Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Nicole B. Morgan, Amy R. Baco
Summary: The study revealed fishing activities, primarily trawling, on high-seas seamounts of the Northwestern Hawaiian Ridge and Emperor Seamounts, with Japanese and Korean vessels predominately involved. Scientific surveys showed visible scars from bottom contact gear and provided data on areas with abundant megafauna, which could aid in VME management and further closures.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Justin C. Tiano, Emil De Borger, Sarah O'Flynn, Chiu H. Cheng, Dick van Oevelen, Karline Soetaert
Summary: This study evaluates the impacts of physical and electrical disturbances on North Sea fisheries activities and their consequences on marine ecological functioning, particularly in benthic pelagic coupling. The experiments conducted demonstrate that mechanical disturbances have a greater effect on benthic pelagic coupling, while electrical stimulation may have implications for phosphorus cycling in the marine environment. Management strategies addressing both physical and electrical impacts are crucial for protecting marine ecosystems.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Felipe Freitas Junior, Rafael Schroeder, Juliano Cesar Hillesheim, Roberto Wahrlich, Fernando Luiz Diehl, Joaquim Olinto Branco
Summary: The study evaluated the size structure, maturation, and abundance of white shrimp in Babitonga Bay, South Brazil, finding the highest abundance between February and May. White shrimp mainly spawn in the marine environment in October and November, enter the estuary in December and are available for artisanal fishing in January. Juveniles migrate to the adjacent marine area in February and March, defining the main recruitment peak.
REGIONAL STUDIES IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Francesca Falco, Gioacchino Bono, Matteo Cammarata, Jessica Cavalca, Irene Vazzana, Mariano Dara, Danilo Scannella, Stefano Guicciardi, Caterina Faggio, Sergio Ragonese
Summary: The study focuses on the physiological stress levels of incidentally captured sharks after release, and measures the levels of physiological indicators in the blood of dogfish captured at different depths. The results show that dogfish captured in deeper waters have higher levels of physiological stress compared to those captured in shallow waters, which may be related to the prolonged interaction time with fishing gear.
COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY B-BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Simonetta Fraschetti, Erika Fabbrizzi, Laura Tamburello, Maria C. Uyarra, Fiorenza Micheli, Enric Sala, Carlo Pipitone, Fabio Badalamenti, Stanislao Bevilacqua, Jordi Boada, Emma Cebrian, Giulia Ceccherelli, Mariachiara Chiantore, Giovanni D'Anna, Antonio Di Franco, Simone Farina, Sylvaine Giakoumi, Elena Gissi, Ivan Guala, Paolo Guidetti, Stelios Katsanevakis, Elisabetta Manea, Monica Montefalcone, Maria Sini, Valentina Asnaghi, Antonio Calo, Manfredi Di Lorenzo, Joaquim Garrabou, Luigi Musco, Alice Oprandi, Gil Rilov, Angel Borja
Summary: The study aimed to assess the environmental status of Mediterranean ecosystems, especially the impact of Marine Protected Areas on achieving Good Environmental Status. Results showed that most MPAs in the Western Mediterranean are in good/high status, but the overall environmental status is moderate, with macroalgal forests in poor condition.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
A. D. Rijnsdorp, J. Depestele, P. Molenaar, O. R. Eigaard, A. Ivanovic, F. G. O'Neill
Summary: Bottom trawls have a significant impact on the seafloor and benthic ecosystem, with gear components mobilizing sediment as they drag along the seabed. Through estimating sediment mobilization from hydrodynamic drag, it was found that netting contributes most to the drag of pulse trawls.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Management
Hemant K. Bhargava, Kitty Wang, Xingyue (Luna) Zhang
Summary: This study explores the impact of revenue-sharing designs on the ecosystem of digital platforms. It shows that a small-business oriented differential revenue sharing design can increase total welfare and outputs on the platform, benefiting smaller producers. However, under certain conditions, larger producers may also benefit. Interestingly, the study finds that platforms are the most likely winners under a differential revenue sharing scheme, as it serves their own interests better.
MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Jarumi Kato-Huerta, Davide Geneletti
Summary: Environmental justice addresses the unequal distribution of environmental goods and harms, and promotes people's right to be involved in environmental decision-making. This study reviews how environmental justice is conceptualized and analyzed in urban Nature-based solutions (NbS) research, and documents the potential outcomes of diverse interventions.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & POLICY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tim J. Langlois, Corey B. Wakefield, Euan S. Harvey, Dion K. Boddington, Stephen J. Newman
Summary: In 1998, a large offshore targeted fisheries closure area was implemented on the North West Shelf of Australia as part of management controls. After 12 years, significant differences were found between the closed area and adjacent fished areas in terms of benthic biota and fish assemblages, driven by slower growing, longer lived fishery target species.
MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Samantha R. Blampied, Sian E. Rees, Martin J. Attrill, Francis C. T. Binney, Emma Sheehan
Summary: This study uses BRUVs method to quantify the differences in mobile species composition, diversity, and abundance in mixed sediment habitats inside and outside three MPAs adopting the whole-site approach. The results show that MPAs adopting the whole-site approach have positive impacts on increasing biodiversity and biomass, but not all species respond positively.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alisha N. Griffin, John Kioko, Ole Theisinger, Christian Kiffner
Summary: The study found that ostrich population densities and trends were not necessarily associated with formal protection status. Differences in ostrich densities and trends were observed among different areas, but ostrich population densities were moderately correlated with those of large savanna mammals in the ecosystem.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Guilherme Diego Fockink, Charline Zangalli, Emanoeli de Oliveira, Mabillin de Souza Luz, Mayara Pereira de Goes, Ana Carolina da Silva, Mireli Moura Pitz Floriani, Marcos Felipe Nicoletti, Maria Raquel Kanieski
Summary: Using suitable ecological indicators for assessing and monitoring passive restoration is crucial in understanding the dynamics of natural regeneration. However, most restoration protocols in Brazil are designed for active restoration, and few studies have focused on ecological indicators for passive restoration. In this study, we tested indicators defined by an active restoration monitoring protocol along with other indicators of richness, diversity, and functional aspects of natural regeneration. The results showed that some indicators were suitable for evaluating areas under passive restoration with a history of degradation by forestry, but adjustments in the reference values are needed. Other indicators related to the ecosystem's structure and functionality should also be included. Despite differences in composition, structure, and functional aspects, passive restoration showed potential in perpetuating the successional course in the studied areas.
ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alienor L. M. Chauvenet
Summary: Protected areas are important for wildlife and ecosystem conservation, and their size has been increasing in response to international strategies. However, simply increasing the area of protected areas does not necessarily lead to better biodiversity conservation. This study proposes a set of indicators to evaluate the conservation potential of protected area networks, focusing on design and ecological integrity. Using Australia as a case study, the analysis reveals that the return on investment in protected areas, especially in terms of ecological integrity, is lower than expected and varies among strict and non-strict protected areas and ecoregions. While increasing the size of protected area networks may benefit threatened species, there has been no corresponding increase in ecosystem service provision and climate stability. This highlights the need to consider multiple benefits in decision-making for protected area designation.
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Adrian Regos, Salvador Arenas-Castro, Luis Tapia, Jesus Dominguez, Joao P. Honrado
Summary: This study examines how the spatiotemporal variation in habitat quality for top predators, such as raptors, can be influenced by fluctuations in primary productivity, and whether incorporating this into habitat modeling improves predictions in space and time. The findings highlight the importance of understanding the intra- and interannual dynamics of primary productivity in determining habitat quality for top predators, and support the use of remotely sensed ecosystem functioning attributes to inform about habitat-quality dynamics in a cost-effective, standardized, and repeatable way.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Urban Studies
Jiake Shen, Zhenwei Peng, Yuncai Wang
Summary: Green infrastructure is a key approach to address ecological risks and human needs in global metropolitan areas. Through a systematic review of 101 articles, it was found that flood disasters and demand for outdoor recreational spaces are dominant risks and needs faced by metropolitan areas. The proportion of green infrastructure components providing specific ecosystem services should be increased, and attention should be given to the overall capacity of green infrastructure networks in both quantity and efficiency.
