The need for taxonomic expertise in protecting Mauritania's marine ecosystems and biological resources.

Contribution to the knowledge of prosobranchs of Mauritanian deep-waters (Northwest Africa)

Objective: We seek to understand the definition of marine genetic resources and marine biological resources, placing it in the historical context of narratives of international law of the sea. We seek to look into the content of common heritage of mankind towards MGRs. We seek to analyze the international legal framework of extraction and use of MGRs while securing easy access to them in accordance with the concept of common heritage of mankind. We seek to investigate the international legal regulation of biopiracy in legal research. The authors consider the importance of necessity to fulfil the lack of the universal definition of biopiracy in relation to MGRs in International Law of the Sea.Methodology: The research uses general scientific and special cognitive techniques wherein legal analysis and synthesis, systemic, formal-legal, comparative-legal, historical-legal and dialectical methods are applied.Results: We found out that for the first time ever, the legal protection of the intangible MGR heritage belonging to indigenous peoples and local communities is going to be universally fixed by maritime law. The law will also establish a special mechanism to control the concerned parties’ access to this knowledge. The traditional knowledge of indigenous peoples falls within the definition of intangible cultural heritage. This fact raises a question about an overlap between the future Agreement and the Convention for the Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage. Though the sphere that is going to be regulated by the future Agreement is very specific, many of its provisions build upon the previously adopted international legal instruments like the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the IOC Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology. Moreover, the scope of the Agreement might overlap with the scope of other international instruments, which have nothing to do with marine law, marine ecology, and marine biodiversity, e.g. the Convention for the Safeguarding the Intangible Cultural Heritage. All the aforementioned aspects should trigger further studies of the legal framework of marine genetic and biological resources. The authors came to the conclusion to extend the concept of the common heritage of mankind to marine genetic resources and we found out the fact that the lack of international legal regulation of the extraction and use of marine genetic resources while securing facilitated access to them in accordance with the concept of the common heritage of mankind, which may lead to an increase in the commission of acts of biopiracy.Contributions: Following a review of the content, we raised possible problems, strategies, suggestions and guidelines for the marine genetic resources and biopiracy.The authors conclude that the implication of the principle of the common heritage of mankind to MGRs may further generate conflicts of law because it is impossible to imply this principle to the high seas. On top of it, the simplified access to MGRs together with the lack of protection of intellectual rights to MGRs and genetic information may result in the overexploitation of marine and oceanic resources as well as the spread of biopiracy. We also point out that it is necessary to find a balance between the freedoms of the high seas, the safeguard of MGRs, and the protection of intellectual property rights to genetic information or marine biotechnologies. The researches considered the distinction between the concepts of marine biological and marine genetic resources and revealed the problems of international legal regulation of the use of marine genetic resources. The authors conclude that generalization of the international legal framework for regulating the use of marine genetic resources needs legal improvement. The authors encourage the complement to the international legal regulation of the universal definition of marine genetic resources and biopiracy.

