The Energy Performance Building Directive (Directive 2002/91/EC) introduced the compulsory energy certification of buildings in the EU from 2006 and it has played a key role in the common policy to ...monitor and reduce energy consumption. In order to assess the experience gained in this field in Europe overall, and in particular against the highly diverse settings of the different European nations, this paper examines the extent to which the Directive has been implemented by the 27 EU Member States. This is done via a comparative analysis assisted by two different indicators: of uniformity and of excellence. The measure of uniformity makes it possible to assess the degree of harmony of the individual Member States with regard to the parameters laid down by the European Commission, while the measure of excellence allows the Member States to be appraised and the “best” performers to be identified, i.e. the leaders as regards energy certification of buildings. The analysis conducted reveals how varied the situation regarding energy certification in each country is in terms of implementation and scope of application and it also reveals that most countries are still at a halfway stage towards achieving excellence.
In recent years, a growing body of literature on seafloor macro-litter has been produced worldwide. However, the spatial coverage of these studies is still limited and highly unbalanced, resulting in ...considerable knowledge gaps in some regions. To address this lack of information in Oceania, we extracted data from the Citizen Science project Dive Against Debris® to characterize marine debris collected by volunteer scuba divers on the coastal seafloor. Overall, the average litter density was 58.22 items/100m2, with plastics accounting for approximately 50 % of the total abundance and Single Use Plastics accounting for nearly 17 %. Notably, 36 % of the total litter abundance consisted of lost Fishing Gear including fishing lines, sinkers, baits and hooks as the most abundant debris items. To reduce lost fishing gear, clean-up initiatives by divers along with management actions such as education programs for fishermen, gear restrictions and the identification of designated fishing sites are recommended.
•Seafloor litter was assessed globally by scuba divers through Citizen Science.•The mean litter density in Oceania was 58.22 items/100m2.•Plastics represented about 50 % of the total litter abundance.•36 % of the total litter abundance consisted of lost Fishing Gears, mainly lines.•Fishers education programs and gear restrictions could reduce marine litter.
Length–mass relationships and linear regressions are given for otolith size (length and height) and standard length (LS) of certain mesopelagic fishes (Myctophidae, Paralepididae, Phosichthyidae and ...Stomiidae) living in the central Mediterranean Sea. The length–mass relationship showed isometric growth in six species, whereas linear regressions of LS and otolith size fit the data well for all species. These equations represent a useful tool for dietary studies on Mediterranean marine predators.
The occurrence, relative abundance and bathymetric distribution of the deep Mediterranean heterobranch fauna were evaluated as a result of an extensive visual census down to 1825 m depth, carried out ...along the western Italian coasts, covering a latitudinal range of about 600 nautical miles. Observations were conducted using Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) in 551 sites, focusing on the deepest part of the continental shelf, the shelf edge and the upper bathyal zone. The analysis of over 508 hours of video footage and more than 27,000 high-resolution photographs allowed to explore about 594,000 m
2
of rocky outcrops and nearby soft seafloors in four main coastal areas (Ligurian Sea, north-central Tyrrhenian Sea, southern Tyrrhenian Sea, and Sicily Channel) and twelve offshore seamounts. Thirty-six species of heterobranchs, for a total of 559 records, were identified. Sixteen were only sporadically spotted (< 1% of the total observations), while three (Paraflabellina ischitana, Tritoniidae nd and Peltodoris atromaculata) contributed each for more than 10% of the records. An extension of the known Mediterranean bathymetric distribution was reported for 80% of the observed species, with many typically shallow-water taxa being also found in mesophotic environments (40-200 m). The observed marked decrease in diversity and abundance suggested that Mediterranean heterobranchs are mainly a coastal benthic group. From the geographical point of view, the heterobranch fauna present in the Ligurian Sea appeared significantly different from that observed in the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Sicily Channel, and this latitudinal pattern was discussed. Particular attention was given to single out the bathymetric distribution of the food sources of the most frequently observed species, supporting stenophagy as a limiting factor for their colonisation of the deep sea.
The present paper investigates the diet and the food composition of Trachinotus ovatus in the central Mediterranean Sea (Strait of Messina). Moreover, the first documented data on plastic ingestion ...by T. ovatus are also reported. Samples ranging between 16.5 and 28.0 cm fork length were collected between May and November 2012 in the Strait of Messina (central Mediterranean Sea) by trolling lines. T. ovatus fed mainly on pelagic crustaceans and fishes, although the contribution of mollusks was also important. The absence of dominant prey indicated a generalist feeding behavior. The plastic debris was found in the stomach content of T. ovatus with a high percentage of occurrence (%O = 24.3%). Considering the commercial interest that T. ovatus has in some small-scale fishery markets, the potential impact of plastics on the trophic web and human consumption should be investigated.
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.
According to the available literature, the current distribution limits of L. sceleratus correspond to the north Aegean Sea and Tunisia, whilst this species has not yet been reported from Italy
This paper provides for the first time data on age and growth of Remora osteochir, also describing its sagittal otolith together with other biological and ecological aspects. Overall, 236 individuals ...of marlin sucker were collected in the southern-central Mediterranean Sea, from 2008 to 2009. All samples were hosted by the Mediterranean spearfish, Tetrapturus belone, caught by surface longline and harpoon. Analysis of gonads identified a reproductive peak during June and July. The estimated growth parameters according to the von Bertalanffy equation were: L∞ = 27.37 cm TL, k = 0.248 year−1, t0 = −1.36 year. The length-weight relationship, computed by using eviscerate weight, highlighted an isometric growth for both sexes, as supported by the other results: similar sizes, growth curves and disc length-total length relationship.
This study tested the hypothesis that the fish assemblage associated with a wreck can vary according to two factors: the vertical distribution and the level of wreck complexity. In the Southern ...Tyrrhenian Sea in September 2009, the composition and density of fishes were ascertained, coupling the detailed architectural reconstruction of a wreck with videos recorded by remotely operated underwater vehicles. A total of nine fish species were found. Anthias anthias followed by Clupeiformes dominated the upper zone of wreck, while in the lower zone a significant decrease in numbers of all fish species was recorded The study shows that vertical distribution is the factor most influencing the allocation of species, probably due to a greater exposure to the energy flows. In contrast, the complexity of the wreck appears to play a less important role, one that is in any case less clear. To clarify this point, further investigation with a higher resolution and a comparison with other wrecks should be performed.
A remotely operated vehicle (ROV) survey conducted in the deep (250–400 m) Maltese waters in 2013 revealed, for the first time, the characteristics of an extended coral forest, constituted almost ...exclusively by the arborescent, longevous black coral Leiopathes glaberrima . This species is a major component of the deep coral forests of the Mediterranean Sea and its occurrence in dense populations greatly enhances the benthic biodiversity of the sites in question. The existence of such a complex benthic ecosystem is particularly interesting for Malta, since this area represented, in the 1980s, the only sanctioned site within the Mediterranean basin for the commercial exploitation of black corals. The occurrence of the large black coral population hints that, at least within the investigated area, the coral resource has not greatly suffered from past coral harvesting activities. The major current concern, however, is represented by the massive anthropogenic impact due to benthic fishing activities carried out on the rocky bank, as evidenced by the high amount of discarded fishing gear directly impacting the specimens. The data here presented, despite being preliminary in nature, suggests that the investigated benthic area should be considered a vulnerable marine ecosystem valuable for future scientific monitoring exercises. Appropriate benthic fishing restrictions for the area in question, which might be considered for inclusion within an marine protected area (MPA), should be contemplated.