Article
Fisheries
N. T. Hintzen, G. Aarts, J. J. Poos, K. J. Van der Reijden, A. D. Rijnsdorp
Summary: Continental shelves are heavily impacted by bottom trawling, affecting a quarter of wild marine species. Understanding suitable fishing grounds for bottom trawlers is crucial in marine spatial planning discussions, and studying the habitat preference of fisheries is important for supporting fisheries and evaluating benthic impacts.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
Darren M. Gillis, Adriaan D. Rijnsdorp, Jan Jaap Poos
Summary: This study demonstrates that using commercial landings records and vessel monitoring systems data can analyze changes in vessel networks over time, including the relationships between vessel associations and annual performance, landing ports, and targeted species. The network structure could impact the relationship between catch and nominal effort, influencing stock assessments and responses to management actions. This methodology provides a way to track network changes and identify situations where further detailed study is needed.
CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES AND AQUATIC SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Katell G. Hamon, Cornelia M. Kreiss, John K. Pinnegar, Heleen Bartelings, Jurgen Batsleer, Ignacio A. Catalan, Dimitrios Damalas, Jan-Jaap Poos, Sandra Rybicki, Sevrine F. Sailley, Vasiliki Sgardeli, Myron A. Peck
Summary: Climate change is expected to have direct consequences on European marine ecosystems and fisheries, with future developments in the fishing industry being impacted by various socio-economic and political factors. Robust modeling of the bioeconomic consequences of climate change on the European fishing sector must consider these factors and their potential interactions. The study used four socio-political scenarios developed in the EU project CERES and applied them to model projections of marine wild capture fisheries, emphasizing the importance of fuel and fish price development in the viability of fisheries.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Fisheries
A. D. Rijnsdorp, J. Batsleer, P. Molenaar
Summary: The electrical stimulation of pulse trawls significantly improves the footrope selection in flatfish, particularly in plaice and dab, by a factor of 2, and in sole by a factor of 7. There is a slight diurnal pattern in footrope selection, with higher selectivity during the day. The cod-end selectivity is also slightly enhanced by electrical stimulation, retaining more marketable sole, with selection factors comparable to traditional trawls.
FISHERIES RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
C. Roland Pitcher, Jan G. Hiddink, Simon Jennings, Jeremy Collie, Ana M. Parma, Ricardo Amoroso, Tessa Mazor, Marija Sciberras, Robert A. McConnaughey, Adriaan D. Rijnsdorp, Michel J. Kaiser, Petri Suuronen, Ray Hilborn
Summary: Bottom trawling is widely used and impacts seabed habitats. However, the risks from trawling have not been quantified in most regions. This research synthesized evidence from 24 regions worldwide and developed a quantitative indicator of biotic status for sedimentary habitats. The findings highlight the need for more effective management to reduce exploitation and improve stock sustainability and seabed environmental status. The study also found that the area swept by trawling is related to the seabed status, allowing for preliminary predictions of regional status based on the total amount of trawling.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
Edward Schram, Pieke Molenaar, Maarten Soetaert, Dirk Burggraaf, Pim G. Boute, Martin J. Lankheet, Adriaan D. Rijnsdorp
Summary: The experiment showed that sandeels exposed to electric fields below 600 V m(-1) did not display spinal injuries or hemorrhages, with equal numbers of minor spinal abnormalities found in both the exposed and control groups. Therefore, it is unlikely that pulse trawl fishery will have a significant adverse effect on the population abundance of sandeels.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Leire Lopetegui-Eguren, Jan Jaap Poos, Haritz Arrizabalaga, Gency L. Guirhem, Hilario Murua, Nerea Lezama-Ochoa, Shane P. Griffiths, Jon Ruiz Gondra, Philippe S. Sabarros, Jose Carlos Baez, Maria Jose Juan-Jorda
