Devotes newsletter March 2015

DEVOTES Newsletter N° 4 DEVelopment Of innovative Tools for understanding marine biodiversity and assessing good Environmental Status

Dear Colleague, After two years of activities here is the fourth issue of our newsletter. This issue focuses on DEVOTES latest achievements, publications of papers and upcoming events. A special section is dedicated to the updates from EU research projects in DEVOTES network.

Yet another time we hope you will enjoy reading this issue. Your thoughts, suggestions and inputs are welcomed, thus please do not hesitate to send us your comments. You can get in touch with us through a variety of channels for your convenience, which include DEVOTES profiles on popular social media (Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook) and, most importantly, our new webpage, which goes live today!

Best wishes, The DEVOTES Dissemination Team

“In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can” (N. Kazantzakis) Closing 2015 Meeting Message from Coordinator, A. Borja

Are you planning an exhibition on the Importance of Marine Biodiversity and Monitoring Activities?

Check out our dissemination panels!

Shortened URL http://bit.ly/1MrbtxQ

In this issue > > > > > >

DEVOTES Announcements Inside DEVOTES DEVOTES Science News DEVOTES Latest Publications Outside DEVOTES DEVOTES Dissemination

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www.devotes-project.eu

DEVOTES Newsletter N° 4

> DEVOTES Announcements We are pleased to announce the third DEVOTES Summer School: “Integrative assessment of marine systems: the Ecosystem Approach in practice” 9-11 June 2015, San Sebastian (Spain) This FP7 DEVOTES project course falls into the first scientific priority and emerging fields identified by the FP7 EuroMarine programme (Understanding marine ecosystems for healthy oceans).

This is the 12 AZTI's Marine Research Division Summer School and the third one organized within DEVOTES. The course will explore the potential and recent advances in the integrative assessment of marine systems (based upon strong new

monitoring tools, such as genomics), including the various ecosystem components (from plankton to marine mammals), at different scales (from water bodies to regional seas), in management applications (e.g. to the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the Water Framework Directive (WFD), etc.).

Hence, the main objective of the school is to give an overview on the integrative assessment to ocean and coastal management using an ecosystem approach view.

Registration is open until 3rd June Shortened URL: http://bit.ly/180c10m

Symposium “Tools for assessing status of European aquatic ecosystems” 6-7 May 2015, Malmö (Sweden) This is the first joint Scientific Symposium of the research programmes DEVOTES, WATERS, and MARS. The symposium will bring together scientists and environmental managers to present and discuss state-of-the-art indicator development and assessment methods for

ecological/environmental status of freshwater and marine ecosystems. The focus of the presentations will be related to the implementation of EU Water Framework Directive and EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

Abstract submission deadline: 20th March Join the conversation! #WDMS2015

Shortened URL: http://bit.ly/1EElGpS

DEVOTES Special Session at ECSA55 6-9 September 2015 London (UK) We are pleased to announce that the DEVOTES is organizing a Special Session at the ECSA 55 entitled "Everyone is involved in Risk Assessment and Risk Management, so how do we achieve good status of transitional and marine waters?"

Shortened URL: http://bit.ly/191QDJj

This session addresses the risks to good status in the continuum from transitional through to coastal and offshore waters and how these are to be managed in the context of shifting boundaries and global change.

Abstract submission deadline: 27th March 1

DEVOTES Newsletter N° 4

> Inside DEVOTES Two years after the kick-off, the DEVOTES project convened for its 2nd Annual Meeting.

2-5 December 2014, Ancona (Italy)

The very successful meeting was hosted by the partner CoNISMA (Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare) and took place in Ancona (Italy) from 2 to 5 December.

75 participants from 23 research institutes, academia and SME from 16 different countries met to analyse the progress of DEVOTES and

plan the next year’s activities and goals. Two members of the Advisory Board as well as a European Commission representative and several stakeholders have also attended the meeting, giving positive feedback on the work done by the Consortium so far and actively contributing to the discussion with a wide perspective.

The most important results of each Work Package were presented during the opening talk given by the Coordinator, À. Borja (AZTI, Spain): > the release of the Catalogue of Marine Monitoring Networks, an in-depth analysis of marine monitoring networks in Europe aiming to assess the status of marine biodiversity monitoring, > the publication of the first report providing recommendations for the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), > the release of the DEVOTool, a software tool to select indicators for the MSFD which allows navigating a catalogue of existing indicators of marine biodiversity, within all European Regional Seas, and > the prototype of the DEVOTES tool to assess biodiversity status in European seas.

The meeting was divided into plenary talks, cross cutting sessions and internal meetings focused on specific task and publications. The ad-hoc meetings were excellent opportunities for a fruitful interaction among partners, resulting in the planning of many joint publications and the identification of 4 Regional Sea Workshop to be held between 2015 and 2016.

