Author: Monica Calabrò

IRBIM CNR Mazara del Vallo is pleased to announce the next annual meeting of the ICES-FAO Working Group on Fisheries Technology and Fish Behavior (WGFTFB), which will be held in Mazara del Vallo, Italy, from Thursday 15 May to Tuesday 20 May. The working group is an excellent opportunity to discuss all aspects of fisheries technology and fish behaviour, including recent developments at Mediterranean level. Topics to be discussed will include:

• The use of indicators to describe and compare the performance of fishing gear (Indicators);
• Abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG);
• Operational and technical constraints of fishing gear to support coexistence with offshore wind energy and open water aquaculture (Multiple Use).

Thematic sessions will include:

• Collection and standardization of the parameters of mobile fishing gear in contact with the bottom and their fuel consumption;
• Advances in sustainable fishing practices and their impact on marine ecosystems.

Registration for the meeting is open until April 11. For more information about the event and the topics that will be covered, please visit the official website of the meeting: https://wgftfb.org/annual-meeting/meeting-information/ . Abstract submission is now open! Submit your abstract here: https://wgftfb.org/annual-meeting/abstract-submission/ . We look forward to welcoming you to Mazara del Vallo.

On the occasion of the G7 Agriculture and Fisheries, held from 21 to 29 September 2024 in the evocative setting of Syracuse-Ortigia, colleagues from IRBIM Mazara del Vallo attended conferences and round tables with contributions of knowledge and ideas to make Italian fishing in the changing Mediterranean more sustainable and resilient.
The G7 in Syracuse, in line with the work carried out in previous G7 Agriculture ministerial meetings, focused on the resilience and sustainability of agriculture and fisheries through the following thematic priority areas: science and innovation for adaptation to climate change and the contribution of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture to food security.
In particular, the research carried out by researchers from IRBIM Mazara del Vallo and related during the G7 focused on current issues such as the management of invasive species such as blue crabgrass and thermophilic species such as worm, the development of recovery plans for threatened resources such as sea urchins, climate change and relationship with biological resources with a focus on the management issues of special fisheries by Fabio Fiorentino; of “Strategies for the evaluation of catches and reduction of the fraction discarded in trawling” and of the “latest assessments on the state of resources in the Strait of Sicily” for the optimization of fishing practices and safeguard biodiversity by Sergio Vitale while Germana Garofalo He spoke of “natural capital and assessment of cumulative impacts”.
These contributions demonstrate how cooperation between scientific research, technological innovation and management policies is essential for a sustainable future of fisheries and aquaculture in the Mediterranean.
The initiatives presented during the G7 in Syracuse represent a tangible example of how science can offer innovative solutions for the management of fish species and the protection of marine habitats, which are essential to face the challenges posed by climate change.

The Mediterranean Sea, characterized by unique biodiversity and a long fishing history, today faces a series of environmental and socio-economic pressures. Climate change is altering the distribution patterns of marine species, with significant impacts on their abundance and availability. Overfishing, coastal pollution and urbanisation of marine areas are additional threats that threaten the health of marine ecosystems and the sustainability of fisheries. Italy, which has one of the oldest fishing traditions in the Mediterranean, is at the heart of these changes, trying to balance the conservation of marine resources with the needs of fishing that is both economical and sustainable. IRBIM researchers have been engaged for years in the assessment of fisheries resources to ensure the long-term resilience of the sector and the sustainability of key species. During the 53rd SIBM congress held at the CNR headquarters in Rome, during the session dedicated to “Environmental Impacts”, Fabio Fiorentino (research manager at IRBIM CNR in Mazara del Vallo) presented a presentation on the topic “Sustainability and resilience of Italian fisheries in the changing Mediterranean”. Given the topic of interest and thanks to the permission of Dr. Fabio Fiorentino, the slides are published at the previous link to make them available to all IRBIM researchers and other interested parties.

 

