Elisabetta Broglio

Trophic ecology of Calanoides acutus in Gerlache Strait and Bellingshausen Sea waters (Antarctica, December 2002)

We measured ingestion rates of Calanoides acutus on different microbial components of the Gerlache Strait (GE) and Bellingshausen Sea (BE) waters during December 2002. At the time of the study the abundance of both zooplankton (42–133 ind m−3) and phytoplankton (0.76–1.5 µg chlorophyll a l−1) were low, indicating that the spring phytoplankton bloom was still not fully developed. C. acutus showed high clearance rates along the study (up to 432 ml ind−1 day−1), selecting for large motile organisms such as ciliates and the dinoflagellate Gyrodinium spp., although their feeding impact was always <0.1% of the standing stock of any of their prey. The total daily rations were low (∼2% body carbon per day), mostly the result of phytoplankton consumption (except for station GE3 in which heterotrophic flagellates contributed to 73% of the diet), and barely enough to cover metabolic demands. Based on the relationship between oxygen (carbon) consumption and ammonia excretion (considered as indicative of the metabolic substrate) it seems that standard metabolic demands were supplied, apart from the diet, by the use of their own non-structural proteins, whereas the remaining reserve-lipids were used to produce eggs.

Plastic debris straps on threatened blue shark Prionace glauca

Juveniles of blue shark Prionace glauca caught in pelagic longlines targeting tuna and swordfish in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea were found entangled with plastic straps around their gill region. The plastic debris were identified as strapping bands and caused several degrees of injuries on the dorsal musculature and pectoral fins. They were also obstructing the gill slits probably causing breathing issues. These records were uploaded in the web site seawatchers.org, and highlight the potential of citizen science in revealing the occurrence of such problems which could help to measure the effects of plastic debris on marine life.

Where Go the Plastics? And Whence Do They Come? From Diagnosis to Participatory Community-Based Observatory Network

J. Baztan, E. Broglio, A. Carrasco, O. Chouinard, F. Galgani, J. Garrabou, T. Huck, A. Huvet, B. Jorgensen, A. Liria, A. Miguelez, S. Pahl, I. Paul-Pont, R. Thompson, P. Soudant, C. Surette and J.-P. Vanderlinden Université de Versailles SQY, Guyancourt, France Marine Sciences For Society Institut de Ciències del Mar, Barcelona, Spain Observatorio Reserva de Biosfera, Arrecife, Spain Université de Moncton, Moncton, NB, Canada IFREMER, Bastia, France UBO-CNRS-LPO, Brest, France IFREMER, Plouzané, France Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States Asociación para el desarrollo sostenible y biodiversidad (ADS Biodiversidad) Plymouth University, Plymouth, United Kingdom IUEM, CNRS/UBO, Plouzané, France University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC ), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain

Protected Shores Contaminated with Plastic: From Knowledge to Action

As the rate of plastic production increases globally, we see the problem of plastic debris in oceans and coastal zones also increasing, even in areas under rigorous environmental protection. Drawing from a case study situated within the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, this chapter shares the example of an ongoing, collaborative partnership between community members, researchers, and decision makers, working together to confront the problem of plastic pollution locally. Since plastic debris is a complex global issue, it cannot be resolved at the local level alone. Here we also introduce a burgeoning regional working group, Communities-Based Observatories Tackling Marine Litter (COASTAL). The goal of COASTAL is to coordinate community-based efforts underway to address plastic pollution at various sites within the larger North Atlantic–Mediterranean system, and thereby expand our understanding of the plastic debris problem, and its potential solutions, at regional and local scales.