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  • First record of Ocinebrina nicolai (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Muricidae: Ocenebrinae) in North-Eastern Atlantic waters
    Publication . 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).
  • The EU landing obligation and European small-scale fisheries: What are the odds for success?
    Publication . Veiga, Pedro; Pita, C.; Rangel, Mafalda; Gonçalves, J. M. S.; Campos, Aida; Fernandes, P. G.; Sala, Antonello; Virgili, M.; Lucchetti, A.; Brcic, J.; Villasante, S.; Ballesteros, Marta A.; Chapela, R.; Santiago, Jose Luis; Agnarsson, S.; Ögmundarson, O.; Erzini, Karim
    A landing obligation was formally implemented in the European Union (EU) for the first time, as part of the recent reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). Given the reasonable success of the landing obligation in some countries such as the Faroe Islands, Iceland and Norway, this policy is seen as a viable approach to tackle the long-recognized discarding problem in EU waters. However, there has been some debate on whether there is sufficient evidence to support the feasibility of such a measure in the EU-CFP. The EU landing obligation will implicitly include all small-scale fisheries (SSF) provided the species captured are subject to catch limits or minimum sizes (in the case of the Mediterranean). SSF were included irrespective of the fact that the discarding problem in the EU has been historically associated with medium- to large-scale fleets (in particular largely mixed species trawl fisheries). Additionally, past experiences with a discard ban policy are still limited to specific countries and/or specific fisheries. This paper examined the appropriateness and feasibility of the recently implemented EU landing obligation in SSF. The effects in the long-term are unpredictable, but available evidence suggests that in the short to medium-term a landing obligation is likely to bring more negative social, economic and ecological impacts than benefits. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
  • Interactions between air-breathing marine megafauna and artisanal fisheries in Southern Iberian Atlantic waters: results from an interview survey to fishers
    Publication . Alexandre, Sofia; Marçalo, Ana; Marques, Tiago A.; Pires, Alexandra; Rangel, Mafalda; Ressurreição, Adriana; Monteiro, Pedro; Erzini, Karim; Gonçalves, Jorge Manuel Santos
    The coastal waters off Western Iberia are an important fishing ground and a marine megafauna foraging area. Overlap between fishery target species and the diet of several air breathing marine megafauna species can lead to negative interactions and consequently conservation and economic issues. This work aimed to assess marine megafauna (cetaceans, marine birds, and marine turtles) – fishery interactions through face-to-face interviews to fishers of the local and coastal artisanal fisheries fleets in the landing sites of the Portuguese mainland Southern coast (Algarve). The main goal was to identify and evaluate problematic interactions known to cause bycatch or economic loss through depredation. We found that bycatch is a concern for all marine megafauna groups, but depredation problems are mostly associated with cetaceans. Of the sampled artisanal fisheries (longlines, pots and traps, bottom set-nets, and purse seine), the fishing gears of most concern were purse seine and coastal bottom set-nets. Purse seine showed problems associated with important bycatch numbers, especially of common dolphins, Delphinus delphis, while bottom set-nets have considerable bycatch of all animal groups and depredation was highly associated with bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. Bycatch and depredation were found to be species, gear, area, and vessel size dependent. Economic loss caused by depredation led to catch and gear damage and was widely reported by bottom set-net fishers, ranging from 7% to 21% of their revenue. Higher losses were reported for local vessels in leeward (eastern) Algarve area. This study showed that the active participation of fishers provides improved localized knowledge on interactions between local and coastal fisheries and marine megafauna, allowing for the definition of specific management and mitigation strategies.
  • Assessing the land- and seascape determinants of recreational diving: evidence for Portugal’s south coast
    Publication . Cardoso-Andrade, Mariana; Cruz-Jesus, Frederico; Rego, Francisco Castro; Rangel, Mafalda; Queiroga, Henrique
    Scuba diving is one of the most popular coastal recreational activities, and one of the few that are allowed in multiple-use marine protected areas. Nevertheless, like many other coastal activities, if in excess, it may harm coastal ecosystems and their sustainable use. This paper focuses on the seascape and landscape characteristics that are most associated with the existence of dive sites, aiming to identify other suitable locations along the coast to potentially reduce environmental pressure (e.g., overcrowding and physical damage) on the existing dive sites. Logistic regressions were employed to model the suitability for dive sites existence in the Portuguese south coast (Algarve), one of the most popular Summer destinations in mainland Europe. Results suggest that closeness to waterlines and piers and the presence of rock structures in the coastal strip are the most important attributes that positively influence dive sites’ existence, whereas the beach environment and the presence of muddy sediments are negatively associated with it. In this study, we suggest the application of a logistic model to find alternatives for the explored dive sites as a quick and easily applied coastal management tool. Moreover, we find it useful for the implementation of coastal conservation strategies extended to other coastal activities.
