Recent findings of Ommastrephes bartramii (Cephalopoda: Ommastrephidae) in the eastern Mediterranean and the implication on its range expansion

The neon flying squid Ommastrephes bartramii is found circumglobally in subtropical, temperate waters and sustains important fisheries in the North Pacific, but it is rarely encountered in the Mediterranean Sea. During the last decade, and particularly since 2004, the frequency of its presence in the Aegean Sea and nearby regions has increased, raising a question about a change in the species distribution and abundance in this area. In this study, we reviewed the literature on O. bartramii findings in the Mediterranean Sea and present new data describing body and beak morphometry, diet and the maturity of specimens recently collected from the easternmost basins. According to data from the entire Mediterranean Sea, collected individuals reached 66 cm in mantle length (ML), wherein only females were larger than 32 cm in ML. An isometric growth in body weight (BW) was shown, whereas the lower beak rostral length (LRL) was allometrically positive in relation to the ML. Occasional catches by jigs during experimental cruises provided most of the individuals recorded in the period from 1982-1992. In contrast, the most recent records are primarily comprised of mature females collected on or near the shore in the eastern basin and of predominantly smaller individuals from the western basin caught by professional jigging fisheries. The distribution of the specimen recorded from the Aegean Sea indicates an association between the species distribution and the circulation of the warm Levantine Intermediate Water. The more frequent observations of moribund spawning females at the periphery of the Cretan Sea are indicative of a spawning ground at this area. The suspected recent increase of O. bartramii abundance in both the northeastern and northwestern basins might be due to the warming of upper sea layers, which has been observed since the mid-1980s and is considered to be the main factor driving the northward expansion of the warm-water species’ range within the Mediterranean Sea

They are here to stay: The biology and ecology of lionfish (Pterois miles ) in the Mediterranean Sea

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The Case of Lionfish (Pterois miles) in the Mediterranean Sea Demonstrates Limitations in EU Legislation to Address Marine Biological Invasions

The European Regulation (EU) 1143/2014 on Invasive Alien Species entered into force in 2015, with the aim to fulfill regional and international biodiversity goals in a concerted manner. To date, the Regulation listed 66 Invasive Alien Species (IAS) that are subject to legal controls. Only one of these is marine. A recent lionfish (Pterois miles) invasion has been closely monitored in the Mediterranean and a detailed risk assessment was made about the profound impacts that this invasive fish is likely to have on the fisheries and biodiversity of the region. In 2016–21, lionfish rapidly became dominant predators along Eastern Mediterranean coasts, yet the process for their inclusion on the EU IAS list has been lengthy and is ongoing. There is an urgent need to learn from this experience. Here, we recommend improvements to the Regulation 1143/2014 and the risk assessment process to protect marine ecosystems and secure the jobs of people that rely on coastal resources.</jats:p

Tackling the lionfish invasion in the Mediterranean. the EU-LIFE RELIONMED Project: progress and results

The lionfish invasion in the Western Atlantic has been characterised as one of the most ecologically harmful marine fish introductions to date; associated with habitat modifications, and severe impacts on native communities. In the Mediterranean, lionfish followed similar expansion trends and raised significant concerns among the scientific community due to its potential to cause devastating ecological and socioeconomic impacts. The coastal ecosystems of Cyprus, near the Suez Canal, are amongst the first Mediterranean waters to be affected by the lionfish invasion. Cyprus sentinel location offers therefore, an ideal site for the development of an early warning and rapid response system of marine bioinvasions. RELIONMED (Preventing a LIONfish invasion in the MEDiterranean through early response and targeted REmoval) is a four-year project, funded by the EU LIFE instrument, aiming to make Cyprus the first line of defence against the invasion of lionfish in the Mediterranean. The project has started successfully on September 2017 with a number of early (preparatory) project actions including stakeholder consultation and baseline assessment of social awareness, biological analyses of a small lionfish sample, and the development of a lionfish risk assessment following the guidelines of the Regulation 1143/2014 to include the species in the EU IAS priority list. Forthcoming project’s actions strongly rely on citizen scientists’ and stakeholders’ participation and RELIONMED aims to develop the capacity and tools for control of lionfish, particularly in priority habitats. Preliminary results such as early maturity, high growth rates, generalist diet, and reproduction throughout the year indicate that lionfish can become a ferocious invader for the basin and RELIONMED calls for regional collaborations and coordinated management measures against lionfish invasion in the basin