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DEVOTES Newsletter N° 4

Thanks to MariLim Scientists for helping us to learn more about the Marine Biodiversity with this great video about the Western Baltic Sea!

Shortened URL: http://bit.ly/1GepgWt

All DEVOTES videos are available at www.devotes-project.eu/video-gallery/

A conversation with... ...Susanna JERNBERG, an enthusiastic Master Student at SYKE Susanna is doing her thesis in the framework of the DEVOTES WP3 "indicator testing and development" with the aim to examine the ability of a zooplankton community to reflect the environmental status of a food-web in the Baltic Sea. She intends to continue to work in the marine research field, and to contribute to the protection of the oceans. > What is the aim of your MSc Research?

The aim of my thesis is to examine the ability of a zooplankton community to reflect the environmental status of a food-web in the Baltic Sea. I have examined the possibility to use zooplankton mean size and total abundance as an indicator. > What is the most appealing part of your MSc? It is motivating that I have been able to contribute to developing better indicators for the status assessment of the Baltic Sea. Indicators are an important part of marine management and protection.

> How will your thesis contribute to DEVOTES project?

My thesis is part of WP3 – indicator testing and development. I have tested couple of zooplankton related indicators and reported the results of my analysis. > What do you consider your most important accomplishment here so far?

I think my biggest accomplishment here is that I have been able to take part in an international research project. I have learned much about conducting research and analyzing large datasets. I have also learned about the zooplankton community dynamics in the Baltic Sea. > What has been your most exciting experience in the project so far?

It has been great to be able to work in an international project and see the co-operation between the countries. SYKE has been an inspiring working environment with interesting people and research projects. > What other important information about yourself would you like us to know?

I hope I can continue to work with research after I have graduated. I am also open for interesting PhD opportunities and possibilities to work abroad. I am passionate about protecting the amazing wildlife in our oceans and my future work will definitely contribute to this mission.

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DEVOTES Newsletter N° 4

> DEVOTES Science News DEVOTOOL - The next steps

by T. Berg Now, a year after release, the software has been downloaded more than 100 times and the corresponding web page is visited between 50 and 100 times per month. Therefore, it is time to take the next steps for the software and make it even more useful. We are planning to incorporate more databases.

Besides the indicator catalogue, DEVOTES has produced catalogues of modeling indicators, monitoring networks, keystone species and more. We are looking into the options on how to get these databases into DEVOTool during 2015. While the current user interface is a good start, there is certainly room for improvement. E.g., the distinction between the „Indicators“ pane and the „Metadata“ pane is somewhat artificial. All information in those two panes represent metadata and we want to merge the two panes, leading to a more logical and intuitive view on the data.

Keystone Species in European Regional Seas

by C. Smith The DEVOTES Keystones Catalogue and Review Report are now on-line. The Catalogue database currently has 844 entries concerning 210 distinct species and 19 groups classified by major habitats in the Baltic Sea, North East Atlantic, Mediterranean, Black Sea (EU Regional Seas) and Norwegian Sea (Non-EU Sea).

It includes information on their type, importance, size/abundance/distribution, habitat and region, with 164 cited references relating to the species.

The keystones in the catalogue were sourced by published work (e.g. on traits and interactions with other species), from models, by use as indicators, and by regional expert opinion based on understanding of systems and roles of species/ groups.

The accompanying report contains the metaanalysis of the catalogue, and a rich contextual review covering a wide variety of keystone issues.

Gaps in catalogue coverage and expertise are

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In January 2014, the DEVOTool was released in order to give interested people access to the WP3 indicator catalogue and allow to browse, search and analyze the metadata recorded by the DEVOTES partners.

While you can easily search and find indicators by name and other metadata, there are still often so many indicators returned making it difficult to see what you are looking for.

Currently, we are trying to find a good scheme to group indicators by categories. This involves grouping by algorithm, variable type, or theme of the indicators.

All these changes are helpful when taking DEVOTool to the next level, integrating all the available information in the databases with the upcoming biodiversity assessment tool being developed within WP6. At the end of the project, we want to have a single integrated application useful to many levels of work within the MSFD - from indicator selection to biodiversity assessment - in a problem-driven approach. http://www.devotes-project.eu/devotool/ noted at the habitat and regional sea level, within the MSFD biodiversity component groups, and in light of knowledge and outputs from ecosystem models (Ecopath with Ecosim).

The understanding of keystones is discussed as to when a species may be a dominant or keystone with respect to the definition term concerning ‘disproportionate abundance’, how important are the ‘disproportionate effects’ in relation to habitat formers and engineers, what separates a key predator and key prey for mid-trophic range species, and how context dependency makes a species a keystone. Keystone alien invasive species are reviewed and the use of keystone species model outputs investigated. The current level of protection on keystone species and the possibilities for a keystone operational metric and their use in management and in Good Environmental Status assessments for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive are discussed. The final section highlights the one keystone species and its interactions not covered in the catalogue but with the greatest impact on almost all marine ecosystems, Homo sapiens.

