Meridionalization as a Possible Resource for Fisheries: The Case Study of Caranx rhonchus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817, in Southern Italian Waters

Salvatore Coco,Alberto Felici,Francesco Tiralongo,Alessandra Roncarati

doi:10.3390/jmse10020274

Salvatore Coco, Alberto Felici + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10020274

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Abstract

Climate change affects the shift range distribution of species, especially among mobile species, and this phenomenon can alter ecosystems and impacts human activities. Fishing is an anthropic activity that undergoes the effect not only of the introduction and increase of non-native species but also of native thermophilic ones. Some of these species can become a commercially exploitable resource. However, this information is often obscured by the negative effects these species can cause to the environment. We investigated how the thermophilic species Caranx rhonchus, neglected in Italy, could become a relevant resource. We studied the nutritional profile and the presence of heavy metal contamination and compared these traits with those of a similar common Mediterranean species, namely Trachurus trachurus. The proximate composition was determined following the AOAC procedure, while the fatty acid profile was determined by GC/MS, and the mineral component was obtained by mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). Caranx rhonchus is a nutritionally good species, although it is little consumed and exploited. Increasing the market supply with new commercially exploitable emerging species would benefit local communities and the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate how a shift of the range caused by climate change can provide benefits within the human dimension.

Highlights

The Mediterranean Sea is one of the most vulnerable areas to climate change, with dramatic effects favoring the spread of non-indigenous and thermophilic native species [1,2]
The range shift of species in the Mediterranean Sea is caused by two distinct phenomena: tropicalization, with non-indigenous species introduced by human activities (e.g., Suez Canal and ballast waters) [1], and meridionalization, with the northwards expansion of species usually restricted to the warmer southern part of the Mediterranean Sea [3]
A similar case in Italy can be seen in the false scad Caranx rhonchus Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1817, a thermophilic species morphologically similar to a commercially well-known species Trachurus trachurus (Linnaeus, 1758) both caught in the same season using the same fishing techniques

Summary

Introduction

The Mediterranean Sea is one of the most vulnerable areas to climate change, with dramatic effects favoring the spread of non-indigenous and thermophilic native species [1,2]. The Lessepsian species Upeneus moluccensis Bleeker, 1855, and Upeneus pori Ben-Tuvia & Golani, 1989, have become highly sought-after resources due to their similarity to the two indigenous Mullidae species Mullus barbatus Linnaeus, 1758, and Mullus surmuletus Linnaeus, 1758, that are highly valued in the Mediterranean [19,34]. Another example is the species Nemipterus randalli Russell, 1986, first recorded in the Mediterranean in 2005 [32]. In Italy, C. rhonchus is uncommon, occasionally caught, especially along the Sicilian coasts, where it seems to have undergone a marked increase in abundance in recent years [36,37]

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