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- First record of Ocinebrina nicolai (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Muricidae: Ocenebrinae) in North-Eastern Atlantic watersPublication . Afonso, Carlos; Bonomolo, Giuseppe; Monteiro, Pedro; Bentes, Luis; Oliveira, Frederico; Veiga, Pedro; Rangel, Mafalda; Sousa, Inês; Leite, Laura; Gonçalves, J. M. S.Ocinebrina nicolai Monterosato, 1884 a marine mollusc belonging to the Muricidae family is reported from Algarve, south coast of Portugal for the first time and is a new record for the biodiversity of the Portuguese malacological fauna and northeastern Atlantic waters. This species with a medium-size shell for the genus (14–16 mm) was initially sampled during a baseline project that studied marine biotopes in the central Algarve region. This short note presents a brief diagnosis of the species, provides local information on geographical distribution, habitat, and compares it with other congeneric species found in Portugal: Ocinebrina aciculata (Lamarck, 1822) and Ocinebrina edwardsii (Payraudeau, 1826).
- Marxan as a zoning tool for development and economic purposed areas - Aquaculture Management Areas (AMAs)Publication . Sales Henriques, Nuno; Monteiro, Pedro; Bentes, Luis; Oliveira, Frederico; Afonso, Carlos; Gonçalves, Jorge Manuel SantosThe increased number of human activities within the marine environment and the demand for maritime space has increased to a point where in some parts of the globe the demand for maritime space has exceeded the available area. The overlapping objectives and activities have caused severe conflicts among users and with the natural marine environment itself. For that reason, holistic strategies such as Ecosystem Based Management (EBM) and Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) have been evolved and developed to sustainably manage the marine environment, avoiding conflicts and creating synergies. Spatial analysis tools like Marxan have been used for several years as decision support tools mostly for conservation plans, such as design and establishment of protected areas. In this study we approach the potential of this tool with a different purpose in mind: instead of using the available information of the region for the development of a conservation plan, we used this tool and the available information to select areas to establish Aquaculture Management Areas (AMAs). We also intended to analyse how the existing features of the region would affect the final result of a spatial plan aimed to establish areas for economic and development purposes. We conclude that the use of Marxan can be advantageous to support the planning and development of coastal regions, not only in a conservationist point of view (as it has been mostly used), but also into a developing and economic driven approach. This tool can be particularly useful in regions or situations where there is a large number of stakeholders, ecological and geographical features that could potentially conflict with the establishment, the management and the success of the proposed management areas. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Identifying habitats of conservation priority in the São Vicente submarine Canyon in Southwestern PortugalPublication . Nestorowicz, Iga-Maria; Oliveira, Frederico; Monteiro, Pedro; Bentes, Luis; Sales Henriques, Nuno; Aguilar, Ricardo; Horta E Costa, Barbara; Gonçalves, Jorge Manuel SantosIdentifying vulnerable marine habitats is fundamental to promote evidence-based management and a sustainable use of our oceans. Although progress in the mapping of marine benthic habitats has been made, complex ecosystems such as submarine canyons remain largely unexplored, hampering evidence-based management from taking place in these ubiquitous features worldwide. Data from a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) survey in the upper São Vicente Submarine Canyon in southwestern Portugal from 2011, was analysed to carry out a comprehensive assessment of megabenthic habitats, particularly those of conservation concern occuring between 90 and 560 m. Underwater videos from three exploratory dives, covering a total of 8.8 kilometers, were analyzed through multivariate and visual assessments, and the identified habitats were assessed against a set of criteria derived from current definitions of priority habitats. Thirteen potential priority habitats were characterized, out of which four distinct “coral gardens” and one “deep-sea sponge aggregation” are aligned with OSPAR definitions of priority habitats, and one corresponds to the habitat of a strictly protected sea urchin listed in the Habitats Directive. Three circalittoral sponge aggregations were also suggested based on the abundance of indicator species. The specific composition and diversity of priority habitats as described here, has not yet been described in any other canyon in the NE Atlantic region. Depth was revealed to be particularly important for the distribution of habitats, followed by relief and substratum. The approach presented in this study contributes to improve the understanding about submarine canyons, which is paramount to implement knowledge-based protection measures. Furthermore, it can be used to support future mapping efforts of deep-sea environments such as submarine canyons.