Event Abstract Back to Event Cephalopods from the Canary Current upwelling ecosystem (Northwest Africa) Amanda Luna1, 2*, Ana Ramos2, Francisco J. Rocha1 and Catalina Perales-Raya3 1 University of Vigo, Spain 2 Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), Spain 3 Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), Centro Oceanográfico de Canarias, Spain Cephalopods from the Canary Current upwelling ecosystem (Northwest Africa) Luna, A. (University of Vigo, IEO Vigo), Rocha, F. (University of Vigo), Ramos, A. (IEO Vigo). The Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) constitutes one of the four great marine systems of upwelling in the world, being the third in primary productivity and supporting the largest fisheries of the African coast, with an annual production of around 2-3 million tons (Valdés and Déniz-González, 2015). The cephalopod’s fauna of Northwest African region is diverse and abundant and includes species of wide distribution and elevated commercial value, among which are found squids, cuttlefish, and octopuses, whose catches in the area reach 80,000 - 120,000 tons per year. Although most of the fishery target species have been well studied, the knowledge of the unexploited species is very scarce (Rocha et al., 2017). Between 2002 and 2012 the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO) and the FAO carried out eleven multidisciplinary surveys in northwest Africa, covering the shelf and continental slope from Morocco to Guinea. Quantitative data by species and important collections of benthic and pelagic cephalopods were gathered in 1334 trawl stations over the soft bottoms between 20 and 2000 m depth. Besides, oceanographic data were recorded in 1180 stations by different CTD devices. Almost 140 species have been currently identified. Among them, Sepiidae, Lolliginidae and shallow-water octopus dominate the coastal assemblages, while at the slope waters Ommastrephidae and deep‐water octopuses are more abundant. The collections and databases taken during these 11 trawl surveys represent an exceptional source of regional information on the biodiversity, composition, and distribution of cephalopod’s assemblages inhabiting North-west African continental margin. References Déniz-González, I. and Valdés, L. (2015). Introduction. In: Valdés, L. and Déniz-González, I. (eds.) Oceanographic and biological features in the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem. IOC-UNESCO, Paris. IOC Technical Series, 115: 19-22. Rocha, F., Fernández-Gago, R., Ramil, F. and Ramos A. (2017). Cephalopods in Mauritanian Waters. In: Ramos, A., Ramil, F. and Sanz, J.L. (eds.) Deep-sea ecosystems off Mauritania: Research of marine biodiversity and habitats in the Northwest African margin, pp. 393-418, Dordrecht, Springer. Keywords: cephalopods, Canary current, upwelling, Northwest Africa, Biodiversity Conference: XX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies (SIEBM XX) , Braga, Portugal, 9 Sep - 12 Sep, 2019. Presentation Type: Oral Presentation Topic: Fisheries, Aquaculture and Biotechnology Citation: Luna A, Ramos A, Rocha FJ and Perales-Raya C (2019). Cephalopods from the Canary Current upwelling ecosystem (Northwest Africa). Front. Mar. Sci. Conference Abstract: XX Iberian Symposium on Marine Biology Studies (SIEBM XX) . doi: 10.3389/conf.fmars.2019.08.00038 Copyright: The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers. They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters. The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated. Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed. For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions. Received: 05 Jun 2019; Published Online: 27 Sep 2019. * Correspondence: Mx. Amanda Luna, University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain, redlunel@hotmail.com Login Required This action requires you to be registered with Frontiers and logged in. To register or login click here. Abstract Info Abstract The Authors in Frontiers Amanda Luna Ana Ramos Francisco J Rocha Catalina Perales-Raya Google Amanda Luna Ana Ramos Francisco J Rocha Catalina Perales-Raya Google Scholar Amanda Luna Ana Ramos Francisco J Rocha Catalina Perales-Raya PubMed Amanda Luna Ana Ramos Francisco J Rocha Catalina Perales-Raya Related Article in Frontiers Google Scholar PubMed Abstract Close Back to top Javascript is disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser settings in order to see all the content on this page.

Variations in productivity of the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem and their effects on small pelagic fish stocks

Seabird biomonitoring indicates similar plastic pollution throughout the Canary Current.

Oceanographic fronts are physical interfaces between water masses that differ in properties such as temperature, salinity, turbidity and chlorophyll a enrichment. Bio-physical coupling along fronts can lead to the development of pelagic biodiversity hotspots. A diverse range of marine vertebrates have been shown to associate with fronts, using them as foraging and migration habitats. Elucidation of the ecological significance of fronts generates a better understanding of marine ecosystem functioning, conferring opportunities to improve management of anthropogenic activities in the oceans. This study presents novel insights into the oceanographic drivers of habitat use in a population of marine turtles characterised by an oceanic-neritic foraging dichotomy. Using satellite tracking data from adult female loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta nesting at Cape Verde (n = 12), we tested the hypothesis that oceanic-foraging loggerheads associate with mesocale (10s to 100s of km) thermal fronts. We used high-resolution (1 km) composite front mapping to characterise frontal activity in the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem over 2 temporal scales: (1) seasonal front frequency and (2) 7 d front metrics. Our use-availability analysis indicated that oceanic loggerheads show a preference for the highly productive upwelling region between Cape Verde and mainland Africa, an area of intense frontal activity. Within the upwelling region, turtles appear to forage epipelagically around mesoscale thermal fronts, exploiting profitable foraging opportunities resulting from physical aggregation of prey. © Inter-Research 2015.

