European spiny lobster recovery from overfishing enhanced through active restocking in Fully Protected Areas

Abstract

Fully protected areas (FPAs) help preserving biodiversity and reversing the global decline of fishery resources. Stocks of the European spiny lobster Palinurus elephas (Fabr. 1787), among the most precious gourmet seafood worldwide, are currently facing a dramatic decline. Previous attempts of recovery based on fishery restrictions or active post-larval restocking in marine reserves provided unsuccessful outcomes. Here we present results of a 5-year restocking program carried through a Collaborative Fishery Research (CFR) project, in three ad-hoc established FPAs replenished using below-legal size wild juveniles. Results showed that Catch per Unit Effort (CPUE) in terms of both density and biomass burst (by ca. 300–700%) just 2 years since FPAs establishment, regardless of location. We also report tangible spillover effects (ca. 30–50% increase in density and biomass CPUE outside the FPAs) by the end of the program. Data from a 15-years lasting monitoring of a pilot FPA established in 1998, where the restocking protocol was conducted and protection kept in force once restocking ceased, demonstrated the persistence in time of restocking’ benefits. We foster that creation of FPAs assisted with local restocking under oriented CFR programs can represent an option for the recovery of European spiny lobster stocks from overfishing.

Benthic Crustacean Digestion Can Modulate the Environmental Fate of Microplastics in the Deep Sea

“…The Norwegian langoustine Nephrops norvegicus (L. 1758) is a benthic decapod inhabiting European temperate and cold waters. Langoustines represent a relevant fishery resource that is worth millions of euros of income for professional fishery operating in European waters: it is highly appreciated as gourmet seafood, with a market price comparable to those of other high-quality crustaceans such as lobsters, spiny lobsters, or deep-sea shrimps. , The langoustine is a key element in muddy bottoms around European waters, especially in the Mediterranean, where its distribution is constrained to deep waters, usually below 200 m in depth. The continuous scavenging behavior on the seabed allows langoustines to interact not only with other benthic species but also with sediment-water fluxes and resuspended sediments .…”

Development of the first antibody targeting vitellogenin using the Palinurus elephas mRNA molecular pathway

“…The study was conducted on the Mediterranean P. elephas egg clutches samples that were provided by the Marine Biology section of the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences of the University of Cagliari. The animals were captured in the period October to March, corresponding to the extruding period of the species (Goñi et al, 2003) inside and outside of two different fully protected areas (FPAs) located in the central western (Su Pallosu) and in the southwestern coasts (Buggerru) of Sardinia (Cau et al, 2019; Follesa et al, 2007). In particular, the concentration of VTG was estimated from the egg clutches of 30 ovigerous females at the same stage of intermediate development (stage 2) as follows: 16 ovigerous females were caught inside of FPAs (60.9.-91.9 mm carapace length) and 14 outside of FPAs (68.7-100.3 mm carapace length), all at the same developmental stage (Table S1A).…”

“…The European lobster Palinurus elephas (Fabricius, 1787) is a long-lived and slowgrowing species typical of temperate waters that is widely distributed in the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. The development of increasingly powerful and efficient fishing methods in recent years has led to a decrement in the stocks of this crustacea in Sardinia (Italy) and other countries of the Mediterranean basin (Cau et al, 2019).…”

A Typical Mediterranean Fishery and an Iconic Species: focus on the common Spiny Lobster (Palinurus elephas, Fabricius, 1787) in Corsica

“…The movements of P. elephas have been reported rarely in the literature, but it is considered to be a sedentary species with a low level of mobility. The only tagging experiments, in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean (recapture rate between 5-10%), show limited movements, generally less than 5 km, even if some recaptures have been recorded more than fifty kilometers away [3,4]. However, larval stage seems to be the main way of dispersal.…”