- Influence of seagrass meadows on nursery and fish provisioning ecosystem services delivered by Ria Formosa, a coastal lagoon in PortugalPublication . Erzini, Karim; Parreira, Filipe; Sadat, Zineb; Castro, Margarida; Bentes, Luis; Coelho, Rui; Gonçalves, Jorge Manuel Santos; Lino, Pedro G.; Martínez-Crego, Begoña; Monteiro, Pedro; Oliveira, Frederico; Ribeiro, Joaquim; de los Santos, Carmen B.; Santos, RuiThis study is the first to evaluate the fish provisioning services of a whole transitional landscape (Ria Formosa lagoon, Portugal), in parallel with the enhancement of growth, survival and production of single cohorts of the most important commercial fish species by vegetated and unvegetated sub-tidal habitats. Based on monthly beach seine samples, total density and biomass of 96 species of fishes were 1.89 and 3.03 times greater in vegetated habitats than unvegetated habitats, respectively. Vegetated habitat enhanced survival in six of eight commercial species for which survival could be estimated in both habitats. The total production of all 12 commercially important species within vegetated habitat was approximately double that of unvegetated habitat, with production enhancement in 7 of 12 species ranging from 1.8 to 169-fold for the vegetated habitats. Within the lagoon, vegetated sub-tidal habitat covers an area 5-fold smaller than unvegetated habitat, yet it accounts for 27.1 % of fish production. Estimated total lifetime economic values of the single cohorts of the 12 commercial species were between 30 million and 59 million EUR. An exceptionally strong year class of the European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax), a species with higher density and biomass in unvegetated habitat, accounts for the higher overall values per hectare for unvegetated habitat (Low natural mortality (M): EUR 32,844 ha-1; High M: EUR 16,751 ha-1) than for vegetated habitat (Low M: EUR 22,028 ha-1; High M: EUR 10,700 ha-1). These results highlight the enormous importance of temperate coastal lagoons as a nursery and source of recruits for coastal fisheries. Our evaluation of fish provisioning services based on data for individual cohorts of fish for a whole transitional landscape is a stronger and more valid approach for estimating future biomass and value than previous studies based on mean densities and biomasses of fish that did not distinguish between cohorts.
- Co-design of a marine protected area zoning and the lessons learned from itPublication . e Costa, Horta; Guimarães, M. Helena; Rangel, Mafalda; Ressurreição, Adriana; Monteiro, Pedro; Oliveira, Frederico; Bentes, Luis; Sales Henriques, Nuno; Sousa, Inês; Alexandre, Sofia; Pontes, João; Afonso, Carlos; Belackova, Adela; Marçalo, Ana; Cardoso-Andrade, Mariana; Correia, António José; Lobo, Vanda; Gonçalves, Emanuel J.; Pitta e Cunha, Tiago; Gonçalves, Jorge Manuel SantosMarine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a tool to safeguard marine natural systems, yet their effectiveness depends on how well they are integrated into the existing socioeconomic context. Stakeholder engagement in MPA design can contribute to increasing integration. This study focuses on the co-design of an MPA between researchers, public administration, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations. The proposed MPA is in Portugal and includes an area that is a hotspot for biodiversity and economic activities. This is the first MPA proposal in mainland Portugal co-designed using a participatory approach. This study highlights the steps of the zoning process and synthesizes the eight main lessons learned, useful for other cases, particularly for relatively small coastal MPAs with multiple socioeconomic activities. Three zoning proposals were developed and discussed within the participatory process. The proposals considered the best scientific and local knowledge available and were defined using ecological, socioeconomic, and shape-area guiding principles. In an iterative manner and following a participatory approach, compromises with stakeholders were achieved, and a final proposal, scientifically sound and socially accepted by most stakeholders, was delivered to the government. The final zoning plan will achieve ambitious conservation goals, including the largest fully protected area to be declared in mainland Portugal, while minimizing the impacts on the existing economic activities and promoting its sustainability. This process resulted in valuable lessons that may be applied elsewhere and guide future MPA implementation or rezoning of existing ones. These transdisciplinary and participatory processes can be time and resource-consuming but are vital for ensuring MPA effectiveness.
