Spread of the alien bleak Alburnus alburnus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Actinopterygii cyprinidae) in the Iberian Peninsula: The role of reservoirs

Since its first record in a tributary of the Ebro basin in 1992, the bleak Alburnus alburnus has spread to almost the whole Iberian Peninsula. In this paper (based on electrofishing surveys in 598 localities), we provide information on the expansion of the bleak. We detail current distribution in the Ebro basin and the rivers of the Eastern Pyrenees and we report its presence in three other major Iberian drainages. Currently, the bleak is sympatric with 15 Iberian endemic species (58% of total Iberian endemic fish). The possible threats to the rich Iberian ichthyofauna caused by the presence of the bleak are discussed. The factors that promoted the extremely rapid expansion of this exotic cyprinid are examined, focusing on the role of reservoirs, which seem to favour its dispersal

Impacts of Use and Abuse of Nature in Catalonia with Proposals for Sustainable Management

This paper provides an overview of the last 40 years of use, and in many cases abuse, of the natural resources in Catalonia, a country that is representative of European countries in general, and especially those in the Mediterranean region. It analyses the use of natural resources made by mining, agriculture, livestock, logging, fishing, nature tourism, and energy production and consumption. This use results in an ecological footprint, i.e., the productive land and sea surface required to generate the consumed resources and absorb the resulting waste, which is about seven times the amount available, a very high number but very similar to other European countries. This overexploitation of natural resources has a huge impact on land and its different forms of cover, air, and water. For the last 25 years, forests and urban areas have each gained almost 3% more of the territory at the expense of agricultural land; those municipalities bordering the sea have increased their number of inhabitants and activity, and although they only occupy 6.7% of the total surface area, they account for 43.3% of the population; air quality has stabilized since the turn of the century, and there has been some improvement in the state of aquatic ecosystems, but still only 36% are in good condition, while the remainder have suffered morphological changes and different forms of nonpoint source pollution; meanwhile the biodiversity of flora and fauna remains still under threat. Environmental policies do not go far enough so there is a need for revision of the legislation related to environmental impact and the protection of natural areas, flora, and fauna. The promotion of environmental research must be accompanied by environmental education to foster a society which is more knowledgeable, has more control and influence over the decisions that deeply affect it. Indeed, nature conservation goes hand in hand with other social and economic challenges that require a more sustainable vision. Today's problems with nature derive from the current economic model, which is environmentally unsustainable in that it does not take into account environmental impacts. Lastly, we propose a series of reasonable and feasible priority measures and actions related to each use made of the country's natural resources, to the impacts they have had, and to their management, in the hope that these can contribute to improving the conservation and management of the environment and biodiversity and move towards sustainability

Impacts of Use and Abuse of Nature in Catalonia with Proposals for Sustainable Management

This paper provides an overview of the last 40 years of use, and in many cases abuse, of the natural resources in Catalonia, a country that is representative of European countries in general, and especially those in the Mediterranean region. It analyses the use of natural resources made by mining, agriculture, livestock, logging, fishing, nature tourism, and energy production and consumption. This use results in an ecological footprint, i.e., the productive land and sea surface required to generate the consumed resources and absorb the resulting waste, which is about seven times the amount available, a very high number but very similar to other European countries. This overexploitation of natural resources has a huge impact on land and its different forms of cover, air, and water. For the last 25 years, forests and urban areas have each gained almost 3% more of the territory at the expense of agricultural land; those municipalities bordering the sea have increased their number of inhabitants and activity, and although they only occupy 6.7% of the total surface area, they account for 43.3% of the population; air quality has stabilized since the turn of the century, and there has been some improvement in the state of aquatic ecosystems, but still only 36% are in good condition, while the remainder have suffered morphological changes and different forms of nonpoint source pollution; meanwhile the biodiversity of flora and fauna remains still under threat. Environmental policies do not go far enough so there is a need for revision of the legislation related to environmental impact and the protection of natural areas, flora, and fauna. The promotion of environmental research must be accompanied by environmental education to foster a society which is Land 2021, 10, 144 3 of 53 more knowledgeable, has more control and influence over the decisions that deeply affect it. Indeed, nature conservation goes hand in hand with other social and economic challenges that require a more sustainable vision. Today’s problems with nature derive from the current economic model, which is environmentally unsustainable in that it does not take into account environmental impacts. Lastly, we propose a series of reasonable and feasible priority measures and actions related to each use made of the country’s natural resources, to the impacts they have had, and to their management, in the hope that these can contribute to improving the conservation and management of the environment and biodiversity and move towards sustainability.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Fish catchability and comparison of four electrofishing crews in Mediterranean streams

The knowledge of capture efficiency and side effects of electrofishing is essential for research and monitoring of stream fish populations. Differences amongst electrofishing crews have hardly been investigated and are particularly important given the on-going implementation of the Water Framework Directive and wide-ranging exchange of data worldwide. We aimed to assess fish catchability in Mediterranean streams and to compare four electrofishing crews (with minor differences in gears used) and their short-term effects on fish populations. In eight different sites, we compared two adjacent stations, one sampled with conventional single-pass catch-effort data and the other closed with block nets and with four-pass removal estimates. We used a Williams’ cross-over design to estimate the independent effects of repeated sampling in four consecutive days, site and crew and also to assess a potential carry-over effect. We modelled capture probability and estimated population size using program MARK and an information-theoretic framework. Our results show that electrofishing was generally efficient in these reaches, with 50–100% of the species and of 40–60% of the individuals captured in a single pass. The CPUE was significantly higher at sites blocked with nets than at open sites, but observed richness was not significantly different. Capture probability was generally not constant along removal passes and increased with fish size. Observed fish richness and species composition did not depend on electrofishing crew and fishing day and there was no significant carryover effect. There were, however, significant differences in single-pass CPUE estimates amongst electrofishing crews, after accounting for other sources of variation. There was also a significant carry-over effect, surprisingly with increasing fish captured after fishing by specific crews. Overall, our results suggest that although capture probability depends heavily on a number of factors (such as species, size, and sampling site) and needs careful consideration, the effect of electrofishing crew is negligible for assessment of species richness and composition but considerable for fish abundance

Ajust de l’Índex d’Integritat Biòtica (IBICAT) basat en l’ús dels peixos com a indicadors de la qualitat ambiental als rius de Catalunya

Informe sobre l'ajust de l’Índex d’Integritat Biòtica (IBICAT) basat en l’ús dels peixos com a indicadors de la qualitat ambiental als rius de Cataluny

Ús i abús de la natura, impactes i propostes de gestió. El cas de Catalunya com a paradigma

78 pages, 10 figures, 20 tablesFem aquí un balanç dels darrers quaranta anys d'ús, en molts casos abús, dels recursos naturals a Catalunya, un país representatiu dels països europeus, en especial dels mediterranis. [...]Peer reviewe