Shortened URL: http://bit.ly/1wg0buo

DEVOTES Newsletter N° 4 Report on the criteria for good indicators selection

by D. Krause-Jensen, A. Bruhn, A. Borja A new DEVOTES Deliverable (D3.2: Report on the criteria for good indicators selection) was produced by a very large team of institutions and colleagues. It will be soon available for download.

The study is initiated by a detailed literature survey and critical examination and synthesis of selection criteria for good indicators of the status of marine ecosystems. On this basis we provide a short-list of ‘criteria for a good indicator’ to be applied in the DEVOTES project.

These criteria and an associated scoring system build on an ICES’ broadly accepted list of 16 criteria simplified to a set of 8 key criteria by omitting those that were correlated/linked with the selected 8 key criteria. We hereby obtain the benefit of applying broadly accepted criteria and at the same time having a simple criteria list. The set of eight key criteria for quality analyses of indicators criteria is: • scientific basis; • ecosystem relevance; • responsiveness to pressure; • possibility to set targets within the indicator response; • precautionary capacity/early warning/ anticipatory capability; • quality of sampling method: concrete/ measurable, accurate and precise outputs; • cost-effective implementation; • part of an existing or current ongoing monitoring or data.

The deliverable further provides an overview of all the metadata on biological indicators and associated pressures available for analyses within the DEVOTES project for each of the descriptors for Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD): ‘Biodiversity (1)’, ‘Seafloor integrity (6)’ and ‘Food webs (4)’ and also specifies which of these available data are prioritized for quality analysis within DEVOTES. The study proceeds with quality analyses of 36 prioritized indicators based on the identified data sets and criteria, using the DEVOTool, developed in our project. The quality analyses represent: • the 4 regional seas: the Baltic Sea, the Atlantic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea; • various indicator components: phytoplankton (4 indicators), zooplankton (3 indicators), macroalgae (8 indicators), seagrasses (7

indicators), benthic invertebrates (11 indicators), fish (1 indicator), marine mammals (1 indicator) and a “biological value” indicator, which includes several ecosystem components in its calculation; • various types of pressure: Aggregate extraction, Fishery, Nutrient/organic pressure (Eutrophication) and sediment dumping.

All indicator tests follow the same basic structure with short summaries of the performance according to each of the 8 main indicator criteria. The various tests provides a thorough overview of how specific types of indicators and data sets can be analyzed and scored according to a common set of key criteria and the analyses thereby identified forces and weaknesses of the range of tested indicators. Overall, based on the 36 indicator tests, the criteria “Ecosystem relevance”, “Scientific basis” and “Existing/ongoing data” were the most commonly met criteria, lack of “Possibility to set targets”, “Responsiveness to pressures”, “Quality of the method (concreteness, etc.)”, and “Cost-effectiveness” were identified as weaknesses of a number of indicators, and only few indicators possessed “Anticipatory capacity”.

While it proved possible to apply the eight key criteria across a broad range of ecosystems, components and pressures, we identified an element of subjectivity in interpreting the criteria. In order to increase the objectiveness of testing and scoring the various criteria and the transparency of the process we therefore conclude the study by standardizing the method further through a framework that for each criterion defines a suite of evaluation steps involving definition of a nul-hypothesis and appropriate analytical methods for testing the criteria. We exemplify the framework by applying it to a selection of the analyzed indicators. Overall, the study thereby offers a stringent framework for assessing the quality of potential MSFD indicators to enable an objective selection of the most suitable.

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DEVOTES Newsletter N° 4 How to define Good Environmental Status and how to aggregate multiple information when assessing the status?

by A. Borja The European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) requires EU Member States to achieve Good Environmental Status (GEnS) of their seas by 2020. Also, the environmental status assessment of marine ecosystems is useful for communicating key messages to policymakers or the society, as it reduces the complex information of the multiple ecosystem and biodiversity components, and their important spatial and temporal variability, into manageable units.

However, very few studies have investigated in these issues.

One of the important objectives of DEVOTES is to propose and demonstrate the pros and cons of innovative monitoring systems capable of efficiently and effectively providing data for many biodiversity parameters, to be used as indicators of GEnS, and, finally, for integration into a unique and holistic assessment. This integration addresses the question of what GEnS entails especially with regard to the level at which targets are set (descriptors, criteria, indicators), to scales for assessments (regional, sub-divisions, site-specific), and to difficulties in putting into practice the GEnS concept. Hence, DEVOTES has recently produced a Deliverable (D6.2) on the potential definition of GEnS, from an operational point of view.

