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- Trophic importance of small pelagic fish to marine predators of the Mediterranean SeaPublication . Ouled-Cheikh, J; Giménez, J; Albo Puigserver, Marta; Navarro, J; Fernández-Corredor, E; Bellido, JM; Pennino, MG; Coll, MSmall pelagic fish (SPF) species such as European sardine Sardina pilchardus, European anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus, round sardinella Sardinella aurita and European sprat Sprattus sprattus play important ecological roles in the Mediterranean Sea marine ecosystem. However, changes in SPF abundance and biomass have recently been observed in the basin. Therefore, uncovering the trophic importance of SPF to their predators is key to unravelling potential ecological causes and consequences of SPF population changes related to predator dynamics. Here, we reviewed 101 published studies reporting the presence of the SPF species named above in the diet of marine predators inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea. We found that the number of species preying on SPF was highest for teleost fish species, followed by elasmobranchs, seabirds, marine mammals, cephalopods and sea turtles. These predators were both commercial and non-commercial taxa, and vulnerability ranged from medium to very high. From a conservation point of view, most predator species were considered Least Concern by the IUCN, with few exceptions such as the Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus, a Critically Endangered species. Geographic information showed that the European sardine was more important in the diet of predators from the western Mediterranean basin, while European anchovy consumption was higher on the eastern side. Round sardinella was consumed in high amounts in the Tyrrhenian Sea, and European sprat was anecdotally consumed. The importance of SPF in the diet of Mediterranean predators may indicate bottom-up control of the marine ecosystem; however, limited temporal information precluded the evaluation of temporal changes, highlighting the need to develop new studies in this area.
- Energy content of anchovy and sardine using surrogate calorimetry methodsPublication . Campanini, Claudia; Albo Puigserver, Marta; Gérez, Sara; Lloret-Lloret, Elena; Giménez, Joan; Pennino, Maria Grazia; Bellido, José María; Colmenero, Ana I.; Coll, MartaEuropean anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) and sardine (Sardina pilchardus) are crucial species for the marine ecosystem of the Northwestern Mediterranean Sea. They account for a high percentage of fish landings and they represent an important economic income for the fishery sector. Concerns over their stock status are rising in recent years as biomass, growth, reproductive capacity, and body condition of both species are declining, with latitudinal variations. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a body condition monitoring scheme. Energy storage variability has important implications for both fish recruitment and population structure. Direct condition indices, such as energy density (ED) with bomb calorimetry, are highly reliable for measuring the energy content, but time-consuming. Alternatively, fatmeter analysis and relative condition index (Kn) have been proposed as effective indirect methods. The aim of this study is to test the application of fatmeter as a surrogate of bomb calorimetry to infer the energy content of sardine and anchovy. To validate its use, fatmeter values were compared with both ED and Kn values. Individuals of both species were sampled monthly for a year in order to assess seasonal variations in energy content. Our results highlight that fatmeter measurements are strongly correlated with calorimetry ED for sardine, while a weaker but significant correlation was found for anchovy. The observed differences between the two species are related to their breeding strategies. Based on this study, Kn cannot be considered a good proxy of the energy density of sardine, in particular during the resting period. By contrast, fatmeter analysis appears to be a faster and suitable method to evaluate the energy content of both species routinely. In addition, we provide a linear model to infer ED from fatmeter values for both small pelagic fish. Eventually, these findings could be used to implement body condition monitoring protocols and boost continuous large-scale monitoring.
- Ecological sensitivity and vulnerability of fishing fleet landings to climate change across regionsPublication . Albo Puigserver, Marta; Bueno-Pardo, Juan; Pinto, Miguel; N. Monteiro, J.; Ovelheiro, Andreia; Teodosio, Maria; Leitão, FranciscoThe degree of exposure of fishing communities to environmental changes can be partially determined by the vulnerability of the target species and the landings composition. Hence, identifying the species that ecologically most contribute to the vulnerability of the landings are key steps to evaluate the risk posed by climate change. We analyse the temporal variability in intrinsic sensitivity and the ecological vulnerability of the Portuguese fisheries landings, considering the species proportions derived both from the weights and revenues. To account for the diversification of species of each fleet, we explored the species dependence of the fishery in combination with the vulnerability of them. The analyses were carried out separately for three fleet typologies and three regions. Opposite to what has been observed at a global scale, the ecological sensitivity of the fisheries landings between 1989 and 2015 did not display a decline across areas or fishing fleets. Considering each fleet independently, for trawling, where average vulnerability was lower than in the other fleets, the sensitivity of the landings increased since the 2000s. On the other hand, the high vulnerability found in multi-gear fleets was compensated by diversification of the species caught, while purse-seine fleets targeted low vulnerability species but presented a high fishery dependence on few species. The results highlight the importance of combining information on ecological vulnerability and diversification of fishing resources at a regional scale while providing a measure of the ecological exposure to climate change.
