Immediate Effect of Clam Harvesting on Intertidal Benthic Communities in the Mudflat Zones of Kneiss Islands (Central Mediterranean Sea)

Mosbahi, Nawfel; Pezy, Jean Philippe; Dauvin, Jean Claude; Neifar, Lassad

doi:10.4172/2155-9546.1000454

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…Generally, the diversity and abundance of tubicolous polychaetes decreases after any destructive fishing activity [20,37,65]. Environmental changes caused by destructive fishing gear lead to effects that modify the habitat structure, disrupt food web processes, and eliminate the more vulnerable organisms susceptible to environmental damage.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, sediments in the shallowest waters are mainly characterized by sand, whilst gravel is found at intermediate-depth stations and deeper stations are dominated by fine sediment including silt [16]. Intensive human activities take place in this protected area of the Kneiss Islands [16,20,37].…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Data on the impacts of bottom trawling on macrobenthic fauna in the Gulf of Gabès are few and even rare, because a reference period is required to study anthropogenic activities to understand their environmental effects. Many human activities have developed around the Kneiss Islands, including bait digging [20] and clam harvesting [37], and several research protocols have been implemented to study the effects of each activity (see [20,37]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown: An Excellent Opportunity to Study the Effects of Trawling Disturbance on Macrobenthic Fauna in the Shallow Waters of the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia, Central Mediterranean Sea)

Mosbahi

Pezy

Dauvin

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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This study describes for the first time in the central Mediterranean Sea the effects of bottom trawling on macrobenthic fauna in tidal channels of the Kneiss Islands in the Gulf of Gabès, Tunisia. Following a BACI protocol, two control stations (protected by artificial reefs) and two trawled stations (impacted stations) were sampled during a period with the absence of bottom trawling activity (the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown period from March to May 2020) and during a trawled period. Although bottom trawling had no impact on sediment composition, this anthropogenic activity reduced the concentration of dissolved oxygen and had a noticeable effect on water column turbidity. The absence of trawling led to a significant increase in biomass, number of species, and abundance of total macrofauna. This illustrated the negative effect of trawling activity in shallow waters and the high resilience of macrobenthic communities of the tidal ecosystem of the Kneiss Islands. In the future, it would be very important to control the use of this destructive fishing gear due to its negative impact on the marine habitat and macrofauna, which represents essential prey for fishes and birds living in this protected area.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown: An Excellent Opportunity to Study the Effects of Trawling Disturbance on Macrobenthic Fauna in the Shallow Waters of the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia, Central Mediterranean Sea)

Mosbahi

Pezy

Dauvin

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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“…The polychaete annelids are one of the most widely harvested invertebrates community in coastal areas and estuaries worldwide due to their economic interest as live fishing bait or as broodstock maturation diet in aquaculture activities (Mosbahi et al, 2016;Watson et al, 2017a;Cole et al, 2018;Pombo et al, 2018;Sara Cabral et al, 2019). A recent global review of polychaetes reported 60 species that are being used to cater for the needs of the recreational fishing and aquaculture industry (Cole et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An account of the wild collection of polychaete (Annelida) from the intertidal zones of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Pawar¹,

Rane²,

Bhendekar³

et al. 2022

J. Mar. Biol. Ass. India

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The study was planned to examine polychaete fishing activity along the coast of Mumbai city. Random sampling was performed for a period of six months and conducted interviews with bait diggers, traders and local fishers (n=30). Polychaete annelids were found to be the most extensively harvested taxa in the intertidal areas due to market demand from the aquaculture industry. The collected polychaetes were identified as Marphysa spp. During the survey, each pair (two partners) on a typical day is reported to collect around 1-2 kilogram of live worms, which earns them `1000 per kg. It is recorded that the average collection of worms from various locations in intertidal areas of Mumbai city is around 150-200 kg/day. Last decade, the annual consumption of polychaetes by shrimp hatcheries ranged from 16 to 20 tonnes. Shrimp farming in India is intensified and currently, there are 315 hatcheries registered with the Government of India for seed production of Litopenaeus vannamei. The demand for polychaete worms has therefore increased many folds and could be estimated in the range of 252 to 337 tonnes annually and nowadays, this demand is being met by an unreported wild-caught polychaete resource as well as import of Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) polychaete from overseas suppliers. There is scope for polychaete culture to satisfy the country's growing market demand. Moreover, polychaete fishing in coastal areas removes substantial biomass and hence can cause major impacts on coastal habitats. There is a need for regulation of its mass collection from the wild.

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“…The Manila clam Ruditapes phillipinarum (Adams and Reeve, 1850) (genus synonyms: Venerupis, Tapes) has spread throughout Europe in recent decades and is harvested recreationally and commercially (Pranovi et al, 2004;Beck et al, 2015;Mosbahi et al, 2016). The species was introduced to a number of locations in the United Kingdom in the early 1980s with the intentions of establishing commercial aquaculture including Poole Harbour on the south coast of the UK (Utting and Spencer, 1991;Britton, 1991;Humphreys et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of a novel shellfishing gear on macrobenthos in a marine protected area: pump-scoop dredging in Poole Harbour, UK

Clarke

Esteves

Stillman

et al. 2017

Aquat. Living Resour.

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-Understanding the impact of bottom-fishing gears at various scales and intensities on habitats and species is necessary to inform management. In Poole Harbour, UK, a multiple use marine protected area, fishermen utilise a unique "pump-scoop" dredge to harvest the introduced Manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum. Managers need to balance the socio-economic benefits of the fishery with ecological concerns across the region, which has required a revision of by-laws that include both spatial and temporal measures. Within an operational fishery, we used a Before-After-Control-Impact sampling design to assess the impacts of pump-scoop dredging on benthic physical characteristics and community structure in an area where there was no dredging, an area newly opened to dredging and an area subject to high levels of historic dredging. A sampling grid was used in each area to best capture any fishing effort in the newly opened area. Core samples were taken to a depth of 30 cm within intertidal mudflats. A significant loss of fine sediments was observed in the site subject to high intensity dredging and a significant change in community structure also occurred in both dredged sites throughout the study period. In the newly opened site this was characterised by a relative increase in species richness, including increased abundance of annelid worms, notably Hediste diversicolor and Aphelochaeta marioni and a decline in the abundance of the bivalve mollusc Abra tenuis. These changes, albeit relatively small, are attributed to physical disturbance as a direct result of pump-scoop dredging, although no difference in the classification of the biotope of the site was observed. This is of particular interest to managers monitoring site condition within areas under the new bylaws as the Manila clam is spreading to other protected estuaries in the region.

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Immediate Effect of Clam Harvesting on Intertidal Benthic Communities in the Mudflat Zones of Kneiss Islands (Central Mediterranean Sea)

Cited by 10 publications

References 28 publications

COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown: An Excellent Opportunity to Study the Effects of Trawling Disturbance on Macrobenthic Fauna in the Shallow Waters of the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia, Central Mediterranean Sea)

COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdown: An Excellent Opportunity to Study the Effects of Trawling Disturbance on Macrobenthic Fauna in the Shallow Waters of the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia, Central Mediterranean Sea)

An account of the wild collection of polychaete (Annelida) from the intertidal zones of Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Impacts of a novel shellfishing gear on macrobenthos in a marine protected area: pump-scoop dredging in Poole Harbour, UK

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