Therefore, the operational GEnS definition that DEVOTES project proposes is: “GEnS is achieved when physico-chemical (including contaminants, litter and noise) and hydrographical conditions are maintained at a level where the structuring components of the ecosystem are present and functioning, enabling the system to be resistant (ability to withstand stress) and resilient (ability to recover after a stressor) to harmful effects of human pressures/ activities/impacts, where they maintain and provide the ecosystem services that deliver societal benefits in a sustainable way (i.e. that pressures associated with uses cumulatively do not hinder the ecosystem components in order to retain their natural diversity, productivity and dynamic ecological processes, and where recovery is rapid and sustained if a use cases)’’ The options for determining when GEnS has been met, acknowledge the data and information needs for each option, and a combination of existing quantitative targets and expert judgement is recommended. However, to develop a holistic assessment tool, the approaches for aggregating and integrating assessments, currently available for marine status assessment in Europe and other regions of the world, need to be reviewed, from ecological and management perspectives, highlighting the advantages and shortcomings of the different alternatives. In this deliverable we have done this task, including some guidance on the steps towards defining rules for aggregation and integration of information at multiple levels of ecosystem organization and some recommendations on when using specific rules in the assessment have also been provided.

The Deliverable concludes that the MSFD implementation needs to be less complex in its implementation than shown for other similar directives (e.g. Water Framework Directive), based largely on existing data and centred on the activities of the Regional Seas Conventions.

Moreover, any integration principle used should be ecologically-relevant, transparent and well documented, in order to make it comparable across different geographic regions.

Shortened URL: http://bit.ly/1EG7MUh

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DEVOTES Newsletter N° 4

> DEVOTES Latest publications Invasive ecosystem engineers and biotic indices: giving a wrong impression of water quality improvement?

Ecological Indicators 52: 292-299

by A. Zaiko, D. Daunys Benthic component of an ecosystem is considered in ecological status assessment of the key European Directives. Most of the metrics proposed for the benthic quality assessment are biodiversity based. Their robustness and applicability are widely discussed in many recent studies. However an impact of invasive alien species on biotic indices and environmental quality assessments has been largely overlooked by researchers so far.

In the current study we assessed Benthic Quality Index (BQI) in a coastal ecosystem, highly affected by invasive ecosystem engineer – the zebra mussel Dreissena polymorpha. The results of this study indicated that several important characteristics of the indicator (including its responsiveness, sensitiveness, predictability, accuracy) could be compromised due to the impact of IAS present in an ecosystem.

Shortened URL: http://bit.ly/1GvKCSK

Tales from a thousand and one ways to integrate marine ecosystem components when assessing the environmental status Frontiers in Marine Science 1, 72

by A. Borja et al.

Assessing the environmental status of marine ecosystems is useful when communicating key messages to policymakers or the society, reducing the complex information of the multiple ecosystem and biodiversity components and their important spatial and temporal variability into manageable units.

We have reviewed, from ecological and management perspectives, the approaches for aggregating and integrating currently available for marine status assessment in Europe and other regions of the world.

We provide some guidance on the steps toward defining rules for aggregation and integration of information at multiple levels of ecosystem organization, providing recommendations on when using specific rules in the assessment. A main conclusion is that any integration principle used should be ecologically-relevant, transparent and well documented, in order to make it comparable across different geographic regions.

Shortened URL: http://bit.ly/1A8Z1Np

Manuscript submitted to support EU commission revision process

by T. Berg Currently, the EU is in the process to revise the EU commission decision 2010/477/EU regarding criteria and methodological standards on good environmental status of marine waters. During the DEVOTES work with the WP3 indicator catalogue leading to deliverable 3.1 and involving many of the DEVOTES partners, we found insightful information on how the different partners interpreted and used this commission decision. From these findings, Torsten Berg and Karin Fürhaupter from MariLim drafted a manuscript, that was substantially enhanced and supported

by Heliana Teixeira (JRC), Laura Uusitalo (SYKE) and Nikolaos Zampoukas (former JRC). It summarizes the pitfalls related to the commission decision and the ecosystem approach which is one of the principles the MSFD is built against. This manuscript has now been submitted to Marine Pollution Bulletin with the (tentative) title: „The Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the ecosystem-based approach - pitfalls and solutions“.

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DEVOTES Newsletter N° 4 A review of the applications and evolution of the DPSIR framework with an emphasis on coastal social-ecological systems

