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13 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables ; Trawling disturbs benthic communities, eliminating the most vulnerable organisms and modifying habitat structure. While the cumulative effects of disturbance resulting from commercial trawling activities are poorly understood, several studies suggest that chronically disturbed communities are dominated by opportunistic organisms. This study focuses on changes in functional components of the benthic community occurring in muddy sediments in a NW Mediterranean trawling ground, including an area that has not been fished for 20 yr. In both disturbed and undisturbed areas, the overall benthic community from the fishing ground was dominated by burrowing epifaunal deposit feeders and predators, and deep burrowing infaunal deposit feeders. The fished area had a higher abundance of burrowing epifaunal scavengers and motile burrowing infauna, while the undisturbed area was characterised by higher abundance of surface infauna, epifaunal suspension feeders and predatory fish. This study clearly demonstrates that changes in the functional components of a benthic community can result from fishing in areas dominated by organisms not considered especially vulnerable to trawling activities. Thus, fisheries managers aiming to reduce ecosystem disturbance must consider the implications of trawling on the structure and functioning of all types of benthic communities. ; The authors thank J. Hewitt and C. Lundquist for their helpful comments on the manuscript. This study was funded by the EU project RESPONSE (Q5RS-2002-00787). We thank the participants in the Response project, as well as all the participants in the 'Veda' cruises and the crew of the RV 'Garcia Del Cid' for their help and enthusiasm. Data were provided by the Fishermen's Association of St. Carles. S. de Juan was supported by a grant from Departament d'Universitats, Recerca i Societat of the Catalan government to study at the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA), New Zealand. Comments from 3 anonymous reviewers improved the final version of the manuscript. ; Peer reviewed

[EN] Lipid reserves are a particularly important attribute of fishes because they have a large influence on growth, reproduction and survival. This study analyses the lipid content of red mullet (Mullus barbatus) pre-spawners in three different areas of the northwestern Mediterranean in relation to trawling activities and river runoff. The muscle lipid was considered as an indicator of the somatic condition of individuals whilst the gonad lipid was used as a proxy of the energy invested in reproduction. The results show that fish with the highest muscle lipid levels inhabited the area where fishing impact was lowest. Since the abundance and biomass of polychaetes, which represent the main food source for red mullet, were found to be lower in trawled zones than in unfished ones, we suggest that differences in the muscle lipid levels between areas might be attributed to variation in prey abundance in relation to fishing impact. However, no impact of river runoff on lipid reserves of red mullet was observed. The results also show that muscle and gonad lipid reserves are not related to each other during pre-spawning ; [ES] Las reservas lipídicas constituyen un importante atributo de los peces porque juegan un papel destacado en su crecimiento, reproducción y supervivencia. Este estudio analiza las reservas lipídicas del salmonete de fango (Mullus barbatus) durante la prepuesta en tres áreas diferentes del Mediterráneo noroccidental en relación a la actividad pesquera y las descargas fluviales. Se ha considerado el contenido lipídico en el músculo y en la gónada como indicadores de la condición somática y de la energía invertida en la reproducción de los individuos respectivamente. Los resultados muestran cómo los peces con una cantidad mayor de lípidos en el músculo habitan el área donde el impacto pesquero es menor. Puesto que la abundancia y la biomasa de poliquetos, que constituyen la principal fuente de alimento del salmonete de fango, son inferiores en las zonas afectadas por el arrastre que en las zonas donde no se practica este tipo de pesca, se sugiere que las diferencias en la cantidad de lípidos en el músculo entre las distintas áreas podrían atribuirse a las diferencias en la abundancia de presas, lo cual podría guardar relación con la actividad pesquera. Sin embargo, no se observa impacto alguno de las descargas fluviales sobre las reservas de lípidos del salmonete de fango. Los resultados también muestran cómo los contenidos lipídicos en el músculo y en la gónada de los ejemplares no están relacionados entre sí durante la prepuesta de la especie ; This research was funded by a Marie Curie European Reintegration Grant (MERG) of the European Commission and a C-RED Fellowship from the Government of Catalonia (Spain) ; Peer reviewed