On 20, 21 and 22 May, the National Biodiversity Forum, organized by the National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), was held. Hosted by the University of Palermo, over 600 researchers from all over Italy discussed sensitive issues such as the restoration of degraded areas, nature conservation, the relationship between nature and well-being and the development of effective tools to prevent biodiversity loss. The ultimate goal of the NBFC is to conserve, restore, monitor and enhance Italian and Mediterranean biodiversity. During the two days, the plenary sessions welcomed the reports of expert Italian researchers on the following topics: The state of biodiversity in Italy, Threats to biodiversity, Invasive and endemic species, Biodiversity Restoration, Innovative technologies for biodiversity monitoring. This was followed by 5-minute presentations of a selection of posters. In addition, round tables were held in parallel sessions on Biodiversity Enhancement: Bioprospecting for Human Health and Biodiversity for Productive Activities; Research and innovation in biodiversity in NBFC; and technical tables on: Conservation, Citizen Citizen Science and Biodiversity Expert. In the final phase, prizes were awarded as “career recognition” for renowned scientists, the 15 best posters were awarded and awards were given also to 8 Spokes leaders including IRBIM Director Gian Marco Luna, leader of Spoke 2 together with his colleague Prof. Maria Chiara Chiantore. Also present at the event were the president of the CNR Maria Chiara Carrozza, IRBIM heads Luca Bolognini and Sergio Vitale and several IRBIM researchers from Mazara Del Vallo, Ancona and Messina. During the days, the Italian scientific community shared the most significant results of the latest research on the theme of biodiversity and in front of the more than 300 posters, rich exchanges of experiences and possible collaborations were held. Finally, on May 22nd, recognized worldwide as the “International Day for Biological Diversity“, the Biodiversity Gateway was presented, a gateway of access and connection dedicated to supporting the design of concrete international scientific and technological collaborations concerning the Mediterranean. Among the promoters of the Gateway – NBFC, in addition to the University of Palermo and Arpa, the CNR plays a fundamental role as coordinator of the project. You can watch the event on the NBFC channel and find the detailed program, information material and posters presented on the NBFC page dedicated to the National Biodiversity Forum 2024.

CNR-IRBIM participated in the second Forum on Fisheries Science in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea (FishForum), the largest scientific meeting dedicated to fisheries and related issues. The FishForum aims to promote discussion and cooperation between scientists and policymakers for the production of scientific advice, in order to better shape the future of fisheries in the Mediterranean and Black Sea and advance the region towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). CNR IRBIM researchers from Mazara del Vallo Sergio Vitale (Oral presentation) and Umberto Grande (Oral presentation) and from Ancona Alessandro Lucchetti (Oral presentation), Daniel Li Veli (Oral presentation) and Pamela Lattanzi (Poster) joined over 400 participants to discuss fisheries research from different perspectives: oceanographic, social and economic, for effective fisheries management. Among the colleagues who participated in the Fishforum there was also Enrico Arneri who participated in the round table “Expert roundtable: Fisheries research in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea”. Their scientific contributions were widely appreciated by the scientific community present at the event. Three themes were central to the event: better science for better advice, healthy seas and sustainable fisheries, and economic and technical innovation. In addition to these, a central topic was climate change, an issue of enormous importance for fisheries everywhere, and particularly in a region that is warming 20% faster than the global average. Several speakers addressed key aspects of the topic, including how to increase knowledge of the effects of ocean warming on regional fisheries and the potential adaptation strategies available. In particular, an agreement was reached to establish a network of climate experts dedicated to fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. From this LINK you can access the program and the contents of the forum.
Finally, Jade Millot, a French PhD student under the supervision of IRBIM colleague Mazara del Vallo Valentina Lauria, won for the best presentation in the “Early career scientist” category with an oral communication entitled “Vulnerable marine ecosystem conservation and spatial planning in the Mediterranean”.

The annual MEDITS (International bottom trawl survey in the Mediterranean) campaign has just ended. The MEDITS campaign aims to obtain baseline information on the biological status of most demersal fish stocks on a global scale in the Mediterranean Sea through systematic bottom trawl surveys. The project began in 1994 as part of the cooperation between several research institutes of four Mediterranean Member States (France, Greece, Italy and Spain) of the European Union. Over time, until the advent of the European Data Collection Framework (DCF) and Management for Fisheries, the MEDITS project was joined by new partners from Slovenia, Croatia, Albania, Montenegro, Malta and Cyprus. This programme has been designed with the following basic aims: (i) contribute to the characterisation of bottom fisheries resources in the Mediterranean in terms of population distribution (relative abundance indices) and population structures (length distributions); (ii) provide data for the modelling the dynamics of the studied species. The overall goal was, and is, to conduct a joint scientific trawl survey in the Mediterranean in which all participants would use the same gear, sampling protocol and methodology. These protocols were defined taking into account the characteristics of the areas covered by the first survey, but also in a way that would easily allow for an expansion of the program to other areas of the Mediterranean. They include survey design, sampling tools (features and handling), information collected, data management up to the production of common standardized data analyses. IRBIM CNR is involved in this program with two of its sites, respectively IRBIM CNR in Mazara del Vallo for GSA16 (Geographical sub-area South of Sicily) and IRBIM CNR of Messina for GSA 10 (Geographical sub-area South and central Tyrrhenian sea), as part of the National Fisheries Data Collection Work Plan 2023 for the study of demersal resources and to evaluate the post-capture survival of elasmobranchs and bony fish.