Ocean & Coastal Management,103: 63–77

by S. G. Robele, A. Newton, J. D. Icely The paper extensively reviews the application of DPSIR for the management of water resources, particularly the coastal systems. The evolution of DPSIR from the Stress-Response framework to its present form was traced. Its applications as a discrete tool were presented. The framework, though has been praised and widely used, is also subjected to a number of criticisms regarding its limitations. Therefore, this fact has instigated different researchers to combine it with other methods to compensate for its shortcomings. The strong and weak points of the studies were reviewed with respect to the subject matter and from the methodological point of view. The important features highlighted were the discrepancy and inconsistency of the definitions and usages of the DPSIR information categories. These include disagreement between definitions of terms referring to the same phenomenon, lack of clarity of terms and double counting of variables under different categories. Besides the use of models and other methods integrated with the DPSIR framework, several recommendations to improve the DPSIR approach were forwarded by the authors. The major ones are: clear definition of the information categories by researchers (users) based on EEA´s definition as modified by recent works; a thorough understanding of the system under study; usage of multiple DPSIR cycles; comprehensive inclusion of stake holders and indigenous knowledge; and bridging the science-society gap. The DPSIR framework, with several criticisms and appreciations, is still a useful tool. DPSIR is supposed to analyze and assess environmental problems, bring together different scientific disciplines, environment managers and stakeholders, and come up with solutions in light of sustainable development. So far it has succeeded in its task; hence it is useful and fit for its purpose. However, the making and implementation of policies rests in the hands of governments and concerned institutions, requiring political will, democratic atmosphere and clear governance.

Shortened URL: http://bit.ly/1NxzsyS

Decrease in water clarity of the southern and central North Sea during the 20th century Global Change Biology, doi: 10.1111/gcb.12854

by Capuzzo E., Stephens D., Silva T., Barry J., Forster RM.

Light availability in the water column is a key environmental variable which not only affects the primary producers (phytoplankton, microphytobenthos, macroalgae, seagrass) but also the higher trophic levels of the marine-food web. A simple measurement of water clarity is given by the depth of disappearance of the Secchi disk, a white, 30 cm wide, disk which has been used since the late 1800s (see figure).

The Secchi disk is lowered from the side of a vessel (or a pier) into the water and the depth of its disappearance in the water (the Secchi depth) is recorded. Estimates of Secchi depth measurements, spanning from 1903 until 2010, showed that the southern and central North Sea has become significantly less clear over the second half of the 20th century. In particular, in some areas, the reduction in Secchi depth from pre-1950 to post-1950 has been of almost 8 m.

This reduction in water clarity could be the result of a combination of different factors such as changes in the sea bed communities (loss/reduction of large molluscs bivalves, including oysters), increased trawling effort, changes in the weather pattern (wind direction and intensity), decreased sink of sediments in estuaries, and increased coastal erosion.

Shortened URL: http://bit.ly/1E45ptd

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DEVOTES Newsletter N° 4 Invasive ecosystem engineers and biotic indices: giving a wrong impression of water quality improvement?

Ecological Indicators 52: 292-299

by A. Zaiko, D. Daunys In this recent collaborative paper, we showcase the performance of metabarcoding approach in comparison to the conventional observations, assessed during the en route experimental ballast water survey onboard R/V “Polarstern”.

Ballast waters are considered to be one of the major vectors for human-mediated transport of non-indigenous species (NIS), and therefore contribute to the NIS-related pressures in aquatic ecosystems worldwide. Effective management of ships’ ballast waters is addressed in the Ballast Water Management Convention adopted in 2004 by the International Maritime Organization and implies among other scientific and technical research to be conducted by the Parties. In our study we addressed the applicability of metabarcoding methodology for the biosecurity surveillance, and particularly detection of NIS when still on the pathway (i.e. ships’ ballast waters). The combination of traditional visual observations and novel molecular approaches

allowed us to follow the dynamics of planktonic communities within ballast tank and provided evidences that despite rather harsh environmental conditions (darkness, low oxygen, temperature fluctuations), there are taxa that manage to survive and even flourish in ballast waters. Such organisms are likely to remain viable upon discharge, thus posing a high risk of incursion to a recipient ecosystem.

In our experiment, the metazoan organisms have demonstrated higher persistence than phytoplankton taxa, with most evident drop at the most adverse conditions within the tank (anoxic, high temperature). Protozoans, however, were able to withstand these harsh conditions and even increased in abundance by the end of the 3-week observations. These small organisms are generally underestimated in NIS surveys and inventories, since are easy to overlook and confound in the conventional taxonomic assessment.

Visual analysis of the ballast water samples onboard

Polastern route

Hence, metabarcoding technologies are advantageous being able to detect and identify species from a single cell present in the sample.

The results of this study allowed us to come up with comparative cost-effectiveness analysis of both approaches and suggest some actions for improving the efficacy of ballast water surveillance and management employing next generation molecular technologies.

Shortened URL: http://bit.ly/1A95bgC

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DEVOTES Newsletter N° 4 Joining forces for biodiversity, regional updates and review

by A. Zenetos A new review “Adriatic ‘Opistobranchs’ (Gastropoda, Heterobranchia): Shedding light on biodiversity issues” of the Adriatic opisthobranch fauna, provides an updated checklist of 224 species and assess their distribution at regional and country level. This work is the result of a collaboration of scientists from Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy and Greece coordinated by HCMR. A number of funding sources, including DEVOTES**, have supported this initiative to synthesize knowledge to the regional level. New Adriatic records are provided for 67 opisthobranch taxa, adding three new records for Italian coastline, five new records for Albania, eight for Croatia and 15 for Montenegro. The presence of Hermaea bifida (Montagu, 1815), Hermaea variopicta (Costa A., 1869) (Figure 1) and Facelina annulicornis (Chamisso & Eysenhardt, 1821) (Figure 2) in the entire Adriatic Sea is reported for the first time. Including the new findings, our inventory includes 28 species in Albania, 163 in Croatia, 180 in the Italian coastline of the Adriatic, 41 in Montenegro, and 76 in Slovenia.