  • First assessment of the Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on global marine recreational fisheries
    Publication . Pita, Pablo; Ainsworth, Gillian B.; Alba, Bernardino; Anderson, Antônio B.; Antelo, Manel; Alós, Josep; Artetxe, Iñaki; Baudrier, Jérôme; Castro, José J.; Chicharro, Belén; Erzini, K; Ferter, Keno; Freitas, Mafalda; García-de-la-Fuente, Laura; García-Charton, José A.; Giménez-Casalduero, María; Grau, Antoni M.; Diogo, Hugo; Gordoa, Ana; Henriques, Filipe; Hyder, Kieran; Jiménez-Alvarado, David; Karachle, Paraskevi K.; Lloret, Josep; Laporta, Martin; Lejk, Adam M.; Dedeu, Arnau L.; Martín-Sosa, Pablo; Martínez, Lllibori; Mira, Antoni M.; Morales-Nin, Beatriz; Mugerza, Estanis; Olesen, Hans J.; Papadopoulos, Anastasios; Pontes, João; Pascual-Fernández, José J.; Purroy, Ariadna; Ramires, Milena; Rangel, Mafalda; Reis-Filho, José Amorim; Sánchez-Lizaso, Jose L.; Sandoval, Virginia; Sbragaglia, Valerio; Silva, Luis; Skov, Christian; Sola, Iván; Strehlow, Harry V.; Torres, María A.; Ustups, Didzis; van der Hammen, Tessa; Veiga, Pedro; Venerus, Leonardo A.; Verleye, Thomas; Villasante, Sebastián; Weltersbach, Marc Simon; Zarauz, Lucía
    In late 2019, an outbreak caused by a novel coronavirus started in China (Graham and Baric, 2020; Hu et al., 2020; Maxmen, 2021). A global pandemic was declared in March 2020, as COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus (World Health Organization, 2020b), escalated outside China (World Health Organization, 2020a). In mid-2021, when vaccination campaigns began to show positive effects on the control of the disease in several countries (Kaur and Gupta, 2020), the COVID-19 pandemic caused millions of deaths and hundreds of millions of infections (Dong et al., 2020). To fight the pandemic, governments reacted with measures designed to contain the spread of the virus, especially through measures aimed to reduce social interactions, including lockdowns (Wilder-Smith and Freedman, 2020), travel restrictions (Chinazzi et al., 2020), and limiting people’s access to non-essential activities (Storr et al., 2021). Humanity suffered a notable impact as a result of the pandemic, including losses of jobs and an abrupt disruption in global demand of goods and services (Barua, 2020; McKibbin and Fernando, 2020; Nicola et al., 2020). The pandemic further degraded the quality of life of the most vulnerable people, particularly those with mental health problems (Brooks et al., 2020), victims of domestic violence (Usher et al., 2020), children (Singh et al., 2020), or indigenous populations (Lane, 2020). As a result, an increase in economic inequality and worldwide poverty is expected, especially in developing countries (World Bank, 2020), and a peak in the suicide rate (Kawohl and Nordt, 2020). On the other hand, global reduction of human activities has had some positive effects on the global environment, especially for air and water quality (Rutz et al., 2020), and noise reduction (Zambrano-Monserrate et al., 2020). Marine ecosystems for example experienced less impacts derived from commercial fishing due to disruptions in large markets such as the United States (White et al., 2021a) or the European Union (Prellezo and Carvahlo, 2020; Coll et al., 2021).
  • Is Europe ready for a results-based approach to fisheries management? The voice of stakeholders
    Publication . Santiago, Jose Luis; Ballesteros, Marta A.; Chapela, Rosa; Silva, Cristina; Nielsen, Kare N.; Rangel, Mafalda; Erzini, Karim; Wise, Laura; Campos, Aida; Borges, Maria F.; Sala, Antonello; Virgili, Massimo; Vidarsson, Jonas R.; Baudron, Alan; Fernandes, Paul G.