9 pages, 4 figures, 3 tables, supplementary data https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2020.105814 ; A multi-annual generalized depletion (MAGD) model was applied to the data-limited Mediterranean sandeel boat seine fishery in Catalonia. The results show that catch and effort data at high temporal frequency (month), complemented with biological information on mean body weight and initial estimates of natural mortality and time of recruitment to the fishery, can be used to produce assessment results of interest to fisheries management. The estimates of fishing mortality obtained for the Mediterranean sandeel in this fishery are very low compared to natural mortality estimates (less than 10 %) and the important fluctuations in recruitment strength suggest that the dynamics of this fishery are mainly driven by density-dependent effects on the population dynamics of the species. Given the high rate of natural mortality estimated (∼ M = 2 y), its short life-span (1–2 y) and that exploitation is based on age 0 individuals, it is recommended to keep exploitation rates at current levels (<4%), which can be adapted on a short time basis, subject to the perceived availability of the stock. This low exploitation rate is compatible with a precautionary escapement biomass of 40 %. A parallel stock assessment was carried out with a surplus production model (SPiCT), which led to similar trends in biomass and fishing mortality as the MAGD model application. The parameter estimates obtained with both models have wide confidence intervals, particularly for the quantities related to population size, suggesting that these data-limited models are likely to suffer from low precision. Precision was lower for SPiCT than for MAGD, and the performance diagnostics for SPiCT were poor. The MAGD model can be used for small-scale fisheries that are unlikely to meet the requirements of standard stock assessments based on catch-at-age methods and can provide indicators (fishing mortality, vulnerable biomass) of interest to fisheries managers ; The Fisheries Service of the Autonomous Government of Catalonia provided funding for this study. With the funding support of the 'Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence' accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S), of the Spanish Research Agency (AEI)

41e Congres de la Commission Internationale pour l'Exploration Scientifique de la Mer Méditerranée (CIESM), 12-16 September 2016, Kiel.-- 1 page, 2 tables ; The issue of the fishery discards is of great interest in fishery management from the new policy of the European Union 2013 ((EU) No 1380/2013) which proposes a gradual reduction of discards. In the framework of the European project >Science, Technology, and Society Initiative to minimize Unwanted Catches in European Fisheri es> MINOUW (H2020-SFS-2014-2) a seasonal study between the years 2011-2012 was conducted in order to assess the discard composition and the invertebrate survival coming from the trawl metier for hake in the Catalan Coast (Palamós Port). Some of the main species discarded were Alcyonium palmatum and undersize Merluccius merluccius. Sessile invertebrates as Alcyonium palmatum showed high rates of survival, while species of echinoderms as Astropenten irregularis or crustaceans as Pagurus excavatus displayed lower rates ; Peer Reviewed

11 pages, 7 figures, 4 tables ; [EN] We present a simulation bioeconomic model based on an age-structured population biological sub-model and an economic sub-model with vessel-specific dynamics, applied to two red shrimp (Aristeus antennatus) stocks in the NW Mediterranean. The model is dynamic, the economic sub-model is disaggregated at the level of vessel and the two sub-models are linked by means of a fishing mortality vector. We analyzed the projection of selected indicators (catches, overall profits, fishing mortality and spawning stock biomass) for the target species of the deep-water trawl fishery in the NW Mediterranean, red shrimp. We built three alternative management scenarios based on input control and we examined the performance of these management strategies against the current management policies. The three alternative management strategies were: i) increase the cost of effort by eliminating the fuel tax exemption currently in place, ii) limit the nominal effort level (days at sea) to current levels, in order to offset the increasing trend observed in the last decade, and iii) change the selectivity patterns of the trawl by increasing mesh size. Our results show that for the two stocks analyzed, any of the three management measures (input controls) would be beneficial both to the stock and the fleets (over the medium and long terms) when compared with the projections over time of the status quo. Improving the selectivity of the fishing gear is more beneficial than limiting nominal effort or increasing the cost of effort. Comparing the performance of the management strategies on two stocks, one heavily fished and the other moderately so, we show that none of these management measures is able to substantially redress the situation of a heavily fished stock, implying that for the full recovery of heavily