- Vulnerabilidade da pesca em Portugal ao impacto das mudanças climáticasPublication . Miguel de Sousa Leitão, Francisco; Pinto, Miguel; Albo Puigserver, Marta; Teodosio, Maria AlexandraEste livro pretende enriquecer o setor da pesca, com informação relativa ao efeito das alterações climáticas, no setor pesqueiro. Visa, assim, aumentar a capacidade de os pescadores enfrentarem os desafios das mudanças climáticas. A capacidade de tolerar as alterações futuras, que o meio marinho irá sofrer, e o seu impacto nos recursos pesqueiros, só poderá ser assegurada se a pesca se basear nos princípios de uma exploração sustentável e ecológica.
- Sowing potential transformative changes in the fishing and agrifood systems – conference reportPublication . Moranta, Joan; Florido-del-Corral, David; López-López, Lucía; Gómez, Sílvia; Agujetas, Julio; Albo Puigserver, Marta; Brent, Zoe W.; Bathily, Lamine; Calvário, Rita; Cavalli, Marta; Coll, Marta; Crane, Annya; de Oliveira, Ericka C.L.; Ertör, Irmak; Herrera-Racionero, Paloma; Leitão, Francisco; Miret-Pastor, Lluís; Patraca, Beatriz; Ortega, Miquel; Pascual-Fernández, José J.; Ramón-Bruquetas, Jaime; Sáez-Jiménez, Jorge; Seck-Papalaye, Abdoulaye; Villasante, SebastiánThe need to better understand the trade-offs between food production, trade and consumption; social and environmental impacts of food systems and food health requirements remains a challenge. Additionally, there is an urgency to transform the food system to reach the dietary patterns required to address the current diet -environment-health trilemma. Transformative changes are required to deal with the food system crisis. To this end, it is necessary to strengthen the links in the food chain and establish solid alliances between production and consumption with the objective of designing alternative food systems. In this context, the Agroecosystems History Laboratory of Pablo de Olavide University and Alimentta-Think tank for the transition of agrifood sys-tems, organised the IX International Congress of Agroecology between the 19th and the 23rd of January, 2023, in Seville (Spain). Its theme was "Cultivating local agroecological-based food systems". Within the Congress, a hybrid panel of "Sowing initiatives with transformative potential in the fishing sector" was held to bring together initiatives with the capacity to generate transformative changes and enhance the value of fisheries in the field of agroecology and food sovereignty. The panel included communications related to seafood consumption, food sovereignty, co-management, inequalities, collaborative experiences, waste management, transformation pro-cessing and commercialisation. As a conclusion of the panel, a new perspective is required to redesign the agrifood systems and promote desirable multiple transformative changes that help to establish analytical and political action strategies in the field of fisheries as a food system.
- Modelling the spatial distribution of Sardina pilchardus and Engraulis encrasicolus spawning habitat in the NW Mediterranean SeaPublication . Gordó-Vilaseca, Cesc; Pennino, Maria Grazia; Albo Puigserver, Marta; Wolff, Matthias; Coll, MartaWe investigated the main drivers of eggs and larvae distributions of European sardine and anchovy from the NW Mediterranean Sea. We used Generalized Additive Models and satellite environmental data. Mainly sea surface temperature, but also currents, surface height, and primary production were significantly correlated with both species' early stages distributions. Anchovy optimal temperature upper limit was not detected, but sardine eggs and larvae presented a small-ranged bell-shape curve relationship to SST with an upper SST threshold around 13 degrees C. Sardine spawning during winter appeared to be dependant not only on in-situ environmental conditions but also on summer conditions prior to the spawning event. Model predictions of the larval and spawning habitat distribution showed clear differences between developmental stages and between species, confirming a worsening of the sardine habitat with time. Considering the further increase of surface temperature predicted in the years to come, the survival of the sardine in the region could be compromised.