One of the greatest challenges for sustaining the ecosystem services that we, as a society, derive from marine ecosystems is to minimize the knowledge gap relating to marine ecosystem values. That is, identifying, eliciting and understanding the economic value of the ecosystem services that marine systems provide for societies world-wide is key to ensuring sustainable resource use and environmental management of these ecosystems. This is particularly problematic for the ecosystem services derived from the deep sea as a tremendous knowledge gap exists for the many marine ecosystems that comprise the deep sea. Addressing this gap in knowledge may, directly and indirectly, facilitate actionable strategies for successful climate change adaptation and reduce the degradation of these important marine ecosystems. Estimating values for certain types of marine ecosystem services in particular the deep sea is imperative for understanding the economic trade-offs associated with human actions and resource use of marine resources. Identifying, exploring and understanding the economic benefits and costs associated with the human resource use of marine systems is also crucial for circumventing irreversible damage to ecosystems, and for addressing the growing problem of ecosystem degradation of marine ecosystems. However, a knowledge gap remains in terms of eliciting and understanding how vulnerable marine ecosystems, such as coral reefs and the deep-sea, generate economic value to local economies, and for societies on a global scale. By employing a variety of quantitative and qualitative methodologies, this thesis explores the economic value of the ecosystems of coral reefs and the deep-sea, respectively. The thesis investigates various aspects of the economic contribution of these ecosystems, namely: (i) the local economic contribution of ) Fiji's coral reefs to tourism; and ii) the economic value of the deep- sea's ecosystems to human societies, globally. Moreover, it discusses the importance of exploring the social and non-monetary value of coral reefs to human well-being in the South Pacific Island Countries (SPICs). The research of this thesis therefore constitutes a genuine contribution to understanding how changes in these marine ecosystems impact on economies and human well-being, now and in the future. Although the full extent to which ecosystem degradation of marine ecosystems will impact economies and societies globally remains uncertain, its impacts are already being witnessed, e.g. through ocean acidification, sea-level rise, reduced fish stocks and changing environmental conditions. In turn, these impacts affect human survival and well-being by negatively impacting fishery incomes, food security and coastal protection in many countries around the world. Action and investment plans for reducing the ecosystem degradation of marine systems are urgently needed to protect the value of those ecosystem services to human societies. Deepening our understanding of marine ecosystems' economic contributions constitutes a crucial component of facilitating action plans and investments for sustainable resource use and development. Valuation of vulnerable marine ecosystems is important for several reasons. First, valuation of an ecosystem's contribution to society demonstrates the importance of that ecosystem for social stability, economic growth and human well-being, thereby improving public awareness of that ecosystem's significance. Second, ecosystem valuation can inform policy and decision-making for future conservation programs and legislation pertaining to the human use of marine resources. Third, ecosystem valuation creates important incentives to invest in the protection of marine systems as it outlines the connection between the ecological functioning of marine systems on the one hand, and economic output and stability on the other hand. Fourth, ecosystem valuation can also raise awareness about the importance of protecting biodiversity. Finally, ecosystem valuation of marine ecosystems is especially important for supporting decision-making related to the resource-use of marine ecosystems for which very limited information exists on their economic contribution. The thesis starts with an introduction and a literature review of the main themes and concepts along with the problems, challenges and opportunities associated with the ecosystem valuation of coral reefs and the deep-sea. Subsequently, the research studies of this thesis, which constitutes chapters 2, 3, 4 and 5 are presented. Specifically, chapter 2 explores the economic impacts of future (hypothetical) deep-sea mining activities on Fiji's tourism industry, through a contingent behaviour study; chapter 3 discusses the need for developing non-monetary and social ecosystem valuation methodology in order to elicit marine ecosystems' importance for human well-being in the SPICs; chapter 4 explores current knowledge about the deep-sea's economic value through a systematic review and meta-analysis; and chapter 5 identifies the four main priorities for future ecosystem valuation, policy-making and research pertaining to the deep-sea. This thesis makes a small but significant contribution to the knowledge base of the economic value of the ecosystems of coral reefs and the deep-sea, respectively, and to developing future ecosystem valuation by means of introducing the social willingness-to commit (Social WTCommit) technique. Finally, this thesis can contribute to policy-making, decision-making and legislation pertaining to the deep-sea and coral reefs, locally and globally.

