A specimen of a creole fish Paranthias furcifer (285 mm total length) was captured in Marina Bay (Croatian coast) in the eastern Adriatic Sea. This is the first Mediterranean record of this species. ...The possible modes of introduction of species are discussed.
Previous studies conducted on a local scale emphasised the potential of trophic cascades in Mediterranean rocky reefs (involving predatory fish, sea urchins and macroalgae) in affecting the ...transition between benthic communities dominated by erected macroalgae and barrens (i.e., bare rock with partial cover of encrusting algae). Distribution patterns of fish predators of sea urchins (
Diplodus sargus sargus,
Diplodus vulgaris,
Coris julis and
Thalassoma pavo), sea urchins (
Paracentrotus lividus and
Arbacia lixula) and barrens, and fish predation rates upon sea urchins, were assessed in shallow (3–6
m depth) sublittoral rocky reefs in the northern, central and southern sectors of the eastern Adriatic Sea, i.e., on a large spatial scale of hundreds of kilometres. No dramatic differences were observed in predatory fish density across latitude, except for a lower density of small
D. sargus sargus in the northern Adriatic and an increasing density of
T. pavo from north to south.
P. lividus did not show any significant difference across latitude, whereas
A. lixula was more abundant in the southern than in the central Adriatic. Barrens were more extended in the southern than in the central and northern sectors, and were related with sea urchin density. Fish predation upon adult sea urchins did not change on a large scale, whereas it was slightly higher in the southern sector for juveniles when predation rates of both urchins were pooled. Results show that: (1) assemblages of predatory fish and sea urchins, and barren extent change across latitude in the eastern Adriatic Sea, (2) the weak relations between predatory fish density and predation rates on urchins reveal that factors other than top-down control can be important over large scale (with the caveat that the study was conducted in fished areas) and (3) patterns of interaction among strongly interacting taxa could change on large spatial scales and the number of species involved.
This paper reports the first record of the sapphire or blue devil Chrysiptera cyanea (Quoy and Gaimard, 1825) in the Adriatic and Mediterranean seas and comments upon the possible mode of ...introduction.
The queen angelfish H. ciliaris is a marine non-migratory subtropical fish that can be found inhabiting coral reef areas at depths from 1 to 70 m. Its original distribution is the Western Atlantic ...and Eastern Central Atlantic. The aim of this paper is to report the first record of H. ciliaris in the Mediterranean Sea and to comment upon the possible means of its introduction.
Summary
Length–weight relationships are presented for fish species from three eastern Adriatic estuarine systems (Croatian waters). The values of the parameter b mostly remained within the expected ...range of 2.5–3.5. No information regarding the length–weight relationship previously existed for 11 of the species.
The reproductive cycles of three mullet species from the Eastern Adriatic coast were described using several biological parameters (gonado‐somatic index, oocyte diameter and sex ratio) to improve ...knowledge about their reproduction.
Artisanal fisheries throughout the Mediterranean region are managed mostly by applying gear specific regulations. The data about the extent and dynamics by which littoral fish resources respond to ...commonly proposed changes of such regulations are lacking. Here the results of a 15 year (1995–2009) monitoring programme of littoral fish resources in a pilot region of island Vis aquatorium, central Adriatic Sea, are reported with the scope of investigating whether a more restrictive fishing regime (encompassing an increase in minimum inner layer mesh size of trammel net from 28 to 40
mm and excluding the trammel net from subsistence artisanal fishing) that has progressively been put in place during the study period has been accompanied by expected positive changes of littoral fish resources’ abundance, biomass and structure. Significant increases over time were observed in most of the community indices analyzed (abundance and biomass catch per unit effort, diversity indices) as well as a directional change in abundance and biomass catch composition of littoral fish resources. Positive responses were, however, primarily related with a recovery of
Mullus surmuletus stock. Additionally, time-series analysis of ABC curves and their corresponding
W index revealed that fish community in the study area was still moderately disturbed. Limited extent of conventional management restorative potential is further exacerbated by social issues – noncompliant behavior mainly among subsistence artisanal fishers and consequent resentment of commercial artisanal fishers. In order to improve further the state of the resources a more comprehensive set of management measures incorporating closed areas and a new approach actively involving fishers in the management process should be adopted.
► A 15 year monitoring programme showed that a more restrictive fishing regime in Mediterranean type artisanal fisheries is effective. ► Effectiveness was observed through positive changes of littoral fish resources' abundance, biomass and structure as well as through community indices and catch structure. ► Positive responses can be primarily related with a recovery of specific indicator species,
Mulus surmuletus. ► For further improvement, a more comprehensive set of management measures incorporating closed areas and more active involvement of fishers in the management process should be adopted.
On 7 November and 15 December 2006, two specimens of the Lessepsian migrant Fistularia commersonni were caught in trammel nets off the coastal waters of Tricase Porto (southwestern Adriatic, Italy) ...and Sveti Andrija (southeastern Adriatic, Croatia), respectively. These represent the first records of this species in the Adriatic Sea.
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