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In this paper we report data on four juvenile individuals of T. trachypterus and one adult of Z. cristatus, from the Strait of Messina and southern Tyrrhenian Sea, respectively (Mediterranean Sea). Information on morphometric and meristic characters are provided together with some biological data such as prey and age estimation. Only stomachs of T. trachypterus contained prey: copepods, amphypods and pelagic snails. The analysis of growth patterns in vertebrae of Z. cristatus allowed to estimate an age of 4 years for this individual. We also combined our data together with information from bibliographic sources and estimated the relationships between total length and standard length, as well as total length and body mass, for these two species., U ovom radu objavljujemo podatke o četiri juvenilne jedinke T. trachypterus i jednoj zreloj jedin- ki. Z. cristatus, iz Mesinskog tjesnaca, odnosno južnog Tirenskog mora (Sredozemno more). Podaci o morfometrijskim i merističkim značajkama daju se zajedno s nekim biološkim podacima kao što su plijen i procjena starosti. Samo želuci T. trachypterus sadržavali su plijen: kopepode, amfipode i pelagične puževe. Samo želuci T. trachypterus sadržavali su plijen: kopepode, amfipode i pelagične puževe. Anali- za obrazaca rasta u kralješcima Z. cristatus omogućila je procjenu starosti ove jedinke od 4 godine. Također smo spojili naše podatke zajedno s informacijama iz bibliografskih izvora i procijenili odnose između ukupne duljine i standardne duljine, kao i ukupne duljine i tjelesne mase za ove dvije vrste.

This is the first paper to provide detailed information on the age and growth ofTrachinotus ovatus. The size of the 244 individuals collected in the Strait of Messina ranged from 2.7 to 30.4 cm in fork length (LF) and 0.31 to 508.6 g in body mass (M). The relationship between these parameters (M-LF) was investigated and showed a good fit. Age estimation based on vertebrae and otoliths yielded similar results, suggesting a maximum age of five years. However, the precision and accuracy tests, such as percentage of agreement (PA), mean coefficient of variation (ACV) and average percent error (APE) indicated that the otolith readings (97.83% PA, 0.54% ACV and 0.38% APE) were more reliable for age estimation than vertebrae readings (82.17% PA, 5.33% ACV and 3.77% APE). The multi-model inference approach allowed us to compare different non-linear growth models. The von Bertalanffy model (L∞=29.139,k=0.496 andt0=−0.347) fitted the length-at-age data best. This species has a relatively rapid growth and an estimated longevity of five to seven years. This information could be used for management and first stock assessment studies onT. ovatusin the Mediterranean Sea., Este es el primer artículo que proporciona información detallada sobre la edad y el crecimiento deTrachinotus ovatus. El tamaño de los 244 individuos recolectados en el Estrecho de Messina osciló entre 2.7 y 30.4 cm de longitud a la horquilla (LF) y 0.31 a 508.6 g de masa corporal (M). Se investigó la relación entre estos parámetros (M-LF) y mostró un buen ajuste. La estimación de la edad basada en vértebras y otolitos arrojó resultados similares, lo que sugiere una edad máxima de cinco años. Sin embargo, las pruebas de precisión y exactitud, como el porcentaje de concordancia (PA), el coeficiente medio de variación (ACV) y el porcentaje de error medio (APE), indicaron que las lecturas del otolito (97.83% PA, 0.54% ACV y 0.38 % APE) fueron más confiables para la estimación de la edad que las lecturas de vértebras (82.17% PA, 5.33% ACV y 3.77% APE). El enfoque de inferencia de modelos múltiples nos permitió comparar diferentes modelos de crecimiento no lineal. El modelo de von Bertalanffy (L∞=29.139,k=0.496 andt0=−0.347) se ajusta mejor a los datos de talla por edad. Esta especie tiene un crecimiento relativamente rápido y una longevidad estimada de cinco a siete años. Esta información podría utilizarse para la ordenación y los primeros estudios de evaluación de poblaciones deT. ovatusen el mar Mediterráneo.

In this paper, a live hectocotylus, found inside a stranded female Argonauta argo shell, allowed us to describe the behaviour of this copulatory arm and add new information on its morphology. The hectocotylus penile filament is contained in a special membranous pocket or sac, almost completely transparent, extending from the apex of the basal part to about one-third of the central section. The hectocotylus assumes a folded position to protect the penile filament in the membranous sac. This is probably extracted only when copulation occurs. Our observations seem to suggest that the shell may have the secondary function of storing and protecting the hectocotyli received by males until the copulation. The observations confirmed the high vitality and endurance of the hectocotylus after detachment from the A. argo male.