Summary: The oceanic whitetip shark, currently classified as Critically Endangered, is often incidentally caught by fisheries targeting other species. This study analyzed observer data from the western Indian Ocean to understand the factors influencing the capture of this species. Sea surface temperature and nitrate concentration were found to be the most important variables predicting the probability of capturing an oceanic whitetip shark. The study also identified higher capture probabilities in fish aggregating devices compared to free schools of tuna.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
A. D. Rijnsdorp, G. Aarts, N. T. Hintzen, J. C. van Rijssel, A. M. Winter, J. J. Poos
Summary: This study investigated the exploitation patterns of pulse trawl (PUL) and tickler chain beam trawl (TBT) fishers in harvesting flatfish populations. The results showed that both types of fishers concentrated their efforts in the core of the flatfish patches, using systematic fishing tactics. The catch rates in the core were higher than the background catch rates, but decreased over time due to resource depletion and interference, with interference having a larger impact on TBT fishers.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Edward Schram, Pieke Molenaar, Susan de Koning, Adriaan D. Rijnsdorp
Summary: This study used field experiments to investigate the impact of pulse trawling on marine organisms and found that the direct mortality rate was low and did not differ from untrawled control areas. The results indicate that pulse trawling does not result in mass mortality among marine organisms in the trawl track.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
Pim G. Boute, Adriaan D. Rijnsdorp, Johan L. van Leeuwen, W. Sarina M. Versteeg, Remco P. M. Pieters, Martin J. Lankheet
Summary: By studying the injuries in whiting catches on commercial vessels, we found that pulse trawling causes rare injuries in whiting, primarily due to mechanical impact, and is unlikely to result in increased mortality in whiting populations compared to tickler-chain trawling.
FISHERIES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Roeland A. Bom, Aafke Brader, Jurgen Batsleer, Jan-Jaap Poos, Henk W. van der Veer, Anieke van Leeuwen
Summary: Populations of large fish in the North Sea have recently started to increase, possibly due to reduced fishing pressure. However, the recovery of these populations needs to be viewed in a long-term perspective. A study on the critically endangered common skate species complex found that its current abundance is still below historical levels and limited to the northern North Sea.
Article
Environmental Sciences
T. Stoffers, A. D. Buijse, G. W. Geerling, L. H. Jans, M. M. Schoor, J. J. Poos, J. A. J. Verreth, L. A. J. Nagelkerke
Summary: River restoration is crucial for combating biodiversity loss, but its efficacy depends on various environmental factors and spatial scales.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Fabian M. Mollet, Katja Enberg, David S. Boukal, Adriaan D. Rijnsdorp, Ulf Dieckmann
Summary: Sexual size dimorphism is caused by differences in selection pressures and life-history trade-offs faced by males and females. Two mechanisms, namely male reproductive behavior and diminishing returns on male reproductive investments, can account for female-biased sexual size dimorphism in North Sea plaice. Observations suggest that higher investments in male reproductive behavior require increased energy acquisition, leading to a delay in maturation and contradicting male-biased sexual size dimorphism. However, diminishing returns on male reproductive investments alone can qualitatively explain the observed sexual size dimorphism, although the quantitative match is imperfect.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Emil De Borger, Justin Tiano, Ulrike Braeckman, Adriaan D. Rijnsdorp, Karline Soetaert
Summary: Bottom trawling in shelf seas can have significant impacts on benthic metabolism, leading to reduced organic carbon mineralization rates and changes in oxygen and nitrate concentrations in sediment. The effects vary depending on trawling frequency and sediment type, with physical organic carbon removal through trawl-induced resuspension of sediments identified as the main cause of the changes in the mineralization process.