Fig. 1 New opisthobranch species from the Adriatic Sea. Hermaea variopicta (Costa A., 1869). Photo by D. Poloniato

Fig. 2 New opisthobranch species from the Adriatic Sea. Facelina annulicornis (Chamisso & Eysenhardt, 1821). Photo by F. Betti

In the European Register of Marine species (ERMS), 664 ‘Opisthobranch’ species were recorded for the European waters and the eastern waters of the North Atlantic. At the Mediterranean scale, the known ‘Opisthobranchia’ number 460 species (Templado & Villanueva in Coll et al.

2010). Thirty three % of the European opisthobranch species (~48% of these being Mediterranean), are recorded in the Adriatic Sea, which forms only a minor portion of the European Seas. A substantially higher percentage of diversity has been documented for fish fauna, for example: 451 species occur in the Adriatic (Dulčić & Dragičević 2014) compared to 684 species in the Mediterranean (accounting for ~66%) (Psomadakis et al. 2012). The present work illustrates how rewarding the results can be, when all possible bibliographical sources are exploited (including global databases, not easily accessed gray literature is recovered, historical data are reviewed under the prism of modern taxonomic studies) and input from citizen scientists is critically reviewed.

Adriatic ‘Opistobranchs’ (Gastropoda, Heterobranchia): shedding light on biodiversity issues, by A. Zenetos et al. Submitted to Marine Ecology as regular paper on 10.9.14 Shortened URL: http://bit.ly/1NztmOk

All DEVOTES publications are available at www.devotes-project.eu/publications/

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DEVOTES Newsletter N° 4

> Outside DEVOTES: Updates from our Network Ocean Sampling Day 2015

by M. Mea

The Micro B3 Consortium initiated the idea of closely together to create a snapshot of the an orchestrated Ocean Sampling Day (OSD) microbes in the World’s ocean. with the ambitious aim to turn this into longOSD2014 involved sampling sites from all term time series (Genomic Observatories). The continents ranging from tropical waters around main goal of OSD is to analyse marine Hawaii to extremely cold environments such as microbial biodiversity and function of the the Fram Strait in the Arctic Ocean, including 9 World’s ocean.

DEVOTES partners. The next OSD is planned for The first Ocean Sampling Day took place on June 2015 and several DEVOTES partners have June 21st 2014. This OSD event has shown that already confirmed their participation in both more than 190 marine stations can be OSD. mobilized, organized and trained to work In October 2014 the OSD movie "The Ocean Sampling Day 2014 - a global scientific effort to study our ocean" was produced and a documentary about the whole project will be soon available.

For more information please visit www.microb3.eu/osd

CATCH WHAT WE NEED - LEAVE THE REST

by N. Papadopoulou Project: Selectivity of the diamond and square mesh of the bottom trawl codend, biological and economic consequences and fish behaviour comparative study.

Backround: Aiming to improve the selectivity of the bottom trawl fishery and to reduce the mortality of juvenile fish of commercial importance and the amount of discarded fish in the Mediterranean, European Regulation EC1967/2006 set the minimum mesh size in the trawl codend to 40 mm square (40S) or 50 mm diamond (50D), a change from the 40 mm diamond (40D). To date there had been no comprehensive selectivity study in Greece to investigate the proposed mesh changes, which meant that there were no data to document, which one was better for the sustainability of the bottom trawl fishery and the environment.

IN A NUTSHELL • Experimental fishing with a commercial vessel • Study of 5 target species of the commercial trawl fishery: hake, blunt snouted and striped red mullet, rose shrimp, Norway lobster • Comparison of 3 codend meshes: 40 D, 40 S and 50D with the covered codend method Fish catch in the codend as recorded • Size and species comparison of commercial and discarded by underwater cameras during fishing species in the codend and the cover • Comparison of economic data (value and weight of landings, fuel and gear costs etc.)

• Recording, with underwater cameras, the behavior and condition of fish during actual fishing conditions in the codend and in the cover.

For more information please visit http://epilexis.hcmr.gr/

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DEVOTES Newsletter N° 4 The Suez Canal enlargement: scientists call for the sound environmental decision

by B. Galil, S. Olenin “Egypt to build new Suez canal… ‘This giant project will be the creation of a new Suez canal parallel to the current channel’ said Mohab Mamish, the chairman of the Suez Canal Authority, in a televised speech. This is ominous news. Expected to double the capacity of the Suez Canal, the expansion is sure to have a diverse range of effects, at local and regional scales, on both the biological diversity and the ecosystem goods and services of the Mediterranean Sea.