We describe the interaction between harpoon fishing activity and sharks, which opportunistically depredated harpoon catches in the Strait of Messina. Shark bite marks were observed on harpooned swordfish during the period 2014–2020, with different damages to the catches. Most of the depredation events have focused on large swordfish, generally weighing more than 60 kg. Data on direct observations were implemented by interviews and questionnaires to fishermen aimed to recover the information on their local fishing and ecological knowledge. Fishermen provided additional data on shark-harpoon fishing interactions also supplying information on by-catch species (i.e., bluefin tuna). Therefore, these results suggest that sharks migrating through the Strait of Messina are occasionally attracted by injured prey, due to their ability to detect chemical cues, fish distress stimuli and body fluids (i.e. blood) in the water. In addition, our investigations showed an increase in shark attacks on harpooned fish over time, likely due to an increase in harpoon swordfish catches. This may be related to the effects of the driftnets’ ban enforced by European Regulations in the last decades.

In this paper a rare case of a double swordfish mortal attack against an adult blue shark (Prionace glauca) is reported. A female blue shark, with a total length of 3 m, was found stranded along the southern Sicilian coast (Strait of Sicily, Mediterranean Sea) on 30 May 2018. The analysis of this carcass revealed the presence of two swordfish bill fragments, impaled in the shark head; the former on the snout, the latter near the eye. The results of anatomical and computed tomography scanning analysis on the head of the blue shark showed that the larger bill fragment (19.7 cm) probably determined the death of this animal, having been impaled in a vital point, just behind the right eye. The analysis of both these events and other similar swordfish-shark interactions reported in the literature makes possible the hypothesis that young swordfish specimens put in place a precise defensive strategy against their potential predators or competitors, aimed at hitting vulnerable and vital points and delivering a mortal blow.

In this Collective Article on alien and cryptogenic diversity in the Mediterranean Sea we report a total of 19 species belonging to nine Phyla and coming from nine countries. Several of these records concern fish species, and of particular interest are the first records of: Terapon puta for Italian waters; Pteragopus trispilus from Malta; Plotosus lineatus from Cyprus; and the northernmost Mediterranean record of Lagocephalus sceleratus. The northernmost Mediterranean record was also reported for the sea urchin Diadema setosum. The portunid crab Thalamita poissonii was recorded for the first time in Libya. The copepod Pseudodiaptomus marinus was recorded for the first time in the Marmara Sea. The polychaete Branchiomma luctuosum was recorded for the first time from the Mediterranean coast of France. The alien anemone Diadumene lineata was recorded for the first time from Slovenia. The macroalgae Sargassum furcatum was recorded for the first time from Italy. The new Mediterranean records here reported help tracing abundance and distribution of alien and cryptic species in the Mediterranean Sea., European Union [730984]; ASSEMBLE Plus project; Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy [OPS 5010856], Francesco Tiralongo and Aylin Ulman are indebted to Francesco Balbini who posted the observation of the species in the Facebook group of the AlienFish project (Fauna Marina Mediterranea) and provided us data ad-ditional on the records. Tuba Terbiyik Kurt, Ximena Ve-lasquez and Tamar Guy-Haim declare that the sampling was performed in the framework of Integrated Marine Pollution Monitoring 2020-2022 Programme carried out by Ministry of Environment and Urbanization/General Directorate of EiA, Permit and Inspection/Department of Laboratory, Measurement and coordinated by TUBI-TAK-MRC ECPI. They also thank Hakan Atabay and Dr. Ibrahim Tan for supplying the zooplankton sample and WGEUROBUS of the International Council for the Ex-ploration of the Sea (ICES)for facilitating this research. Mehmet Goekoglu thanks Hakan Erdoen for the video shoot and Adnan Buyuk for the photo shoot. Joseph A Borg and Julian Evans are grateful to Edward Vella for providing photographs and details on his sighting. The study of Montesanto and Mastrototaro was supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement N degrees 730984, ASSEMBLE Plus project. The authors wish to thank G. Chatzigeorgiou and P. Kasapidis for the assistance provided. Sara A.A. Al Mabruk and Fabio Crocetta are grateful to Ashour Al-Slaedie (Libya) for sharing pictures and data of Thalamita poissonii. Jakov Dulcic and Branko Dragicevic are thankful to Mr. Juraj Juricev for provid-ing us data and the photo of the specimen. Daniele Grech was supported by the PO-FEAMP 2014-2020 project ECOGESTOCK Approccio ECOsistemico per la tute-la e la GEStione delle risorse biologiche e STOCK ittici nelle acque interne Priorita 1, Misura 1.44, par. 6 Pesca nelle acque interne e fauna e flora nelle acque interne. The same author would like to thank the colleagues Gianni Brundu, Barbara Loi and Anuta Chindris for field and lab support (IMC, International Marine Centre). The work of Constantinos G. Georgiadis and Dimitra-Lida Rammou has been funded by the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy within the framework of Marine Strategy monitoring Project (2018-2023; OPS 5010856). The authors would like to thank Dr. Sotiris Orfanidis. The work of Georgiadis and Evangelopoulos has been funded by the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy within the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The authors would like to thank Dr. Sotiris Orfanidis. Damla Beton and Mehmet Fatih Huseyinoglu thank the fisher Hasan Sari for providing information and specimens of Plotosus lineatus from Cyprus.

The golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus) is a marine fish species in the family Carangidae. We constructed a chromosome-level genome assembly of a male golden pompano. QTL-mapping and GWAS analysis showed that this species has a ZZ/ZW sex determination system and a sex defining SNP (Chr16:18219150:G/A), located on the splice donor site (GT-AG) of the first intron of Hsd17b1, was exclusively associated with the phenotypic sex. The W-linked coding sequences of Hsd17b1 were conserved across vertebrates, while Z-linked coding sequences introduced extra 64 bases and were malfunctional. The golden pompano and the greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili), divergent in 57 million years ago in the same family, share the same features of sex determination, including the same sex determining gene, malfunctional Z-linked haplotypes, undifferentiated sex chromosomes except that the sex defining SNPs are different. In simulation analysis, turnover of sex determining mutation, single mutation dominating sex determination and undifferentiated sex chromosomes were also observed. We proposed a hypothesis that W-linked haplotypes of the sex determining gene of Hsd17b1 were under purifying selection, Z-linked haplotypes may evolve near neutrally, recurrent and directional transformations from W-linked haplotypes to Z-linked haplotypes caused by inactivating mutations, relatively strong forces of drift and recombination comprehensively contributed to turnover of sex defining mutation and undifferentiation of sex chromosome. We also established zebrafish mutants and homozygous mutants were “all male”, which indirectly supported this hypothesis.

This Collective Article presents information about 27 taxa belonging to five Phyla (one Ochrophyta, one Cnidaria, three Arthropoda, two Mollusca and twenty Chordata) and extending from the Western Mediterranean Sea to the Levantine Sea and the Black Sea (Sea of Marmara). The new records were reported from 11 countries as follows: Algeria: occurrence of the African striped grunt Parapristipoma octolineatum; Spain: new records of eight uncommon fish species (Gadella maraldi, Hypleurochilus bananensis, Lobotes surinamensis, Parapristipoma octolineatum, Selene dorsalis, Sphoeroides marmoratus, Tetragonurus cuvieri, and Trachyrincus scabrus) from the Spanish Mediterranean; Italy: new record of the football octopus Ocythoe tuberculata from the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea; a rare sighting of a juvenile phase of a moray eel of the genus Gymnothorax, tentatively identified as Gymnothorax cf. unicolor in the Ligurian Sea; first record of adult Facciola’s sorcerer Facciolella oxyrhynchus in the Adriatic Sea; occurrence of the tope shark Galeorhinus galeus in the Northern Adriatic Sea; Libya: first confirmed record of the pen shell Pinna rudis; first documented record of the palaemonid shrimp Brachycarpus biunguiculatus; first record of the fish Sudis hyalina; Malta: new records of Grant’s rockling, Gaidropsarus granti; multiple concomitant reports of the rare hydro-medusan species Aequorea forskalea; Croatia: a record of the skipjack tuna Katsuwonus pelamis in the Southern Adriatic Sea; Albania: new record of the bigeye thresher shark Alopias superciliosus; Greece: confirmation of the rare brown alga Sargassum flavifolium occurrence in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea; first record of the scaleless dragonfish Bathophilus nigerrimus; Turkey: first occurrence of the calanoid copepod Pteriacartia josephinae in the Aegean Sea; first documented record of the Cremona’s sea slug Placida cremoniana for the easternmost Mediterranean Sea; new record of the yellow-headed goby Gobius xanthocephalus in the Sea of Marmara; Cyprus: first record of the Liechtenstein’s goby Corcyrogobius liechtensteini; an individual of the Yellow-fin tuna Thunnus albacares captured with handline by an artisanal fisher; Lebanon: an individual of the Black marlin Istiompax indica captured in a gill net., peer-reviewed

Few studies focused on behaviour adaptations of organisms to marine litter (ML) pollution in Mediterranean Sea. This research, investigates on some behavior traits of Octopus vulgaris, focusing on the interaction with ML during the artisanal fishing activities by the bottom traps in a small coastal area of the southern Tyrrhenian Sea. For the first time, this pilot study uses an integrated approach based on the Fishermen Ecological Knowledge as well as the analysis of ML found in the traps. First assessment of plastic ingestion in this species are also reported. Plastic and metal were the predominant ML categories observed into the bottom traps. A total of 62 plastics, mainly small microplastics and fibres shaped, were ingested. The ML finding in the bottom traps suggests an interesting behavior of the common octopus regarding its interaction with ML, in fact, it seems to bring ML inside its dens, as a collector.

