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Marine Aquatic Resources and Ecosystem Sustainability
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Marine Aquatic Resources and Ecosystem Sustainability

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Oceans and Coastal Zones".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 15111

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Dimitrios Vafidis

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Guest Editor
Department of Ichthyology & Aquatic Environment, School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Thessaly, Fytokou str., 384 45 Volos, Greece
Interests: biodiversity; aquatic research; invertebrate biology; invertebrate fisheries; systematics; ecosystem ecology; autecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Dimitris Klaoudatos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Ichthyology & Aquatic Environment, School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Thessaly, Fytokou str., 384 45 Volos, Greece
Interests: fisheries; ICZM; population dynamics; marine biology; aquatic research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Nikos Neofitou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Ichthyology & Aquatic Environment, School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Thessaly, Fytokou Str., 384 45 Volos, Greece
Interests: aquaculture environment interactions; water quality; environmental management; marine ecology; aquatic research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on Marine Aquatic Resources and Ecosystem Sustainability principally in the Mediterranean region. The Mediterranean is characterised by a fragile biodiversity in an oligotrophic environment hosted by many diverse ecosystems across the region, which together form an invaluable natural capital on which populations and economies depend. Coastal population growth progressively intensifies resource use and stakeholder conflicts with recreational and living resource uses, including fisheries and aquaculture. The ultimate effects of all sorts of coastal and marine pollution are reflected in fisheries and other commercial uses of coastal and marine habitats. The need to establish the conditions for long-term ecosystem sustainability depends on the identification and assessment of threats, leading to a better understanding of ecosystem responses to pollutants. Potential topics of this Special Issue may include but are not limited to fisheries, marine habitats structure and functioning, water quality assessment by monitoring of abiotic and biotic parameters, aquaculture environment interactions and practices focused on the sustainable management of aquatic environment. The scope of this section is to identify possible mitigation measures in order to alleviate anthropogenic pressure in the coastal environment and its resources, moving one step closer to ecosystem sustainability.

Prof. Dr. Dimitrios Vafidis
Dr. Dimitris Klaoudatos
Dr. Nikos Neofitou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • marine biology
  • integrated coastal zone management
  • population dynamics
  • stock assessment
  • effect of fishing pressure on the marine environment
  • marine biodiversity
  • aquaculture–environment interactions
  • GIS and remote sensing applications in the marine environment