Consistency of impact assessment protocols for non-native species

Standardized tools are needed to identify and prioritize the most harmful non-native species (NNS). A plethora of assessment protocols have been developed to evaluate the current and potential impacts of non-native species, but consistency among them has received limited attention. To estimate the consistency across impact assessment protocols, 89 specialists in biological invasions used 11 protocols to screen 57 NNS (2614 assessments). We tested if the consistency in the impact scoring across assessors, quantified as the coefficient of variation (CV), was dependent on the characteristics of the protocol, the taxonomic group and the expertise of the assessor. Mean CV across assessors was 40%, with a maximum of 223%. CV was lower for protocols with a low number of score levels, which demanded high levels of expertise, and when the assessors had greater expertise on the assessed species. The similarity among protocols with respect to the final scores was higher when the protocols considered the same impact types. We conclude that all protocols led to considerable inconsistency among assessors. In order to improve consistency, we highlight the importance of selecting assessors with high expertise, providing clear guidelines and adequate training but also deriving final decisions collaboratively by consensus

Horizon Scanning to Predict and Prioritize Invasive Alien Species With the Potential to Threaten Human Health and Economies on Cyprus

Invasive alien species (IAS) are known to be a major threat to biodiversity and ecosystem function and there is increasing evidence of their impacts on human health and economies globally. We undertook horizon scanning using expert-elicitation to predict arrivals of IAS that could have adverse human health or economic impacts on the island of Cyprus. Three hundred and twenty five IAS comprising 89 plants, 37 freshwater animals, 61 terrestrial invertebrates, 93 terrestrial vertebrates, and 45 marine species, were assessed during a two-day workshop involving 39 participants to derive two ranked lists: (1) IAS with potential human health impacts (20 species ranked within two bands: 1–10 species or 11–20 species); and, (2) IAS with potential economic impacts (50 species ranked in three bands of 1–10, 11–20, and 21–50). Five species of mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, Aedes flavopictus, Aedes japonicus, and Culex quinquefasciatus) were considered a potential threat to both human health and economies. It was evident that the IAS identified through this process could potentially arrive through many pathways (25 and 23 pathways were noted for the top 20 IAS on the human health and economic impact lists respectively). The Convention on Biological Diversity Level II (subcategory) pathways Contaminant on plants, pet/aquarium/terrarium species (including live food for such species), hitchhikers in or on aeroplanes, hitchhikers in or on ship/boats, and vehicles were the main pathways that arose across both lists. We discuss the potential of horizon scanning lists to inform biosecurity policies and communication around IAS, highlighting the importance of increasing understanding amongst all stakeholders, including the public, to reduce the risks associated with predicted IAS arrivals

Horizon scanning for invasive alien species with the potential to threaten biodiversity and human health on a Mediterranean island

© 2019, The Author(s). Invasive alien species (IAS) are one of the major drivers of change that can negatively affect biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services and human health; islands are particularly vulnerable to biological invasions. Horizon scanning can lead to prioritisation of IAS to inform decision-making and action; its scale and scope can vary depending on the need. We focussed on IAS likely to arrive, establish and affect biodiversity and human health on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The scope of the horizon scanning was the entire island of Cyprus. We used a two-step consensus-building process in which experts reviewed and scored lists of alien species on their likelihood of arrival, establishment and potential to affect biodiversity, ecosystems and/or human health in the next 10 years. We reviewed 225 alien species, considered to be currently absent on Cyprus, across taxa and environments. We agreed upon 100 species that constituted very high, high or medium biodiversity risk, often arriving through multiple pathways of introduction. The remaining 125 species were ranked as low risk. The potential impacts on human health were documented for all 225 species; 82 species were considered to have a potentially negative impact on human health ranging from nuisance to disease transmission. The scope of the horizon scanning was the entire island of Cyprus, but the thematic groups also considered the relevance of the top 100 species to the Sovereign Base Areas of Cyprus, given their differing governance. This horizon scan provides the first systematic exercise to identify invasive alien species of potential concern to biodiversity and ecosystems but also human health within the Mediterranean region. The process and outcomes should provide other islands in the region and beyond with baseline data to improve IAS prioritisation and management