This study investigated, for the first time, the age and growth of the spotted lanternfish Myctophum punctatum through an analysis of otolith microstructure. A total of 377 individuals were collected from the Strait of Messina (central Mediterranean Sea), ranging between 20.3 and 73.7 mm of standard length. Their length–weight relationship was estimated, and these outputs indicated an isometric growth, for all specimens and when males and females were analysed separately. The sagittal otoliths were removed from 185 fish, although the microincrement readings were considered valid for only 173 otoliths. Microincrement counts ranged from 32 to 48 (average = 37.6) in the otolith central zone, 30 to 56 (average = 44.3) in the middle zone, and 36 to 384 (average = 165.5) in the external zone. Overall, total microincrements ranged between 106 and 469. Different growth models (Gompertz, von Bertalanffy and logistic models) were considered, to understand which one fit best in describing the growth patterns in M. punctatum. The Gompertz model was then selected as the best-fitting model and its parameters for all individuals were L∞ = 74.79, k = 0.0084 and I = 139.60.

The distribution of floating litter in marine waters, influenced by currents and wind drag, often determines the dispersal of its encrusting fauna. In the present paper, we observed for the first time the colonization of rafting floats from abandoned, lost or derelict fishing gears (ALDFG) by the four protected deep-sea species: Errina aspera, Desmophyllum pertusum, Madrepora oculata Pachylasma giganteum. Overall, 41 floats, colonized by deep benthic species, were found stranded on the shore of the Sicilian coast of the Strait of Messina, between 2016 and 2019. Species composition, number and occurrence of colonizing organisms were analyzed. On the basis of the species composition (the association between E. aspera, P. giganteum and Megabalanus tulipiformis), the knowledge on their ecology, biogeography, path of local currents, it was possible to define that the area of origin of the most part of these fishing net floats was the Strait of Messina.

The Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABFT), Thunnus thynnus (Linnaeus, 1758), is an important commercial species managed as two different stocks, western and eastern Atlantic, with their spawning grounds in the Gulf of Mexico and in the Mediterranean Sea, respectively. The eastern Atlantic stock has been overexploited in the last decades, leading to the application of specific management measures introduced by the International Commission for the Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT). A clear understanding of the genetic structure of ABFT Mediterranean population should be pursued in order to support management decisions. To date the genetic studies on the Mediterranean ABFT, carried out with different molecular markers and sampling procedures, have produced unclear results. Here, we analysed ABFT samples from central and western Mediterranean Sea with mitochondrial sequences and 11 microsatellite loci to investigate, among the others, the area of the Strait of Messina, where environmental conditions seem to support a resident population of ABFT. Furthermore, genetic analyses of mitochondrial sequences were carried out including nucleotide sequences of Adriatic ABFT wild larvae retrieved from GenBank. Among the investigated areas a genetic differentiation was detected between the Strait of Messina and the Tyrrhenian Sea with microsatellite loci according to the exact G test, but not to the Bayesian analyses carried out with STRUCTURE. The analyses with mitochondrial sequences do not reveal any differentiation among sampled areas, however, a highly significant genetic divergence was observed between the Adriatic mitochondrial sequences retrieved from GenBank and the central‐western Mediterranean sequences obtained in the present work. Our results provide some evidence of population structure of Mediterranean ABFT adding pieces to a still unclear picture.

The present investigation focuses on Boops boops specimens gathered in the Gulf of Patti in 2010. Providing a snapshot from the past, this paper represents, chronologically, the first record of microplastic ingestion in the Mediterranean bogue. The plastic abundance and composition in gastrointestinal tracts of the bogue was assess, in order to improve the knowledge on spatial-temporal variability of microplastics pollution in the Mediterranean basin and in particular, in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea. In a total of 65 specimens, 180 particles of plastic (2.8 items/specimens), mainly belonging to microplastics class, were found. Fragments (63%) and fibres (30%) were the predominant shape categories. Eleven polymers were identified: polypropylene and polyethylene were the most abundant. Several synthetic polymers belonging to the class of elastomers were also observed. The study area is strongly influenced by the absence of trawl fishing activities and a low mixing level of the seabed that, together with the confluence of different watercourses and the presence of different kind of anthropic impact, including motorway, could make it a 'waste disposal site'. Finally, our results suggest the usefulness to retrieve older samples to better understand spatial-temporal changes in marine litter pollution over time.