Of the 720 multicellular non-indigenous species (NIS) currently recognized from the Mediterranean Sea, fully half were introduced through the Suez Canal. Many of the NIS introduced via the Suez Canal have established thriving populations along the Levant, from Libya to Greece, whereas some species spread further, such as the toxic pufferfish, Lagocephalus sceleratus, occurring from Sevastopol in the Black Sea to Italy, Tunisia and Spain.

We recognize that global trade and shipping are vital, however, the existing international agreements also recognize the urgent need for sustainable practices that minimize unwanted impacts and long term consequences. Given the sensitivity and specificity of the Mediterranean Sea, a project of this size and potentially negative environmental consequenses, requires a transparent and scientifically sound Environmental Impact Assessment to facilitate both the identification of bioinvasion risks and the implementation of mitigating strategies.

In order to better communicate relevant scientific opinion to policy- and decision makers, a group of bioinvasion scientists published a “Letter to the Editor”. The letter is available as Open Access resource at: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10530-014-0778-y It was later picked up by the media – making it to The New York Times in November 2014 and March 2015 (and on its paper edition), The Guardian, The Conversation, The New Scientist, and Nature.

A recently prepared ‘open letter’, signed by over 450 scientists of 38 countries, was sent to intergovernmental organizations (such as UNEP/MAP, IMO, CBD), to the EC Environment Commissioner, stakeholders and media channels. We already received some positive responses – from Ms. Marton-Lefèvre, Director General of IUCN, and Commissioner Karmenu Vella, Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Directorate-General for the Environment, European Commission.

There is much more yet to be done.

We invite you to join the network by sending your name and affiliation to bella@ocean.org.il THE MEDITERRANEAN NEEDS YOUR HELP!

Shortened URL: http://bit.ly/1F2aLXR

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DEVOTES Newsletter N° 4 ECsafeSEAFOOD

by T. Callis

Significant progress towards improving seafood safety in Europe is being made by the ECfunded ECsafeSEAFOOD project.

The project is assessing food safety issues related to non-regulated priority contaminants present in seafood as a result of environmental contamination (including those originating from harmful algal blooms and those associated with marine litter) and evaluating their impact on public health.

Progress has already been made by the project in the development of new, sensitive and rapid screening, detection and extraction methods for priority contaminants (including pharmaceutical compounds and metabolites, endocrine disrupting compounds, pinnatoxins and spirolides). The optimisation of bioaccessibility and bioavailability tools for assessing the toxicological impact of

Group photo of the ECsafeSEAFOOD 12M meeting in Sant Carles de la Ràpita in February 2014

contaminants is almost complete.

ECsafeSEAFOOD has also created a unique database of information on the levels of contaminants in seafood species and their effects on consumers’ health. To better understand consumer preferences and concerns with regard to seafood safety, a survey was conducted among nearly 3,000 people in Ireland, Belgium, Italy, Portugal and Spain. The survey results will contribute to determining what information should be communicated to the public in order to effectively reduce public health risks from seafood consumption. An online consumer tool which provides details of the benefits and risks of consuming different species of seafood is currently in development. This will enable consumers to utilise some of the results of ECsafeSEAFOOD directly.

Group photo of the ECsafeSEAFOOD 18M meeting, Hirtshals, Denmark

For more information please visit www.ecsafeseafood.eu

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DEVOTES Newsletter N° 4 Traps: partial alternatives for trawling?

by N. Papadopoulou

In the deep blue waters of the Aegean Sea (Greece) fish are traditionally caught using otter trawls, long lines and bottom nets. In the BENTHIS project, we are searching for partial alternatives to otter trawls, to reduce the impact of fishing on the seafloor habitat and community. BENTHIS scientist Chris Smith, originally from the UK, has been living and working at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) in Crete for over 25 years.

good partial alternative to the traditional trawling: “From a theoretical perspective, the baited traps look very promising. They are designed to fish highly selectively, and they hardly damage the seafloor in comparison to trawling”. He and his research team used two types of traps for the trials: one type of Norwegian cod pot that is deployed off-bottom and has a single entrance and a second onbottom type with a double entrance.

He believes that baited traps could offer a The HCMR 2014 trapping team

Litter trawl catch, cans, plastics and bottles

In August 2014 the team sailed out with the RV Philia to do the first tests. Pots were fished for 24 hour periods over 10 days in two sites adjacent to commercial trawl fisheries. The team focussed on a 70 m deep site over sandy mud characterized by red fish (sparids, red mullet) and a 200 m site with a muddy bottom characterized by white fish (hake, anglerfish) and shrimp. Underwater cameras were installed to monitor the traps and fish behaviour inside and around the traps. A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) was used to inspect and film the traps during deployment and on position (on- bottom or off-bottom) for fishing. The results were a bit disappointing.