fished red shrimp stocks, we need to contemplate even stricter measures of management. © EDP Sciences, IFREMER, IRD 2006 ; [FR] Nous présentons un modèle de simulation bioéconomique, basé sur un sous-modèle d'une population structurée en âge et d'un sous-modèle économique d'une flottille spécifique, appliqué à deux stocks de crevettes rouges ou « gambas » (Aristeus antennatus) du nord-ouest de la Méditerranée. Le modèle est dynamique, le sous-modèle économique est individualisé au niveau du chalutier, et les deux sous-modèles sont liés par l'intermédiaire de la mortalité par pêche. Nous analysons la projection des indicateurs sélectionnés (captures, profits, mortalité par pêche et biomasse du stock de géniteurs) pour ces crevettes, espèces-cibles de la pêche chalutière profonde du nord-ouest de la Méditerranée. Nous avons construit 3 scénarios possibles de gestion, basés sur le contrôle des gains et nous examinons leur performance par rapport aux politiques courantes de gestion. Les trois stratégies alternatives de gestion sont : 1) augmenter le coût de l'effort de pêche, en supprimant l'exemption de la taxe de gasoil, actuellement en vigueur ; 2) limiter le niveau d'effort nominal (nombre de jours de mer) dans le but de compenser la tendance à l'augmentation, observée depuis dix ans, et 3) changer la configuration de sélectivité du chalut, en augmentant la taille des mailles. Nos résultats montrent que pour les deux stocks analysés, aucune de ces trois mesures de gestion (contrôle des gains) ne serait bénéfique, à la fois pour le stock et pour la flottille (sur le long- et le moyen terme) lorsqu'elles sont comparées aux projections dans le temps du statu quo. Améliorer la sélectivité de l'engin de pêche est plus avantageux que le fait de limiter l'effort nominal ou d'augmenter le coût de l'effort de pêche. En comparant les performances des stratégies de gestion sur deux stocks, l'un lourdement exploité, et l'autre plus modérement, nous montrons qu'aucune des ces mesures n'est capable de redresser la situation, de façon substantielle, d'un stock intensément exploité, ce qui implique que des mesures plus strictes doivent être envisagées pour la reconstitution complète de ces stocks de crevettes rouges. © EDP Sciences, IFREMER, IRD 2006 ; This study was partly funded by the European Commission through research projects COCTEL (ref. EC DG XIV Copemed-FAO C97/018) and BEMMFISH (ref. EC Q5RS-2001-01533) ; Peer Reviewed

14 pages, 5 figures, 14 tables, 4 appendixes ; A bioeconomic model was built to assess the contribution of more selective trawl nets to the objectives of the European Multi-Annual Plan for demersal fisheries in the Western Mediterranean (WM MAP). The biological submodel was parameterized with age-structured population parameters for the five target stocks in the WM MAP (European hake, red mullet, deep-water rose shrimp, Nephrops and red shrimp) with a sixth stock combining the remaining commercial by catch and following a biomass dynamics model. The trawl fleet was composed of three fleet segments, according to Vessel Length class (VL1218, VL1824, VL2440), practicing two métiers: coastal mixed demersal fishery and deep-water crustacean fishery. The technological solutions analyzed are two simple technical modifications to the otter bottom trawl and based on i) using a panel of meshes turned 90° (T90) in the extension of the trawl net, and ii) inserting a selective grid built from 40 mm square mesh (SM40) netting into the extension of the trawl net. The Results show that, in terms of policy objectives, the reduction in the values of fishing mortality achieved with these selectivity modifications would be insufficient to reach the target fishing mortality at maximum sustainable yield (Fmsy) prescribed in the WM MAP by 2025. However, model results project a substantial recovery of hake and red mullet stock biomass. The recovery of these two important stocks would help improve the evolution of the economic indicators, resulting generally in higher income, profits and salaries in the short (2025) and mid term (2030) ; Funding was provided by the research projects CriMa (Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation, RTI2018-095770-B-I00) and the Mediterranean Marine Initiative of WWF and the Adessium Foundation (contract nº: 351/2018/9E204550/AD17–39-44). With funding from the Spanish government through the 'Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence' accreditation (CEX2019-000928-S) ; Peer reviewed