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 4575 KiB  
Article
Population Characteristics of the European Lobster, Homarus gammarus in the Adriatic Sea: Implications for Sustainable Fisheries Management
by Mišo Pavičić, Sanja Matić-Skoko, Dario Vrdoljak and Ante Vujević
Water 2021, 13(8), 1072; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13081072 - 13 Apr 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4671
Abstract
The European lobster, Homarus gammarus, was sampled from September 2016 to August 2017, using pots and gillnets in the Eastern Adriatic Sea. Official landings were also analyzed (2008–2020). The majority of landings were from the Northern Adriatic and showed an increase of [...] Read more.
The European lobster, Homarus gammarus, was sampled from September 2016 to August 2017, using pots and gillnets in the Eastern Adriatic Sea. Official landings were also analyzed (2008–2020). The majority of landings were from the Northern Adriatic and showed an increase of 18.5% over the study period. Results revealed an extremely low catch rate that fluctuated significantly by season. Dominance by specimens in the size classes of 90–110 mm carapace length (CL) was observed. Experimental design revealed spatial heterogeneity, with larger individuals caught further from the coast (>3 nm) and undersized specimens caught near the coast (<3 nm). With increasing CL and total length (TL), an increase in weight was higher in males than females. TL and abdomen width (AW) increased linearly with CL and were more pronounced in females. At 80 mm CL, females started to develop secondary sex characteristics with wider AW than males. The results suggest that the modern legal framework is appropriate for lobster fisheries and a longer fishing season is not advisable, despite a positive catch trend in the northern part of the sea. Additional efforts are desirable to reduce fishing pressure in the coastal part. The morphometric relationships could reveal population characteristics required as inputs in stock assessment analysis for effective management. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Aquatic Resources and Ecosystem Sustainability)
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14 pages, 1632 KiB  
Article
Population Dynamics, Fishery, and Exploitation Status of Norway Lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) in Eastern Mediterranean
by Alexios Lolas and Dimitris Vafidis
Water 2021, 13(3), 289; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13030289 - 25 Jan 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3593
Abstract
Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) is one of the most valuable shellfish resources in the Mediterranean and the northeast Atlantic. Sustainable management of its fishery require long-term scientific monitoring of its stocks. Population dynamics, fishery, and exploitation status of the Norway lobster [...] Read more.
Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) is one of the most valuable shellfish resources in the Mediterranean and the northeast Atlantic. Sustainable management of its fishery require long-term scientific monitoring of its stocks. Population dynamics, fishery, and exploitation status of the Norway lobster were studied over a long time series (between 2008 and 2014) in a semi enclosed gulf in Easter Mediterranean (Pagasitikos Gulf). Sampling was carried out using a commercial bottom trawl with a codend mesh size of 28 mm in three different regions within the Gulf. Sex was identified macroscopically and all individuals were measured and weighed. Growth and Age groups were investigated by analysis of length–frequency distributions of the Carapace length (CL) for both sexes. Fishing, Natural and Total Mortality, along with Exploitation rate of the total stock were estimated by the FiSAT software package. Females were further examined and classified based on their maturity stage and the size at onset of sexual maturity was estimated by Probit analysis. Temporal differences in mean CL were detected for both sexes, with a tendency of lower values each year, along with a respective increase in Fishing Mortality and Exploitation Rate, indicating the effects of fishing pressure over the population. Size at onset of sexual maturity was estimated at 32.6 mm, higher than the official mesh sizes for creels (28 mm) and gillnets (26 mm). According to the analyses, the local Norway lobster stock is over-exploited, which should be taken under consideration by the regional policy makers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Aquatic Resources and Ecosystem Sustainability)
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21 pages, 15721 KiB  
Article
Population Characteristics of the Mid-Littoral Chthamalid Barnacle C. stellatus (Poli, 1791) in Eastern Mediterranean (Central Greece)
by Dimitris Klaoudatos, Zoi Kotsiri, Nikos Neofitou, Alexios Lolas and Dimitris Vafidis
Water 2020, 12(12), 3304; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12123304 - 24 Nov 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2693
Abstract
Barnacles are key space-occupiers in rocky shore communities on European coasts. Barnacles of the species Chthamalus stellatus (Poli, 1791) were collected between June 2014 and May 2015 from two sites, two stations per each site with varying degree of exposure to wave action [...] Read more.
Barnacles are key space-occupiers in rocky shore communities on European coasts. Barnacles of the species Chthamalus stellatus (Poli, 1791) were collected between June 2014 and May 2015 from two sites, two stations per each site with varying degree of exposure to wave action and anthropogenic pressure (trampling), in the Eastern Mediterranean (Pagasitikos Gulf, Central Greece). This study addresses a knowledge gap in population characteristics of C. stellatus populations in the Eastern Mediterranean, assessing population structure and allometric relationships. Patterns of distribution and abundance (density and percentage cover) were studied both temporally (seasonally) and spatially (water level and site). Morphometric characteristics exhibited spatiotemporal variation. Population density was significantly higher at the site with higher wave exposure. The population cover exhibited high levels of similarity among shore levels, both spatially and temporally. Spatial distribution exhibited a clumped pattern of dispersion in autumn, winter, and spring, mainly in the sheltered site. Six dominant age groups were identified, with the dominant cohort in the third-year class. Significant negative allometric relationships were exhibited between all morphometric characteristics. Differences in growth patterns among populations were indicated, with a higher rate of growth at the site of lower wave exposure. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Aquatic Resources and Ecosystem Sustainability)
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19 pages, 2370 KiB  
Article
New Data on the Biology and Fisheries of the Threatened Palinurus elephas (Fabricius, 1787) (Decapoda, Achelata, Palinuridae) from the North-West Aegean Sea, Greece
by Thodoros E. Kampouris, Drosos Koutsoubas, Debora Milenkova, Georgios Economidis, Stylianos Tamvakidis and Ioannis E. Batjakas
Water 2020, 12(9), 2390; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12092390 - 26 Aug 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3387
Abstract
The European spiny lobster Palinurus elephas is a vulnerable species that inhabits and is harvested in the Mediterranean Sea and the adjacent Atlantic waters. The fisheries associated with the spiny lobster are mainly conducted with tangle nets, trammel nets, pots, and creels. The [...] Read more.
The European spiny lobster Palinurus elephas is a vulnerable species that inhabits and is harvested in the Mediterranean Sea and the adjacent Atlantic waters. The fisheries associated with the spiny lobster are mainly conducted with tangle nets, trammel nets, pots, and creels. The fishing pressure has greatly reduced their numbers, changing them from a common shallow coastal species to a largely remnant population. The relative research on the species’ biology and fisheries from the eastern Mediterranean Sea is almost absent. The fishery along the Chalkidiki Peninsula, Greece, is multispecies, and fishing is conducted by a small number of artisanal fishermen mainly using trammel nets. The lobster stock—both spiny and clawed lobsters—declined significantly during the late 1980s and early 1990s, later than most cases in the Mediterranean Sea. However, data regarding the nature and status of the fishery associated with the spiny lobster in Greece are lacking. Data regarding the characteristics of the spiny regional fishery were obtained by interviews and questionnaires. Additionally, fishery surveys were conducted during the main lobster fishing season from 1 May 2017 to 31 August 2017. Sixteen species were identified (15 finfish species and one invertebrate species) as targeted. In total, 79 spiny lobsters were sampled in this study; the population’s sex ratio significantly diverts from the theoretical 1:1 (χ2 = 4.57; p < 0.05), and males were dominant. Both male and female individuals demonstrate negative allometric growth profiles. In addition, no significant differences were observed between sexes. In Greece, thus far, the knowledge and information are sporadic, limited, and/or species-specific, most of which regard finfish fisheries. Furthermore, the national legislation is rather complicated—or too generalized—thus creating great uncertainties. The in-depth knowledge and experience of fishermen should be further acknowledged and utilized, and wider collaborations among scientists, practitioners, and policy-makers should be established. The present study poses some thoughts on the effectiveness of the recent EU Landing Obligation and its contribution to the potential restoration of the species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Aquatic Resources and Ecosystem Sustainability)
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