Comparative trawl catch

Trap catches were very low although the video footage showed some degree of activity by smaller fish, mostly pickerel, that were able to swim in and out of the traps. Trap design will be modified before the next trials in may 2015.

Trawl catches, fished alongside the trap lines, showed a high diversity of local fish and invertebrates including scavengers, but with a high by-catch of undersized or non-commercial species. Trawl catches also included a variety of litter items, some clearly related to fishing or smoking, others related to shipping (including military and tourism) and urban and land based sources. Plastics were the dominant type of litter in both areas.

BENTHIS scientists map European fishing pressure, offer new insights in the impact of bottom trawling and test new gears and innovative gear changes in fisheries in regional seas.

For more information please visit www.benthis.eu

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DEVOTES Newsletter N° 4 The DG-MARE ADRIPLAN project on cross-border MSP in the Adriatic-Ionian Seas

by M. Maniopoulou ADRIPLAN aims at defining proposals and recommendations for Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) in the Adriatic-Ionian Region (AIR) and in two Focus Areas namely the Northern Adriatic Sea (Focus Area 1) and the Southern Adriatic – Northern Ionian Sea (Focus Area 2) using an Ecosystem-Based Approach (EBA), as defined in the MSP Directive (2014/89/EU).

The main aim of MSP, and thus of the ADRIPLAN project, is to analyze and allocate the spatial and temporal distribution of human activities in order to achieve ecological, economic, and social objectives, reducing current and

potential conflicts between uses and with the environment and enhancing synergies of sectors on an international/cross-border basis.

According to the Blue Growth strategy (COM(2012)494) the future economic development of European countries should maximize the sustainable use of marine environments and their services , and hence it was considered crucial to take into account all the connections between natural and anthropogenic factors considering perspectives of all key stakeholders both at national and transnational level.

Following an operative methodology key activities – steps have been defined to construct a marine spatial plan for the AIR as well as for the Northern and Southern part of the basin which will be finalized in June 2015.These activities include: 1. Assessment of the existing conditions and dynamics of the study area 2. Identification of spatial boundaries 3. Formulation of priorities and objectives for MSP: strategic objectives and priorities established through the involvement of relevant stakeholders 4. Analysis of existing and future conditions 5. Elaboration of planning options 6. Finalization of the Planning Proposal for the study areas 7. Monitoring and evaluation of the planning process.

So far ADRIPLAN has concluded the first four steps. Moreover, three stakeholders workshops have been organized in Rijeka (Croatia), in Corfu (Greece) and in Trieste (Italy).

The ADRIPLAN agenda foresees the organization of two more workshops in order to discuss the Elaboration of the planning options ( step 5) in Piran (Slovenia) and Lecce (Italy) in March 2015. A final conference, where the planning proposal for the study areas (step 6) will be presented, tackling also issues related to monitoring and evaluation of the planning process (step 7), will take place in Venice (Italy) in June 2015.

For more information please visit www.adriplan.eu

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DEVOTES Newsletter N° 4

> DEVOTES Dissemination New DEVOTES website

by M. Mea The DEVOTES Dissemination Team is delighted to announce the launch of our newly designed website which goes lives today! The website has been redesigned to improve user friendliness and appeal.

Our goal with this new site is to provide our visitors with an easier way to learn about what our progress, products and result.

www.devotes-project.eu

Panels on the Importance of Marine Monitoring

by M. Mea & A. Newton The DEVOTES Dissemination Team released of a series of panels on the “Importance of advanced marine monitoring”, as part of dissemination activities undertaken in the context of the Specific objective 7.2 “Provide effective and efficient dissemination to end-users, managers and society” of WP7. The panels have been designed so that they can also be used individually or independently of each other. They can be printed and used to prepare an exhibition on marine monitoring activities.

The series, now in English, will be soon available in different languages. More posters will be produced in the next two years

If you are interested in use one or all of them, please contact Marianna Mea (m.mea@ecoreach.it) or Alice Newton (anewton.ualg@gmail.com).

You can download the poster individually or the whole series by visiting www.devotes-project.eu/panels-advanced-marine-monitoring/

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DEVOTES Newsletter N° 4

www.devotes-project.eu

We need your help to do it better!

If you have any suggestion or if you want to contribute to the project dissemination with news and pictures on marine biodiversity research, please let us know!

Contact us at devotes.project@gmail.com

Copyright Š 2015 DEVOTES Dissemination Team - Ecoreach srl, All rights reserved.

You are receiving this email because you are either participant of DEVOTES project, you subscribed for it or you expressed your interest at some of the events organised by the project or its partners.

Disclaimer: The sole responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors. The information on this newsletter does not necessarily represent the view of the European Commission (EC). This newsletter reflects the views only of the DEVOTES partnership and cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.