    The reformed Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), adopted by the European Union in 2013, aims to achieve sustainable exploitation of marine resources. Beyond the mainstream of stakeholders' engagement, the literature increasingly calls for shared accountability in fisheries management. In such scenarios, identifying stakeholders' insights becomes critical for a successful design of innovative management approaches. This paper analyses how the stakeholders perceive a results-based management system for four fisheries in different European sea-basins as well as at a pan-European level. The results indicate a need for adaptive and participatory management approaches, building on regional adaptations within transparent and plural frameworks for fisheries. To succeed, the system should explicitly address its associated public and private costs; neither participation nor accountability comes for free. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
  • A global review of marine recreational spearfishing
    Publication . Sbragaglia, Valerio; Arlinghaus, Robert; Blumstein, Daniel T.; Diogo, Hugo; Giglio, Vinicius J.; Gordoa, Ana; Januchowski-Hartley, Fraser Andrew; Laporta, Martín; Lindfield, Steven J.; Lloret, Josep; Mann, Bruce; McPhee, Daryl; Nunes, José A. C. C.; Pita, Pablo; Rangel, Mafalda; Rhoades, O. Kennedy; Venerus, Leonardo A.; Villasante, Sebastián
    Recreational spearfishing is a fishing method that occurs globally, yet receives considerably less attention in the scientific literature relative to other recreational fishing methods, such as angling. Lack of scientific information on spearfishing may negatively affect the development and management of marine recreational fisheries. We conducted a systematic review of 102 peer-reviewed papers published between 1967 and 2022 pertaining to marine recreational spearfishing. Based on this literature review, we provide an overview of key insights across social, economic, and ecological dimensions of marine recreational spearfishing. While spearfishers represent less than 5% of marine recreational fishers, the participants are younger and may differ from recreational anglers in their motivations, with suggestions of increased well-being generated from a close connection with the sea during underwater fishing. Recreational spearfishers mostly target species of moderate to high levels of vulnerability that are mid to high trophic level carnivores. Though spearfishers can deliberately target larger individuals of exploited populations, this is not a generalizable pattern. Despite a growing body of research on the ecological impacts of marine recreational spearfishing, there is limited knowledge of these effects and their mechanisms across biological levels of organization (e.g., individual, population, community and ecosystem) compared with those of other fishing methods. Recreational spearfishers can contribute to advances in marine ecological knowledge, and inclusive participatory management could represent a key step towards transformative sustainable development of marine recreational spearfishing. Throughout the review, we identify gaps in the research and areas where future research is needed to better inform the socio-economic importance, ecosystem impacts and future management of marine recreational spearfishing.
  • Co-design of a marine protected area zoning and the lessons learned from it
    Publication . 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 Santos
    Marine 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.
  • Análise custo viagem de roteiros subaquáticos (de Apneia) na Praia da Marinha (Algarve)
    Publication . Rangel, Mafalda; Dentinho, T. P.; Araújo, G.; Lopes, J.; Gonçalves, J. M. S.; Erzini, Karim
    Pretendeu-se definir o valor da utilização recreativa de mergulho em apneia, em três roteiros implementados na Praia da Marinha, Algarve. Utilizou-se o método do custo de viagem para definir o valor de uso e os benefícios de recursos naturais utilizados para esta actividade de recreação. Validaram-se 115 inquéritos efectuados entre 15/07 a 15/9 de 2008, analisando-se os dados pelo modelo de regressão. Considerou-se como variável independente o número de mergulhos efectuados e como variável dependente os diversos custos, considerando o tempo dispendido na actividade ponderado por uma fracção do rendimento declarado. Concluiu-se que o excedente médio por mergulho é de 5,0 €, pelo que o valor de uso dos roteiros é de 600 €/ano, correspondente a um total de 30000 € admitindo uma taxa de desconto de 2% e a manutenção do recurso por muitos anos. Com uma capacidade de carga de 1.000 mergulhos por ano, a renda total do recurso por ano passa a ser de 5000 € e o valor económico total de 250000 €.
  • 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 Santos
    The 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.