca, and Annelida. In terms of species records, Siganus luridus, Siganus rivulatus, Saurida lessepsianus, Pterois miles, Upeneus moluccensis, Charybdis (Archias) longicollis, and Caulerpa cylindracea were the most numerous. The temporal distribution of the records ranges from 1973 to 2022, with 44% of the records in 2020–2021. Lethrinus borbonicus is reported for the first time in the Mediterranean Sea, while Pomatoschistus quagga, Caulerpa cylindracea, Grateloupia turuturu, and Misophria pallida are first records for the Black Sea; Kapraunia schneideri is recorded for the second time in the Mediterranean and for the first time in Israel; Prionospio depauperata and Pseudonereis anomala are reported for the first time from the Sea of Marmara. Many first country records are also included, namely: Amathia verticillata (Montenegro), Ampithoe valida (Italy), Antithamnion amphigeneum (Greece), Clavelina oblonga (Tunisia and Slovenia), Dendostrea cf. folium (Syria), Epinephelus fasciatus (Tunisia), Ganonema farinosum (Montenegro), Macrorhynchia philippina (Tunisia), Marenzelleria neglecta (Romania), Paratapes textilis (Tunisia), and Botrylloides diegensis (Tunisia).Stelios Katsanevakis, Michail Ragkousis, Maria Sini, Markos Digenis and Vasilis Gerovasileiou were supported by the Hellenic Foundation for Research and Innovation (HFRI) under the “First Call for HFRI Research Projects to support Faculty members and Researchers and the procurement of high-cost research equipment grant” (Project ALAS – “ALiens in the Aegean – a Sea under siege” (Katsanevakis et al. 2020b); Project Number: HFRI-FM17-1597). Konstantinos Tsirintanis was co-financed by Greece and the European Union (European Social Fund-ESF) through the Operational Programme “Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning”, 2014-2020, in the context of the Act “Enhancing Human Resources Research Potential
by undertaking a Doctoral Research” Sub-action 2: IKY Scholarship Programme for PhD candidates in the Greek Universities. Maria Zotou was supported by the project “Coastal Environment Observatory and Risk Management in Island Regions AEGIS+” (MIS 5047038), implemented within the Operational Programme “Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation” (NSRF 2014-2020), co financed by the Hellenic Government (Ministry of Development and Investments) and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund, Cohesion Fund). Razy Hoffman was supported by Yad-Hanadiv Foundation, through the Israel Society of Ecology and Environmental Sciences and Israel Nature and Parks Authority, an integrated program for establishing biological baselines and monitoring protocols for marine reserves in
the Israeli Mediterranean Sea (Grant #10669). Tatiana Begun, Adrian Teaca and Mihaela
Muresan were supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 BRIDGE-BS project under
grant agreement no. 101000240. Fiona Tomas was supported by the project “Invasion of the
tropical alga Halimeda incrassata in the Balearic Islands: ecology and invasion dynamics
(AAEE119/2017)”, funded by the Vicepresidencia y Consejería de Innovación, Investigación y
Turismo del Govern de les Illes Balears, with support from the European Union and FEDER
funds, and the project “Una nueva alga invasora en el Mediterráneo: invasibilidad, detección y
erradicación del alga tropical Halimeda incrassata (INVHALI)”, funded by the Fundación
Biodiversidad, del Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico. Simonetta
Fraschetti, Laura Tamburello, Antonia Chiarore were supported by the project PO FEAMP
2014-2020 - DRD n. 35/2019, “Innovazione, sviluppo e sostenibilità nel settore della pesca e
dell'acquacoltura per la Regione Campania” (ISSPA 2.51) and the EU EASME - EMFF
(Sustainable Blue Econ-omy) Project AFRIMED (http://afrimed-project.eu/, grant agreement N.