8 pages, 6 figures, 7 tables ; The landing obligation in the revised European Union Common Fisheries Policy allows for exemptions to obligatory landing of the entire catch for species for which "high survival" of discards can be demonstrated. Nephrops norvegicus is an important target species in many fisheries across Europe in the Mediterranean Sea, NE Atlantic Ocean and North Sea. Historically, Mediterranean fisheries have had a high discard rate of small-sized Nephrops, and it is suspected that this unwanted component of the catch may have a high survival potential that is comparable to those of other EU fisheries, where survival rates of up to 0.56 have been demonstrated. However, to date, no investigations have confirmed a high discard survival rate for Nephrops in the Mediterranean Sea. Furthermore, the environmental, technical and biological characteristics that could affect Nephrops survival have been shown to be substantially different from those in the survival assessments conducted in the NE Atlantic and the North Sea. To address this knowledge gap, this study was conducted to determine the survival of Nephrops discarded from trawls in the Mediterranean Sea. The survival and vitality status of the discarded Nephrops removed from trawl catches were monitored onboard and for 14 days in the laboratory. The results showed seasonality in survival, with the highest survival rate in winter (0.74; CI: 0.7−0.78), lower survival in spring (0.36; CI: 0.31−0.41) and the lowest survival in summer (0.06; CI: 0.04−0.09). Survival was monitored to the asymptote in all cases, and season and vitality status were shown to have statistically significant relationships with survival ; This work was funded by the research project MINOUW (H2020-SFS-2014-2) of the European Commission (contract n° 634495) ; Peer reviewed

There is currently very little information on the survival of discards of unwanted and unregulated catches of invertebrates after the stresses caused by capture. A great number of the unregulated invertebrate species form the basis of essential fish habitats for important fisheries resources such as hake, red mullet and cuttlefish. Thus, data on their survival after discarding may help to interpret the role of these species within the benthic ecosystems. Furthermore, descriptor 6 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (EU Directive 2008/56/E) foresees maintaining sea floor integrity at a level that ensures that the structure and functions of the ecosystems are safeguarded, and Article 7(d) of the Common Fisheries Policy (EU Reg. 1380/2013) foresees the implementation of management measures for fishing with low impact on the marine ecosystem and fishery resources. Survival measurements by direct recovery of tagged discarded species are not effective in bottom trawl fisheries, for which alternative studies such as semi-quantitative measures obtained on board prior to discarding can be considered as appropriate for mortality estimation. The present work assessed the survival of unwanted species using a semi-quantitative assessment on the deck of trawlers and at the laboratory for a period of 96 hours in two Mediterranean areas (the Catalan coast and the Ligurian and Northern Tyrrhenian seas). A high number of discarded invertebrates showed a high percentage of survival (>70%) in both assessments. The results can be used to provide information that can help to achieve higher survival levels of discarded specimens and enhance the productivity of fishing grounds by increasing the health of benthic ecosystems. ; Actualmente, hay muy poca información sobre la supervivencia del descarte de los invertebrados no-deseados y no-regulados después del stress de la captura. Un gran número de especies de estos invertebrados son básicas para los hábitats esenciales de importantes recursos pesqueros como la merluza, el salmonete o la sepia. Por lo tanto, información sobre su supervivencia al ser descartados pueden ayudar a interpretar el papel de estas especies dentro de los ecosistemas bentónicos. Además, el punto 6 de la Directiva Marco de Estrategia Marina (MSFD, EU Directive 2008/56/E) prevé mantener la integridad del fondo marino a un nivel que garantice la protección de la estructura y de las funciones de los ecosistemas, y el artículo 7 (d) de la Política Pesquera Común (PPC EU Reg. 1380/2013) prevé la implementación de medidas de gestión para la pesca, que tengan bajo impacto tanto en el ecosistema marino como en los recursos pesqueros. En el caso de las pescas de arrastre de fondo, no es efectiva la estimación de la supervivencia a partir del método directo de captura-recapture de las especies del descarte marcadas, por lo que los estudios alternativos, como las medidas semicuantitativas obtenidas a bordo antes del descarte, pueden considerarse una estimación de la mortalidad apropiada. El presente trabajo evaluó la supervivencia del descarte de especies no-deseadas utilizando una Evaluación Semicuantitativa (SQA) mediante dos estudios: uno sobre la cubierta de los arrastreros y el otro en laboratorio durante un período de 96 horas, en dos áreas del Mediterráneo, las costas Catalanas y en los mares de Liguria y del Tirreno Norte. Los resultados mostraron en ambos estudios, que un alto número de invertebrados descartados tenía un alto porcentaje de supervivencia (>70%). El propósito de estos resultados es proporcionar información que puede ayudar a alcanzar niveles de supervivencia más altos de los individuos descartados. Al mismo tiempo, se espera que con esta mejora se consiga potenciar la productividad de los caladeros al aumentar la salud de los ecosistemas bentónicos.