Identifying patients at higher risk of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in intensive care units (ICUs) represents a major challenge for public health. Machine learning could improve patient risk stratification and lead to targeted infection prevention and control interventions.To evaluate the performance of the Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) II for HAI risk prediction in ICUs, using both traditional statistical and machine learning approaches.Data for 7827 patients from the 'Italian Nosocomial Infections Surveillance in Intensive Care Units' project were used in this study. The Support Vector Machines (SVM) algorithm was applied to classify patients according to sex, patient origin, non-surgical treatment for acute coronary disease, surgical intervention, SAPS II at admission, presence of invasive devices, trauma, impaired immunity, and antibiotic therapy in 48 h preceding ICU admission.The performance of SAPS II for predicting HAI risk provides a receiver operating characteristic curve with an area under the curve of 0.612 (P0.001) and accuracy of 56%. Considering SAPS II along with other characteristics at ICU admission, the SVM classifier was found to have accuracy of 88% and an AUC of 0.90 (P0.001) for the test set. The predictive ability was lower when considering the same SVM model but with the SAPS II variable removed (accuracy 78%, AUC 0.66).This study suggested that the SVM model is a useful tool for early prediction of patients at higher risk of HAIs at ICU admission.

The bluefin tuna, Thunnus thynnus, is a highly migratory and long-living fish at the top of the pelagic food web. As top predator, it plays a key role in the stability of marine food webs by exerting top-down control on its prey. The diet composition of bluefin tuna varies in relation to its growth, seasons and migratory patterns, making it difficult to evaluate spatial and temporal effects. This latter aspect is further complicated to be determined during the first months of life, when T. thynnus specimens have a rapid growth rate leading to changes in the trophic status. In this study, the potential collagen-related effects on δ15N and δ13C values were evaluated on the whole spine of adult tuna specimens collected in the central Mediterranean Sea. Obtained results showed non-significant differences between extracted and non-extracted collagen samples for δ15N in whole spine, allowing adopting the isotopic analysis both for annuli in the spine section of adults and for younger specimens, whose spine size does not permit the collagen extraction. Specifically, isotopic analysis of whole spine of the young of the year specimens, showed a rapid change in δ15N values with length, following an exponential model. For older specimens, δ15N values were higher and varied around a plateau, likely due to a higher specificity in the choice of prey and/or to change in the geographical location. Such variability was also mirrored in annuli of spines sections of adult tunas. As far as δ13C values are concerned, a strong collagen-related effect was evidenced, likely highlighting the influence of lipids. Consequently, δ13C analysis may be used only on adult specimens where collagen extraction is possible. This research also showed how isotopic analysis of both whole sample and sequence of annuli in the cross-section of dorsal spine might produce isotopic profiles useful to detect specific trophic dynamics along the bluefin tuna growth.

The present review critically assesses the records of cephalopods that have entered the Mediterranean Sea in the last few decades. It includes 13 species, namely Sepia dollfusi, Stoloteuthis leucoptera, Sepioteuthis lessoniana, Architeuthis dux, Cranchia scabra, Taonius pavo, Megalocranchia sp., Teuthowenia megalops, Cycloteuthis sirventi, Taningia danae, Octopus cyanea, Amphioctopus sp. and Tremoctopus gracilis. The presence of Sepia pharaonis needs to be confirmed, whereas that of Sepia gibba and Spirula spirula is excluded. The arrivals from the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar are related to the entrance surface current, which either carried passively planktonic paralarvae or favoured in some other way the entrance of subadult and adult stray specimens. As a matter of fact, all Atlantic cephalopods are pelagic oegopsid squids, with the exception of the nekto-benthic sepiolid S. leucoptera; all of them have been found only in the western Mediterranean basin. None of them seemingly established a stable population there, apart from the latter species. On the contrary, the cephalopods entering the Mediterranean from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal (Lessepsian migrants) lead a benthic mode of life. At least two of them, namely S. lessoniana and Amphioctopus sp., set up stable populations in the eastern basin. Lastly the occurrences of the pelagic octopod T. gracilis are ascribed, in the literature, to human-mediated transfer., U ovom radu autori kritički procjenjuju nalaze glavonožaca koji su ušli u Sredozemno more u posljednjih nekoliko desetljeća, što uključuje 13 vrsta, a to su: Sepia dollfusi, Stoloteuthis leucopte-ra, Sepioteuthis lessoniana, Architeuthis dux, Cranchia scabra, Taonius pavo, Megalocranchia sp., Teuthowenia megalops, Cycloteuthis sirventi, Taningia danae, Octopus cyanea, Amphioctopus sp. i Tremoctopus gracilis. Prisutnost vrste Sepia pharaonis treba biti potvrđena, dok je prisutnost Sepia gibba i Spirula spirula isključena. Dolasci vrsta iz Atlantskog oceana kroz Gibraltarski tjesnac povezani su s ulaznom površinskom strujom koja je nosila pasivno planktonske paralarve ili je na neki drugi način favorizirala ulaz subadultnih i odraslih zalutalih primjeraka. Zapravo su svi atlantski glavonošci pelagične lignje, s izuzetkom nekto-bentoskog sepiolida S. leucoptera. Čini se da nijedna vrsta od navedenih tamo nije uspostavila stabilnu populaciju, osim potonje navednih vrsta. Naprotiv, glavonošci koji ulaze u Sredozemno more iz Crvenog mora kroz Sueski kanal (lesepsijski migranti) vode bentoski način života. Ipak, dvije vrste S. lessoniana i Amphioctopus sp., uspostavile su stabilne populacije u istoč-nom dijelu. Konačno, pojave pelagične hobotnice T. gracilis pripisuju se, u literaturi, prijenosu posredovanim antropogenim utjecajem.