- Effects of different slipping methods on the mortality of sardine, Sardina pilchardus, after purse-seine capture off the Portuguese Southern coast (Algarve)Publication . Marçalo, Ana; Guerreiro, Pedro; Bentes, Luis; Rangel, Mafalda; Monteiro, Pedro; Oliveira, Frederico; Afonso, Carlos; Pousao-Ferreira, Pedro; Benoit, Hugues P.; Breen, Mike; Erzini, Karim; Gonçalves, Jorge Manuel SantosThe effects of two different slipping methods on the survival, physical and physiological response of sardines, Sardina pilchardus, captured in a purse-seine fishery were investigated in southern Portugal. Sardines were collected and transferred into holding tanks onboard a commercial fishing vessel after being captured, crowded and deliberately released using two slipping procedures: standard and modified. The standard slipping procedure aggregated fish at high densities and made them "roll over" the floatline, while the modified procedure aggregated the fish at moderate densities and enabled them to escape through an opening created by adding weights to the floatline. Both slipping methods were compared with minimally harmed non-slipped sardines (sardines collected from the loose pocket of the purse seine). Survival rates were monitored in captivity over 28 days using three replicates for each treatment. The estimated survival of sardines was 43.6% for the non-slipped fish, 44.7% for the modified slipping and 11.7% for the standard slipping treatments. Scale loss indicated the level of physical impact experienced, with dead fish from the non-slipped and modified slipping technique showing significantly lower scale loss than those fish from the standard slipping treatment within the same period. Of the physiological indicators of stress measured, cortisol, glucose, lactate and osmolality attained peak values during slipping and up to the first hours after introduction to captivity. This work indicates that although delayed mortality after release may be substantial, appropriately modified slipping techniques significantly enhance survival of slipped sardines.
- Do fisher associations really represent their members’ needs and opinions? The case study of the octopus fishery in the Algarve (south Portugal)Publication . Rangel, Mafalda; Pita, Cristina; de Oliveira, Manuela Maria; Guimarães, Maria Helena; Rainha, Rita; Sonderblohm, Carlos; Monteiro, Pedro; Oliveira, Frederico; Ballesteros, Marta; Gonçalves, Jorge Manuel Santos; Pierce, Graham J.; Erzini, KarimFishers’ participation in the fishery management decision-making process is generally low, particularly in small-scale fisheries (SSF). Within the overarching goal of improving fisheries governance, fishers’ participation is crucial. Yet, how can fishers participate in the decision-making processes which affect their actions, and to what extent do fisher associations represent their interests? These questions were tackled by means of an empirical case study in the “Tertúlia do Polvo” project, focusing on the octopus SSF in the Algarve region (south Portugal), where the octopus fishery is managed top-down with sporadic participation of fishers. During the study (2014 and 2015), seven participatory workshops (tertúlias) were held, involving fisher associations, management authorities and researchers, to propose and discuss management measures for the fishery. Also, a face-to-face questionnaire survey (121 valid replies) was undertaken with local fishers to gauge their opinions about the management measures proposed during the workshops. Results show a strong agreement between the outcomes achieved during the workshops and the main concerns and possible solutions identified by fishers. Taking into consideration the difficulty in structuring and assuring a transparent and effective participation of fishers in the management of their activity, the results obtained are promising. In this study, the use of a participatory process (restricted to a small group of stakeholders) combined with consultation (targeting a sample of the fisher population) allowed the validation of the overall results obtained. Such a methodological approach can be tried in other fishing communities to implement efficient and effective collaborative management, contributing to improved fisheries governance.