Special issue on Discards regulation vs Mediterranean fisheries sustainability.-- 10 pages, 5 figures, 5 tables, supplementary material http://scimar.icm.csic.es/scimar/supplm/sm04784esm.pdf ; [EN] There is currently very little information on the survival to discarding of unwanted and non-regulated catches of invertebrates, after the stresses due to capture. A great number of the non-regulated invertebrate species are the basis of Essential Fish Habitats for important fisheries resources such as hake, red mullet or cuttlefish. Thus, data on their survival to discarding may help to interpret the role of these species within the benthic ecosystems. Furthermore, descriptor 6 of Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, EU Directive 2008/56/E) foresees maintaining sea floor integrity at a level that ensures that the structure and functions of the ecosystems are safeguarded and article 7(d) of the Common Fishery Policy (CFP, EU Reg. 1380/2013) foresees the implementation of management measures for fishing with low impact on the marine ecosystem and fishery resources. Survival measurements by direct recovering tagged discarded species are not effective in bottom trawl fisheries for which alternative studies, such as semi-quantitative measures obtained on board prior to discarding, can be considered as appropriate for mortality estimation. The present work assessed the survival of unwanted species using a Semi-Quantitative Assessment (SQA) on deck of trawlers and at the laboratory for a period of 96 hours in two Mediterranean areas (Catalan Coasts and Ligurian and Northern Tyrrhenian Sea). The results showed that a high number of discarded invertebrates had a high percentage of survival (>70%) in both assessments. The purpose of these results is to provide information that can help to achieve higher survival levels of the discarded specimens. At the same time, it is expected that this improvement can enhance the productivity of the fishing grounds by increasing the health of the benthic ecosystems ; [ES] Actualmente, hay muy poca información sobre la supervivencia del descarte de los invertebrados no-deseados y no-regulados después del stress de la captura. Un gran número de especies de estos invertebrados son básicas para los hábitats esenciales de importantes recursos pesqueros como la merluza, el salmonete o la sepia. Por lo tanto, información sobre su supervivencia al ser descartados pueden ayudar a interpretar el papel de estas especies dentro de los ecosistemas bentónicos. Además, el punto 6 de la Directiva Marco de Estrategia Marina (MSFD, EU Directive 2008/56/E) prevé mantener la inte-gridad del fondo marino a un nivel que garantice la protección de la estructura y de las funciones de los ecosistemas, y el artículo 7 (d) de la Política Pesquera Común (PPC EU Reg. 1380/2013) prevé la implementación de medidas de gestión para la pesca, que tengan bajo impacto tanto en el ecosistema marino como en los recursos pesqueros. En el caso de las pescas de arrastre de fondo, no es efectiva la estimación de la supervivencia a partir del método directo de captura-recapture de las especies del descarte marcadas, por lo que los estudios alternativos, como las medidas semicuantitativas obtenidas a bordo antes del descarte, pueden considerarse una estimación de la mortalidad apropiada. El presente trabajo evaluó la supervivencia del descarte de especies no-deseadas utilizando una Evaluación Semicuantitativa (SQA) mediante dos estudios: uno sobre la cubierta de los arrastreros y el otro en laboratorio durante un período de 96 horas, en dos áreas del Mediterráneo, las costas Catalanas y en los mares de Liguria y del Tirreno Norte. Los resultados mostraron en ambos estudios, que un alto número de invertebrados descartados tenía un alto porcentaje de supervivencia (>70%). El propósito de estos resultados es proporcionar información que puede ayudar a alcanzar niveles de supervivencia más altos de los individuos descartados. Al mismo tiempo, se espera que con esta mejora se consiga potenciar la productividad de los caladeros al aumentar la salud de los ecosistemas bentónicos ; This study received funding from the European Commission's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under Grant Agreement No. 634495 for the project "Science, Technology, and Society Initiative to Minimize Unwanted Catches in European Fisheries" (MINOUW) ; Peer Reviewed