The Teuthoidea (Cephalopoda, Mollusca) fauna of the Aegean Sea: comparison with the neighbouring seas and notes on their diet composition

Sampling carried out at 47 stations in the Aegean Sea revealed the presence of 10 teuthoid species. A checklist of the Mediterranean and Black Sea teuthoid species, as well as their distribution in the Mediterranean territorial areas and the Black Sea, is presented. The comparison of the faunas of the Mediterranean territorial areas showed that the number of species decreases as follows: Western Mediterranean, Central Mediterranean, Aegean Sea, Adriatic Sea, Levantine Sea, while in the Black Sea no teuthoid species exist. Species with a cosmopolitan distribution dominate in all Mediterranean areas followed in numbers by the Atlanto-Mediterranean species. One species is characterized as a lessepsian migrant while no endemic species exist. The examination of the diet composition of the 10 teuthoid species showed that they mainly feed on Crustacea followed by Pisces

The Sepioidea (Cephalopoda, Mollusca) fauna of the Aegean Sea: comparison with the neighbouring seas and notes on their diet composition

Intensive samplings carried out in the Aegean Sea revealed the presence of 3 sepiid and 10 sepiolid species. A checklist of the Mediterranean Sepioidea is presented, as well as their distribution in the Mediterranean territorial areas and the Black Sea. The faunal comparison of the Mediterranean areas showed that the number of species decreases from the west to the east, while in the Black Sea, no sepioid species exist. In terms of zoogeographical categories, the Atlanto-Mediterranean species dominate in all Mediterranean areas followed by the endemic species. Sepia pharaonis Ehrenberg, 1831 is a Lessepsian migrant while only one species, Stoloteuthis leucoptera (Verrill, 1878), has a cosmopolitan distribution. The diet of the 13 sepioid species is mainly based on Crustacea and Pisces

Modelling the role of alien species and fisheries in an Eastern Mediterranean insular shelf ecosystem

20 pages, 9 figures, 5 tables, 1 appendixWe developed a trophic mass-balance model to describe the structure and functioning of the insular shelf ecosystem of the Republic of Cyprus and assess the impact of fishing and alien species during the mid-2010s. A total of 40 functional groups were defined, ranging from producers and detritus to top predators and when possible, alien species were included in exclusively alien groups. All fishing activities in the area were considered. Input data were obtained from local surveys, fishery statistics, published data on stomach content analyses, other scientific and grey literature, as well as empirical equations. Results show that the ecosystem shares common structural and functional characteristics with other Mediterranean ones, especially those in the eastern basin. Fishing has noticeable impacts on the ecosystem and based on the results, 7.1% of the total primary production is required to sustain fisheries. The model predicts a strong negative impact of small-scale fisheries on small sharks and turtles, and of recreational fisheries on the large demersal and pelagic fishes. Our results also highlight the significant role of alien species within the ecosystem. Alien fish accounted for 29% of fish production. Negative impacts of alien fish were predicted, in particular by alien siganids on phytobenthos, and some alien demersal fishes on eels and morays. This is the first food-web model for Cyprus and results are discussed and compared to other Mediterranean modelsThis work is part of the first author's PhD Thesis and a contribution to the Research Project “PROTOMEDEA - Towards the establishment of Marine Protected Area Networks in the Eastern Mediterranean”, supported by the DG for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the European Commission, through the Grant Agreement SI2.721917Peer Reviewe