789059). Carlos Jimenez, Louis Hadjioannou, Vasilis Resaikos, Valentina Fossati, Magdalene
Papatheodoulou, and Antonis Petrou were supported by MedPan Small Projects, Mava, and
LIFE-IP. Louis Hadjioannou, Manos L. Moraitis and Neophytos Agrotis received funding from
the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program within the framework of
the CMMI/MaRITeC-X project under grant agreement No. 857586. Ernesto Azzurro was
supported by the project USEIt - Utilizzo di Sinergie operative per la gestione integrata specie
aliene Invasive in Italia, funded by the research programme @CNR. Antonietta Rosso and
Francesco Sciuto were supported by the University of Catania through “PiaCeRi-Piano
Incentivi per la Ricerca di Ateneo 2020–22 linea di intervento 2.” This is the Catania
Paleoecological Research Group contribution n. 484. Diego K. Kersting was supported by the
Beatriu de Pinós programme funded by the Secretary of Universities and Research
(Government of Catalonia) and the Horizon 2020 programme of research and innovation of the
European Union under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 801370. Francesco
Tiralongo was supported by the AlienFish project of Ente Fauna Marina Mediterranea
(Scientific Organization for Research and Conservation of Marine Biodiversity, 96012 Avola,
Italy), a citizen science project for monitoring and studying rare and non-indigenous fish in
Italian waters. Adriana Vella, was supported by funds through the BioCon_Innovate Research
Excellence Grant from the University of Malta awarded to her. Noel Vella was supported by
REACH HIGH Scholars Programme-Post Doctoral Grant for the FINS project. Some of the
records provided by Victor Surugiu were obtained during surveys carried out within the
framework of the project “Adequate management of invasive species in Romania, in accordance
with EU Regulation 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread
of invasive alien species”, SMIS 2014+ 120008, coordinated by the Romanian Ministry of
Environment, Water and Forests in partnership with the University of Bucharest (2018–2022).
Alan Deidun and Alessio Marrone were supported by the “Spot The Alien” citizen science
campaign for the monitoring of the Alien species in the Maltese archipelago and by the Interreg
Italia-Malta Harmony project. The authors from the National Institute of Biology (Slovenia)
acknowledge the financial support of the Slovenian Research Agency (Research Core Funding
No. P1-0237) and of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (project “Survey of the
species richness and abundance of alien species in the Slovenian Sea”). Emanuele Mancini and
Fabio Collepardo Coccia were supported by the project PO-FEAMP 2014-2020 “BIOBLITZ:
research, knowledge and participation for the sustainable management of marine resources
(BioBlitz Blu 2020)” coordinated by CURSA for MIPAAF, the Italian Ministry of Agricultural,
Food and Forestry Policies, Measure 1.40 - Protection and restoration of biodiversity and marine
ecosystems and compensation schemes in the context of sustainable fishing activities. Daniele
Grech was supported by the PO-FEAMP 2014-2020 project ECOGESTOCK “Approccio
ECOsistemico per la tutela e la GEStione delle risorse biologiche e STOCK ittici nelle acque
interne”, the citizen science project Progetto Fucales: chi le ha viste? and the Paralenz Every
dive counts sponsor. Jamila Rizgalla was supported by the project Snowball for the monitoring
of alien species in Libyan waters له اهتفش له اهتدطصا ؟) have you seen it have you fished it?).
Gerasimos Kondylatos and Dimitrios Mavrouleas were supported by the project “EXPLIAS”
(MIS (ΟΠΣ): 5049912), design and piloting methods of commercial exploitation of invasive
alien species with a view to contributing to their population control, coordinated by the National
Technical University of Athens with the collaboration of the Hellenic Centre for Marine
Research and the University of the Aegean and co-founded by Greece and the European Union.
G. Kondylatos and Savvas Nikolidakis were supported by the project “SAMOS” (ID CODE:
32.2072004/001), a study for a submarine productive park in Marathokampos of Samos.