- Setting performance indicators for coastal marine protected areas: an expert-based methodologyPublication . Cardoso-Andrade, Mariana; Queiroga, Henrique; Rangel, Mafalda; Sousa, Inês; Belackova, Adela; Bentes, Luis; Oliveira, Frederico; Monteiro, Pedro; Sales Henriques, Nuno; Afonso, Carlos; Silva, Ana F.; Quintella, Bernardo R.; Costa, José L.; Pais, Miguel P.; Henriques, Sofia; Batista, Marisa I.; Franco, Gustavo; Gonçalves, Emanuel J.; Henriques, Miguel; Leonardo, Teresa; Coelho, Paula; Comas-González, Robert; Fernández, Laura P.; Quiles-Pons, Carla; Costa, André; Espírito-Santo, Cristina; Castro, João J.; Arenas, Francisco; Ramos, Sandra; Ferreira, Vasco; Gonçalves, Jorge Manuel Santos; Horta E Costa, BarbaraMarine Protected Areas (MPAs) require effective indicators to assess their performance, in compliance with the goals of relevant national and international commitments. Achieving and prioritizing shortlists of multidisciplinary indicators demands a significant effort from specialists to depict the multiple conservation and socioeconomic interests, and the large complexity of natural systems. The present paper describes a structured expert-based methodology (process and outputs) to co-define a list of multidisciplinary MPA performance indicators. This work was promoted by the management authority of coastal MPAs in mainland Portugal to gather a consensual and feasible list of indicators that would guide the design of a future national monitoring program. Hence, Portuguese coastal MPAs served as a case study to develop such a process between 2019 and 2020. In the end, participants (1) agreed on a shortlist of prioritized indicators (i.e., environmental, governance, and socioeconomic indicators) and (2) defined minimum monitoring frequencies for the indicators in this list, compatible with the potential replicability of the associated survey methods. The present approach recommends that management plans incorporate monitoring procedures and survey methods, with a validated list of indicators and associated monitoring periodicity, agreed among researchers, MPA managers and governance experts. The proposed methodology, and the lessons learned from it, can support future processes aiming to define and prioritize MPA performance indicators.
- EUNIS habitat's thresholds for the Western coast of the Iberian Peninsula — A Portuguese case studyPublication . Monteiro, Pedro; Bentes, L.; Oliveira, Frederico; Afonso, Carlos; Rangel, Mafalda; Gonçalves, J. M. S.The European Nature Information System (EUNIS) has been implemented for the establishment of a marine European habitats inventory. Its hierarchical classification is defined and relies on environmental variables which primarily constrain biological communities (e.g. substrate types, sea energy level, depth and light penetration). The EUNIS habitat classification scheme relies on thresholds (e.g. fraction of light and energy) which are based on expert judgment or on the empirical analysis of the above environmental data. The present paper proposes to establish and validate an appropriate threshold for energy classes (high, moderate and low) and for subtidal biological zonation (infralittoral and circalittoral) suitable for EUNIS habitat classification of the Western Iberian coast. Kineticwave-induced energy and the fraction of photosynthetically available light exerted on the marine bottom were respectively assigned to the presence of kelp (Saccorhiza polyschides, Laminaria hyperborea and Laminaria ochroleuca) and seaweed species in general. Both data were statistically described, ordered fromthe largest to the smallest and percentile analyseswere independently performed. The threshold between infralittoral and circalittoral was based on the first quartile while the ‘moderate energy’ class was established between the 12.5 and 87.5 percentiles. To avoid data dependence on sampling locations and assess the confidence interval a bootstrap technique was applied. According to this analysis,more than 75% of seaweeds are present at locations where more than 3.65% of the surface light reaches the sea bottom. The range of energy levels estimated using S. polyschides data, indicate that on the IberianWest coast the ‘moderate energy’ areas are between 0.00303 and 0.04385 N/m2 of wave-induced energy. The lack of agreement between different studies in different regions of Europe suggests the need for more standardization in the future. However, the obtained thresholds in the present study will be very useful in the near future to implement and establish the Iberian EUNIS habitats inventory.
- Marine litter in the upper São Vicente submarine canyon (SW Portugal): abundance, distribution, composition and fauna interactionsPublication . Oliveira, Frederico; Monteiro, Pedro; Bentes, Luis; Sales Henriques, Nuno; Aguilar, Ricardo; Gonçalves, J. M. S.Marine litter has become a worldwide environmental problem, tainting all ocean habitats. The abundance, distribution and composition of litter and its interactions with fauna were evaluated in the upper S. Vicente canyon using video images from 3 remote operated vehicle exploratory dives. Litter was present in all dives and the abundance was as high as 3.31 items100m(-1). Mean abundance of litter over rock bottom was higher than on soft substrate. Mean litter abundance was slightly higher than reported for other canyons on the Portuguese margin, but lower in comparison to more urbanized coastal areas of the world. Lost fishing gear was the prevalent type of litter, indicating that the majority of litter originates from maritime sources, mainly fishing activity. Physical contact with sessile fauna and entanglement of specimens were the major impacts of lost fishing gear. Based on the importance of this region for the local fishermen, litter abundance is expected to increase.