Plastics are the most common marine litter typology found on the beaches and seafloor or floating on the sea surface and water column [1, 2, 3]. When these plastic items reach micro size (

Small-scale fisheries represent one of the most important fishing sectors in Italy, comprising 60% of Italian fishing vessels, half the fishers and 16% of national landings. Despite their high social, economic and cultural value, they have been neglected by national and international policies, resulting in a poor outlook for the near future. In this chapter, we provide an overview of recent trends, the status of small-scale fisheries in Italy and major, current threats to the sector. These include: competition from large-scale fisheries, rivalry with illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, recreational fisheries, ecological changes and the degradation of ecosystems. The evolution of international and national legislation affecting small-scale fisheries is also outlined, with examples of opportunities and challenges in two complementary case studies from the Tyrrhenian and Ionian Seas. The analysis is mainly focused on participatory, bottom-up management tools (local management plans and co-management schemes). The resilience of small-scale fisheries’ socio-ecological systems, mainly related to fishers’ capability of adapting their strategies to multiple sets of conditions over time and across areas, is also discussed. We conclude our analysis by investigating actions which could be implemented to allow the unexploited economic, social and cultural potential of small-scale fisheries in Italy to be developed.

Plastic ingestion is one of the main impacts of marine litter on organisms. The occurrence of microplastics (MPs < 5 mm) in the stomachs of Mediterranean species was already reported in several studies. In this context, the present study aims to develop a new approach of digestion for the identification of MPs in the gastrointestinal tracts (GITs) of marine organisms. The new approach combines two digestion protocols, including potassium hydroxide (KOH) and nitric acid (HNO), to remove most organic and inorganic materials. This digestion allows recording small MPs that are difficult to find via routinely stomach content analysis and also to minimize the overestimation of the phenomenon trough the control of airborne contamination. The new approach was tested on a voracious pelagic opportunistic predator, the common dolphinfish, a fishery resource exploited in several Mediterranean areas. The results showed that a large amount of ingested meso- and microplastics, such as fragments or sheets, was recorded in GITs (F = 65.5 %). The FTIR analysis on litter samples allowed to identify polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene as dominant constituent polymers of microplastics. These results confirmed that our novel combined digestion protocol represents a reliable approach to detect MPs in opportunistic pelagic predators., This study was funded by “Plastic Busters MPAs: preserving biodiversity from plastics in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas” project. G. F. Schirinzi was supported by a BES-2015-072281 predoctoral fellowship.

The evolution of the Italian swordfish harpoon fishery as well as the crisis reasons and new related management actions were analyzed. Swordfish harpoon fishing has been practiced in Italian waters (Strait of Messina and nearby areas) since ancient times. During these centuries, it has maintained its artisanal features, although some technological innovations have been implemented during the last decades. The unsustainable competition with modern fishing activities (longlines, driftnets and related illegal gears) determined a drastic decrease of harpoon fleet: the number of vessels in the study area was 310 at the end of the 19th century and 13 in the 2016. The negative effects of the rapid increase of overall fishing effort on Mediterranean swordfish, during the second half of 20th century, have been in part attenuated by recent management regulations, such as the ban of driftnets and the temporal limitations to the use of longlines to avoid the catch of juveniles. Swordfish harpoon fishing is not comparable to other modern fishing activities in terms of catches or revenues, however it has a high social, cultural and historical importance and for these reasons the correct management of Mediterranean swordfish stock and this fishing activity are crucial points to be addressed. The analysis of current swordfish management actions and regulations as well as strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats highlights that illegal fishing is among the main threats for the survival of harpoon fishing.

