Loading...
2 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
- Marine ornamental species from European waters: a valuable overlooked resource or a future threat for the conservation of marine ecosystems?Publication . Calado, RicardoThe worldwide growth of the marine aquarium market has contributed to the degradation of coral reef ecosystems. Enforcing the legislation on importing ornamental species has led some European traders to concentrate on local species. Portugal is used as a case study of marine ornamental fish and invertebrate collection in European waters. One hundred and seventy two species occurring in Portuguese waters (mainland, the Azores and Madeira archipelagos) were considered as potential targets for the marine aquarium industry, some of which are already traded on a regular basis (e.g. Clibanarius erythropus, Lysmata seticaudata, Cerithium vulgatum, Hinia reticulata and Ophioderma longicauda). To ensure appropriate management and conservation of these resources, the following options have been evaluated: banning the harvest and trade of all marine ornamental species from European waters; creating sanctuaries and "no take zones"; issuing collection permits; creating certified wholesalers; implementing the use of suitable gear and collecting methods; setting minimum and maximum size limits, establishing species-based quotas; protecting rare, or "key stone" species and organisms with poor survivability in captivity; establishing closed seasons; culturing ornamental organisms; and creating an "eco-fee" to support research and management. Establishing this sustainable alternative fishery may help minimise the economical and social impacts caused by the crash of important food fisheries in Portugal and other European and West African countries.
- Improvements to the "sket bottle": a simple manual device for sampling small crustaceans from marine caves and other cryptic habitatsPublication . Chevaldonne, Pierre; Sket, Boris; Marschal, Christian; Lejeusne, Christophe; Calado, RicardoDark littoral submarine caves can act as enclaves of the deep aphotic zone in shallow coastal areas, and their survey has revealed the existence of a very particular fauna of specialized and poorly known organisms among which crustaceans are particularly well represented. In these particular habitats, the use of conventional sampling techniques, such as hand nets, is often not recommended since they disturb bottom sediments causing hazardous situations to scientific divers. The use of baited traps, while technically possible, is not. always practical is such remote habitats. The present work describes a simple and inexpensive manual device that can be operated by divers ill submarine caves and other cryptic habitats to recurrently catch small motile organisms such as mysid crustaceans, caridean shrimps, or even gobiid fishes. This small suction bottle derived and improved from the original "Sket bottle" design considerably reduces the risks of disturbing the cave's bottom sediment and can be easily operated using a single hand. The described sampling device can also be easily used outside caves, in a variety of particular habitats, e.g., rubble filled bottoms, branching coral reefs, cracks, and small holes on rocky surfaces, in which small motile organisms usually escape from traditional sampling gears, e.g., fishnets and traps, or simply go unnoticed by researchers during sampling.