Paraskevi K. Karachle, Aikaterini Dogrammatzi, Giorgos A. Apostolopoulos, Kassiani Konida
and Melina Nalmpanti were supported by the project “4ALIEN: Biology and the potential
economic exploitation of four alien species in the Hellenic Seas”, funded by NRSF 2017-2020
(MIS (ΟΠΣ): 5049511). Fabio Crocetta and Riccardo Virgili were partially funded by the
project PO FEAMP Campania 2014–2020, DRD n. 35 of 15th March 2018, Innovazione,
sviluppo e sostenibilità nel settore della pesca e dell’acquacoltura per la regione Campania, Misura 2.51, WP5, Task 5.5 Presenza e distribuzione di specie non indigene del macrozoobenthos e del
necton in Campania. Michel Bariche was partially funded by the University Research Board of
the American University of Beirut (DDF 103951/2592). Constantinos G. Georgiadis, Dimitra
Lida Rammou, Paschalis Papadamakis and Sotiris Orfanidis were supported by the MSFD
monitoring program. Sonia Smeraldo was supported by the MPA-Engage project, led by the
Institute of Marine Sciences of the Spanish National Research Council and funded by the
Interreg MED program. Evgeniia Karpova acknowledge that the publication of this article was
in part carried out within the framework of the state assignment of the FRC IBSS “Patterns of
Formation and Anthropogenic Transformation of Biodiversity and Bioresources of the Azov–
Black Sea Basin and Other Regions of the World Ocean” (No. 121030100028-0). Elena Slynko’s
work was carried out within the framework of a State Assignment no. 121051100109-1 of
IBIW RAS. Manuela Falautano and Luca Castriota were supported by ISPRA citizen science
campaigns for the monitoring of alien species through the dedicated institutional project
([email protected]). María Altamirano was supported by the project RUGULOPTERYX
funded by Fundación Biodiversidad-Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el reto Demográfico
(Spain) and the project UMA20-FEDERJA-006 with support from the European Union and
FEDER funds and Junta de Andalucía. Records provided by L. Mangialajo were collected in
the framework of projects funded by the Pew Charitable Trust, by the European Commission
(AFRIMED, http://afrimed-project.eu/, grant agreement N. 789059) and by the Académie 3 de
l’Université Côte d’Azur (projet CONVOST).Peer reviewe
Unpublished Mediterranean and Black Sea records of marine alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species
To enrich spatio-temporal information on the distribution of alien, cryptogenic, and
neonative species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, a collective effort by 173
marine scientists was made to provide unpublished records and make them open
access to the scientific community. Through this effort, we collected and harmonized
a dataset of 12,649 records. It includes 247 taxa, of which 217 are Animalia, 25 Plantae
and 5 Chromista, from 23 countries surrounding the Mediterranean and the Black
Sea. Chordata was the most abundant taxonomic group, followed by Arthropoda,
Mollusca, and Annelida. In terms of species records, Siganus luridus, Siganus rivulatus,
Saurida lessepsianus, Pterois miles, Upeneus moluccensis, Charybdis (Archias)
longicollis, and Caulerpa cylindracea were the most numerous. The temporal
distribution of the records ranges from 1973 to 2022, with 44% of the records in
2020–2021. Lethrinus borbonicus is reported for the first time in the Mediterranean
Sea, while Pomatoschistus quagga, Caulerpa cylindracea, Grateloupia turuturu,
and Misophria pallida are first records for the Black Sea; Kapraunia schneideri is
recorded for the second time in the Mediterranean and for the first time in Israel;
Prionospio depauperata and Pseudonereis anomala are reported for the first time
from the Sea of Marmara. Many first country records are also included, namely:
Amathia verticillata (Montenegro), Ampithoe valida (Italy), Antithamnion
amphigeneum (Greece), Clavelina oblonga (Tunisia and Slovenia), Dendostrea cf.
folium (Syria), Epinephelus fasciatus (Tunisia), Ganonema farinosum (Montenegro),
Macrorhynchia philippina (Tunisia), Marenzelleria neglecta (Romania), Paratapes
textilis (Tunisia), and Botrylloides diegensis (Tunisia).peer-reviewe
Morphological and genetic analyses of the first record of the Niger Hind, Cephalopholis nigri (Perciformes: Serranidae), in the Mediterranean Sea and of the African Hind, Cephalopholis taeniops, in Malta
Abstract Background Non-native marine species, including tropical eastern Atlantic fish species are on the increase in Malta, with shipping activities being the main vector for the movement of these alien species from the Atlantic into the Mediterranean Sea. This calls for cooperation and collaboration between various sea-users and researchers to ensure continuous monitoring of coastal biodiversity. Methods Research methods involving local fishermen cooperation in monitoring efforts to identify and track populations of alien species in the Central Mediterranean has led to new records for the genus Cephalopholis (Perciformes: Serranidae) in Malta. Morphological characteristics, meristic counts and mitochondrial DNA sequences from specimens of both species sampled from Maltese waters were analysed to confirm their species identify accurately, essential for tracking their respective population expansions in the Mediterranean. Results and conclusion Results from this study have led to confirmation of the first record of the Niger Hind, Cephalopholis nigri (Günther, 1859), in the Mediterranean Sea and of the establishment of the African Hind, Cephalopholis taeniops (Valenciennes, 1828) in Maltese waters
Grant’s rockling, Gaidropsarus granti (Regan 1903) (Gadiformes : Gaidropsaridae) in the Central Mediterranean, with new records from Malta
Grant’s rockling, Gaidropsarus granti (Regan 1903) (Gadiformes: Gaidropsaridae) in the Central Mediterranean, with new records from Malta. Both morphometric and molecular genetic analyses have been undertaken for the specimen from Maltese waters.peer-reviewe