The trophic ecology of Chauliodus sloani (Stomiidae) was thoroughly investigated by stomach content analysis for the first time in the Mediterranean. Overall 206 individuals (64.0–260.0 mm SL) were collected from 2013 to 2015. C. sloani can be defined a specialist predator which feeds exclusively on mesopelagic fish belonging to Gonostomatidae, Myctophidae, Paralepididae, Phosichthyidae, Sternoptychidae and Stomiidae. Gonostomatidae (%IRI = 26.02), Myctophidae (%IRI = 24.77) and Sternoptychidae (%IRI = 24.35) were important food items for C. sloani. Maurolicus muelleri (%IRI = 36.43), Cyclothone braueri (%IRI = 28.26) and Vinciguerria attenuata (%IRI = 12.97) were the most important prey. Cases of cannibalism were also observed. The examination of food size spectrum, in relation to predator length, demonstrated that C. sloani developed a feeding strategy aimed to maximizing energy input and based on the capture of few and relatively large prey: more than 50% of prey items exceeded the value of 20% for ratio between prey and predator size (SL) and the 5.4% of prey measured more than 50% of predator size. Differences in food composition across seasons were found; C. braueri and M. muelleri were more abundant in autumn, V. attenuata during spring. Prey items mainly belongs to weakly vertical migrating fauna, usually concentrated at 400 m Deep Scattering Layer.

This study characterizes the small-scale fishery (SSF) of the oncoming Italian Marine Protected Area of Cape Milazzo in the western Mediterranean Sea and describes the recent evolution of SSF activities in the study area during recent years. Data on fishing activities, catch and effort were collected in 2006–2007 and 2014 and then compared. Information on fishermen perceptions about local fishery management and conflicts were collected by a questionnaire survey relating fisheries policies and regulations during 2012–2013. A substantial reduction of fleet (−27.5% of vessels) was recorded between the 2006–2007 and 2014. The use of fishing gears varied during season depending on fishing tactics, meteorological conditions and resource availability, particularly in the case of gregarious fish, as revealed by statistical analysis (e.g., small tunas, carangids and mackerels). A general increase in hake and cuttlefish CPUE during 2014 was recorded. However, the study highlighted a suffering status for local SSF, due to both the difficulty to apply a growing amount of rules and prohibitions and the conflicts with illegal and recreational fishing. The establishment of a Local Management Plan (LMP) in the area has been the first step for increasing the fight against illegal fishing as well as the management of fishing grounds. Furthermore, the establishment of a new MPA should take into account these results in order to develop appropriate management measures for environmental protection, also allowing for the maintenance of biologic, social and economic sustainability of artisanal fishing activities.

Recent cases of swordfish attacks on harpoon fishing vessels of the Sicilian fleet were examined and the particular behavior adopted by this fish during the approach to fishermen was described.The information was collected in the period between 1999 and 2014 in Sicilian waters (Mediterranean Sea) through interviews with harpoon fishermen and through direct observations during research activities. Additional cases of the attacks from the previous years are also reported. Overall, 29 cases of swordfish aggressive behavior against fishing boats were documented. Swordfish usually attacked when provoked or when wanted to defend its mate and in several cases, it tried to pierce the boat by the bill. Some attacks culminated with a damage to the target, whereas no injuries to humans were recorded.

The taxonomic, morphological and meristic features of a dark eel caught by commercial trawling off the Gulf of Patti, southern Tyrrhenian Sea, Mediterranean Sea, February 17, 2017, showed it to be a female Conger conger. Histological analysis of gonads demonstrated that the individual was in a post-spawning phase. X-ray radiographs showed widespread decalcification of skeleton and teeth loss, confirming a strong mobilisation of somatic energy reserves needed for reproductive development.

