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World aquaculture food production rises every year, amounting, by 2018, to another all-time record of 82.1 million tonnes of farmed seafood, with Asia leading global production. In Europe, although coastal countries present historical fishing habits, aquaculture is in true expansion. Norway, the leading European producer, is the eighth main producer worldwide. Portugal is a traditional fishing country but has invested in the development of aquaculture for the past decade, attaining, by 2018, 13.3 tonnes produced, making Portugal the 16th main producer amongst European Union member states that year. Most Portuguese aquaculture facilities operate in coastal systems, resorting to extensive and semi-intensive rearing techniques. In Portugal, marine food production in transitional systems is particularly interesting as the practice has, worldwide, been continuously substituted by intensive methods. In fact, facilities in transitional systems have developed over time and products gained higher commercial value. Clams and oysters corresponded, together, to over three quarters of total mollusc production in Portugal in 2018, while gilthead seabream and European seabass made up nearly all fish production in coastal environments. The state of aquaculture practices worldwide is reviewed in the present work, providing a particular focus on Portugal, where considerable development of the aquaculture sector is expected.

The toxic effects associated to pesticides have been for long a concern in terms of environmental and human safety. The recognition of the limitations of numerous, if not all, pesticides in terms of species-specificity, toxicity level, persistency in the environment, influencing its runoff and transport ability, among other characteristics, have been the subject of numerous studies over the years. These have especially focused on the deleterious impacts of such substances in non-target organisms, including potential effects in humans, considering pesticide uptake through the ingestion of contaminated foodstuff. Aquatic ecosystems may be considered the most vulnerable to pesticide contamination, has most toxicants may eventually end up in these systems, if not directly, via indirect inputs. Aquatic communities are, thus, susceptible both to on-point acute contaminations and to exposure to mixtures of different contaminants for longer periods. Impacts of numerous pesticides in non-target aquatic species have been reported and investigated, contributing to the definition of regulations and legislation to prevent harmful effects to the communities. However, in order to assess effectively the effect of different pesticides in organisms, the definition of suitable biomarkers is crucial. As one of the most identifiable effect of pesticides is cell damage induced by oxidative stress, most studies have resorted to the analysis of antioxidant enzymes to assess the impacts of contamination in the organism. Nonetheless, with methodological advances, other molecules have been identified as potentially useful to be used as biomarkers, as fatty acids. These ubiquitous macromolecules in living organisms are major constituents of biological membranes and tissues. Evidence of the impact of xenobiotics on lipid metabolism and composition, as well as the sensitivity of fatty acids profiles to alterations in the homeostasis of organisms, have been arising, supporting the suitability of these macromolecules as biomarkers of toxicants ...

AbstractSETAC has a long-standing history of supporting students and early career scientists in the fields of ecotoxicology and environmental chemistry. The Student Advisory Council (SAC) advocates for the diverse interests of young SETAC members offering guidance to peers and serving as a resounding voice for aspiring scientists in dialogues with the SETAC Europe Council.Founded and shaped by a rewarding liaison between SETAC Europe and its German Language Branch, the SAC now has a strong international representation, with its members being distributed all over Europe. With this publication, we want to build upon the relationship between the SETAC Europe students and the SETAC German Language Branch.The Young Environmental Scientists (YES) Meeting, which was first held as a regular conference 14 years ago, is a keystone event organized by the students of SETAC and the SAC. This year, in 2023, the 12th YES meeting took place in Landau in der Pfalz, Germany.Not only has it been the first European in-person YES Meeting since the COVID-19 pandemic, but with this year's iteration, the YES meeting returned to its roots in Landau, where 2009 the very first YES meeting was hosted. From August 28th to September 1st, 107 participants from 37 countries and five continents had the opportunity to showcase their research in seven thematic sessions, engage in four workshops, listen to six expert/career talks, and two keynotes from established scientists. In reference to the meeting-motto science through crises, this comment pays special emphasis on topical program points in touching the ongoing multiple crises. We are convinced that sharing our experience from hosting this conference will underline the importance of continuing this unique meeting format and hopefully inspire future scientific events organized by students for students.