European Geosciences Union (EGU) General Assembly, 19–30 Apr 2021.-- 2 pages.-- The authors wish to thank the Secretaría General de Pesca and Tragsa for the 2004 Espace Project dataset ; Submarine canyons are morphological features found along continental margins that play a key role channeling and connecting sediment from continental shelves to the abyssal plains. The current morphological characterization of the Blanes and Cap de Creus canyon heads, located on the Catalan continental margin (NW Mediterranean Sea), has been recently conducted during the CRIMA cruise in September 2020 using high-resolution (4 m grid size) multibeam bathymetry data. These data have been compared with a previous dataset collected in 2004 during the ESPACE project to evaluate the morphological changes during this 16-year interval. Since these canyon heads are located at shallow water depths and at short distances from the shoreline, their short-term evolution is related to the sediment dynamics on the continental shelf. A large-scale change in the seafloor morphology was observed in the Blanes canyon head, indicating the prevalence of erosion in the western canyon rim and non-deposition in the eastern rim. In the Cap de Creus canyon head, the excavation of pre-existing erosive structures was also evidenced in the southwestern canyon rim. These changes mainly happen in the area where the shelf is narrower, which coincide with the main zone of dense water advection along the shelf and toward the canyon interior. The different small-scale morphological evolution between both canyon heads seems to be related to the local geological characteristic of the subsurface deposits of the continental shelf. The Blanes canyon head incises a succession of relict (Holocene) sediment bodies that can act as a source of erodible sediments to the canyon, mainly during strong storms. The continental shelf in the vicinity of the Cap de Creus canyon head, however, is characterized by a rocky substratum (Paleozoic) with a limited sediment coverage and numerous erosive features that evidence relative sand starvation. This creates a greater erosive resistance, although the erosive character of strong storms and major dense-shelf water cascading events occurring during the studied time interval is evident. Additionally, small changes in the shelf bedforms indicate that such high-energetic oceanographic processes also modify the fine-scale seafloor morphology. These results reveal that both submarine canyon heads are dynamic and sensitive to oceanographic processes that enhance the erosion and transport of sediment from the shelf into the canyon, particularly during energetic storms and dense shelf water cascading events. Nevertheless, their small-scale evolution seems to be closely related to the type of geological substrate of the shelf on which they are developing ; This study has received funding from the ABRIC (RTI2018-096434-B-I00) and CRIMA (RTI2018-095770-B-I00) Spanish Research Projects, the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 867471 and the Generalitat de Catalunya (2017 SGR-663 and -1588). This work is contributing to the ICM's 'Center of Excellence' Severo Ochoa (CEX2019-000928-S) ; Peer reviewed

A management plan for the boat seines, called sonsera, used in Catalonia to target sand eels (Gymanammodytes cicerelus and G. semisquamatus) and transparent gobies was drawn up in accordance with European Union rules. A Sand Eel Co-Management Committee was formally created with the specific mission of ensuring a sustainable fishery. The Committee is composed of public administrations, fishermen's associations, researchers and NGOs. The process has two phases: first, a comprehensive study of the fishery and subsequent advice for the establishment of a management plan and, second, the implementation and monitoring of the management plan. The study of the fishery included the analysis of the ecosystem impacts of the fishery (mainly stock status, impact on sensitive habitats and by-catch) and was carried out in the wider context of an adaptive co-management process to respond to the requirements of an ecosystem approach to fisheries. ; Se ha desarrollado un plan de gestión de acuerdo a las normas de la Unión Europea de la pesquería con arte de tiro desde embarcación, llamado "sonsera", que se utiliza en Cataluña para la pesca del lanzón (Gymanammodytes cicerelus y G. semisquamatus) y también de pequeños góbidos. Se creó formalmente un Comité de Cogestión con la misión específica de garantizar una pesca sostenible. El Comité está integrado por las administraciones públicas, asociaciones de pescadores, investigadores y organizaciones no gubernamentales. El proceso consta de dos fases: en primer lugar, un estudio exhaustivo de la pesquería y posterior asesoramiento para el establecimiento de un plan de gestión, y en segundo lugar, la aplicación y seguimiento del plan de gestión. El estudio de la pesquería ha incluido el análisis de los impactos ambientales de la pesca (principalmente el estado del stock, el impacto en hábitats sensibles y las capturas accesorias) y se ha llevado a cabo en el contexto más amplio de un proceso adaptativo de gestión conjunta para responder a los requisitos de un enfoque ecosistémico de la pesca.