The Aeolian Archipelago, in the western Mediterranean Sea, is an active volcanic arc hosting several hydrothermal sites. This area, considered a Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem by The Food and Agriculture Organization because of its ecological importance and biodiversity value, is affected by various pressures and threats that may act as sources of marine litter. The aim of this paper was to analyse the composition and distribution of marine litter on the seafloor of this archipelago with a specific focus on the hydrothermal areas, using almost 60 h of remotely operated vehicle footage collected at depths of 15 to 411 m. Derelict fishing gear represented the main source of marine debris (71.9% of the overall litter); nevertheless, the observed mean litter density was quite low (0.57 items/100 m2) when compared with other Mediterranean areas, probably because fisheries in the area mainly use pelagic gear that has a low impact on the seabed. No differences were found in litter densities between hydrothermal and non-hydrothermal zones. The occurrence of benthic fauna impacted by debris was rarely recorded (only 10.6% of litter items showed interactions with species) and entanglement was the most commonly observed impact. However, both the density of synthetic fishing gear and its impact on habitats and species are bound to increase over time. Overall, plastics constituted most of the marine litter (79.7%). So, prevention and mitigation measures are needed in order to protect this sensitive ecosystem. To this end, the most effective strategy could be the establishment of a Marine Protected Area or a Site of Community Importance, due to the presence of habitats (“submarine structures made by leaking gases” and “reefs”) listed in Annex I of the European Habitats Directive, where all fishing activities could be strictly regulated.

The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was used to support fishery analyses aimed to monitor the swordfish harpoon fishing and analyze temporal and spatial patterns of catch distribution, also in relation to the environmental parameter Sea Surface Temperature (SST). The study was carried out in an important reproductive area of the Mediterranean Sea, including the Strait of Messina and nearby areas (south-eastern Tyrrhenian Sea and north-western Ionian sea). These locations also represent the unique fishing ground of the Italian swordfish harpoon fishery. Fishery, environmental and biological data were collected between 2002 and 2011 from fishermen’s logbooks and by observations on-board of fishing vessels during swordfish harpoon fishing season (May to August). Data were organized into a database and structured on a geographical reference to allow a quantitative multi-parameter modelling through the GIS tools. The application of GIS allowed a good visualisation of catch distribution patterns, underlining annual and monthly differences in resource availability to fishery. The analysis of GIS maps showed a change in swordfish behaviour, likely related to SST anomalies and, as a consequence, difference in catch and effort distribution patterns. These differences were more evident if fishes in pair were considered. GIS turned out an important and powerful tool to analyze fishing information; the production of georeferentiated maps helps scientist to an easier interpretation of data on large pelagic resources. The proposed GIS-based analysis can add new information on swordfish and help decision makers in the Mediterranean swordfish management.

The finding of a specimen of Diaphus dumerilii (Myctophidae) stranded on the shore in the Sicilian coast of the Strait of Messina (central Mediterranean Sea) is reported. It is the first documented record of this mesopelagic species in the Mediterranean Sea. Morphometric and meristic characters are given together with some biological features.

Changes in the composition and biomass distribution of deep-living zooplankton over wide gradients of depth (0–1300 m) have been analyzed in the Central Ligurian Basin (Northwestern Mediterranean Sea), seeking the environmental variables responsible for these changes. Spring vertical distribution (early May 2013) and diel vertical migration (DVM) of some key species of macroplankton and micronekton communities were studied every 6 h during a 24 h cycle. The hauls, performed with the multiple opening/closing 230 µm BIONESS net system, made possible a detailed description of the vertical distribution of twenty-three species: one siphonophore, one pyrosomid, one salp, three pteropods, four amphipods, one mysid, eight euphausiids, two decapods, two fishes. Cluster analysis performed on major species of macroplankton and micronekton community assemblage mainly highlighted the presence of four well defined assemblages, based on the depth range in the water column: 0–60 m, 60–100 m, 100–600 m and from 600 to 1300 m. During daytime, vertical distributions of biomass exhibited similar profiles, with maxima in the 0–60 m layer. Highest abundances were recorded between 20–40 and 40–60 m depth, at midnight and in the morning. The highest values of both biodiversity and number of species were found in a deeper layer comprised between 400 and 600 m. Most of the species showed similar distributions throughout the sampled area, either with typical non-diel-migrating characters such as the euphausiid Stylocheiron longicorne and the fishes Cyclothone braueri and C. pygmaea, or with clear diel-migrant behaviour (e.g. the siphonophore Chelophyes appendiculata and the euphausiid Euphausia krohni). Some species (e.g. Vibilia armata, Phronima sedentaria, Scina crassicornis, Salpa fusiformis, Cavolinia inflexa, Gennadas elegans) exhibited a bimodal vertical distribution that could be attributed to different causes able to influence and modify their vertical migration. The lower values of chlorophylla concentrations found in the present studyinthe month of May corresponds to the transition period from a mesotrophic system to a rather oligotrophic one. Temperature and chlorophyll were the variables that principally influenced the distinction between shallow (0–60 m) and deep communities. Below 60 m depth, the dissolved oxygen and salinity become the most important variables affecting the zooplankton community.