13 pages, 4 figures, 4 tables, supplementary material https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.00044/full#supplementary-material.-- The datasets generated for this study are available on request to the corresponding author ; Reducing the impact on vulnerable species through changes in fishing practices, such as the spatial or temporal avoidance of certain areas, is key to increase the ecological sustainability of fisheries. However, it is often hampered by the availability of sufficiently detailed data and robust indicators. Existing trawl surveys are a cost-effective data source to assess the vulnerability of fishing areas based on the quantities of vulnerable species caught. We developed a biological traits-based approach to the vulnerability of demersal assemblages using commercial trawl catch data. An expert-based approach identified a set of biological traits that are expected to condition the species' response to trawling impact and are combined to produce the vulnerability index ranked into four levels (low, moderate, high, and very high vulnerability). The approach was tested in four southern European fishing grounds showing evidence of over-exploitation, through catches being dominated by species of relatively low vulnerability to fishing impacts. The general distribution of species' biomass amongst vulnerability groups was highly homogenous across case studies, despite local differences in fishing fleet structure, target species and fishing depths. Within all areas the species with moderate vulnerability dominated and, in most instances, species of "very high" vulnerability were not recorded. Nevertheless, differences emerged when comparing the proportions of highly vulnerable species in the catches. Variability in vulnerability level of the catch was also observed at small spatial scales, which was principally explained by differences in habitat type and depth and, secondarily, by fishing effort. In fine mud in the shallower areas there was a higher presence of low vulnerable fauna. Furthermore, vulnerable organisms decreased in their presence in sandier substrates on the continental shelf. The spatial heterogeneity in assemblage vulnerability composition encourages the potential for adoption of this index in the spatial management of fishing grounds aiming at ensuring a sustainable exploitation by mitigating trawl impacts on the most vulnerable components of the demersal assemblages ; This study was developed in the framework of MINOUW Horizon 2020 (Project ID: 634495). SJ was funded by H2020-Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action MSCA-IF-2016 (Project ID: 743545). HH was supported by the Ramón y Cajal Fellowship (grant by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad de España and the Conselleria d'Educacio, Cultura i Universitats Comunidad Autoñoma de las Islas Baleares). Fishery data used in this paper has been co-funded by the EU through the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) within the National Program of collection, management and use of data in the fisheries sector and support for scientific advice regarding the Common Fisheries Policy

Special issue Oceans and Human Health: The Importance of Marine Ecosystems on Human Health and Wellbeing.-- 17 pages, 5 figures, 1 table, supplementary material https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17145078 ; Involving and engaging stakeholders is crucial for studying and managing the complex interactions between marine ecosystems and human health and wellbeing. The Oceans and Human Health Chair was founded in the town of Roses (Catalonia, Spain, NW Mediterranean) in 2018, the fruit of a regional partnership between various stakeholders, and for the purpose of leading the way to better health and wellbeing through ocean research and conservation. The Chair is located in an area of the Mediterranean with a notable fishing, tourist, and seafaring tradition and is close to a marine reserve, providing the opportunity to observe diverse environmental conditions and coastal and maritime activities. The Chair is a case study demonstrating that local, collaborative, transdisciplinary, trans-sector, and bottom-up approaches offer tremendous opportunities for engaging coastal communities to help support long-lasting solutions that benefit everyone, and especially those living by the sea or making their living from the goods and services provided by the sea. Furthermore, the Chair has successfully integrated most of its experts in oceans and human health from the most prestigious institutions in Catalonia. The Chair focuses on three main topics identified by local stakeholders: Fish and Health; Leisure, Health, and Wellbeing; and Medicines from the Sea. Led by stakeholder engagement, the Chair can serve as a novel approach within the oceans and human health field of study to tackle a variety of environmental and public health challenges related to both communicable and non-communicable diseases, within the context of sociocultural issues. Drawing on the example provided by the Chair, four principles are established to encourage improved participatory processes in the oceans and human health field: bottom-up, "think local", transdisciplinary and trans-sectorial, and "balance the many voices" ; The Chair is supported by the Town Council of Roses, the Fisher's Association of Roses, the Fishmongers Guild of Catalonia, and the University of Girona. Mireia Gascon holds a Miguel Servet fellowship (Grant CP19/00183) funded by Acción Estratégica de Salud—Instituto de Salud Carlos III, co-funded by the European Social Fund "Investing in your future". The research was supported in part by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 774567 (H2020 SOPHIE Project) and No 666773 (H2020 BlueHealth Project); the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the UK Research and Innovation's Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) for the Blue Communities Project and NERC Case PhD. Arnau Carreño holds a doctoral fellowship funded by the Town Council of Tossa de Mar and the Chair