How can marine ecosystem services support the Blue Growth agenda?

Fisheries of the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem: From capture to trade with a consideration of migratory fisheries

The Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME), extending from Cape Spartel in Morocco to Guinea-Bissau, supports high primary and fisheries productivity driven by permanent or seasonal upwelling activity. During the current study, mesozooplankton and hydrographic sampling were conducted across the CCLME in the spring/summer of 2017 and the autumn/winter of 2019. The total mesozooplankton abundance and dry weight were found to be higher in 2017, partly due to the summer reproduction cycle of diplostracans. A prominent latitudinal gradient was observed in both the mesozooplankton standing stock and assemblage structure closely linked to a significant shift in oceanographic regimes at Cape Blanc (21°N). The area south of Cape Blanc, sampled during the upwelling relaxation in both years, was occupied by warmer South Atlantic Central Waters showing elevated mesozooplankton stock with a tropical assemblage structure. In contrast, cooler and more saline waters north of Cape Blanc, a result of the upwelling regime in that area, explained part of the observed variation in mesozooplankton composition among subregions and sampling periods. Our findings indicate that aside from the upwelling activity, spatiotemporal variation of mesoscale processes and topographical features at a subregional level may also shape mesozooplankton stock and assemblage structure in the CCLME.

Achieving Coherent Policies for Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Ecosystems

Marine biological resources in general and biological resources of the deep sea and the deep seabed in particular are threatened by a variety of human activities. Those activities considered marine scientific research and related activities such as scientific sampling and bioprospecting can pose a threat to the conservation of these biological resources if performed in an unrestricted manner. Whether legal rules on marine scientific research should be applicable to highly commercial activities such as bioprospecting is doubtful. The current legal regulations provided by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Convention on Biological Diversity are not designed to provide for an adequate regime on the protection of biological resources in areas located outside national sovereignty. As a result, a new treaty on the protection and sustainable use of marine biological resources located outside national jurisdiction is necessary and must focus upon a common heritage approach. An institutional framework for such a regime can either be newly established together with an agreement or be established by an existing institution e.g. the International Seabed Authority.

Marine biological resources in general and biological resources of the deep sea and the deep seabed in particular are threatened by a variety of human activities. Those activities considered marine scientific research and related activities such as scientific sampling and bioprospecting can pose a threat to the conservation of these biological resources if performed in an unrestricted manner. Whether legal rules on marine scientific research should be applicable to highly commercial activities such as bioprospecting is doubtful. The current legal regulations provided by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Convention on Biological Diversity are not designed to provide for an adequate regime on the protection of biological resources in areas located outside national sovereignty. As a result, a new treaty on the protection and sustainable use of marine biological resources located outside national jurisdiction is necessary and must focus upon a common heritage approach. An institutional framework for such a regime can either be newly established together with an agreement or be established by an existing institution e.g. the International Seabed Authority.

Upwelling regions are highly productive habitats targeted by wide-ranging marine predators and industrial fisheries. In this study, we track the migratory movements of eight seabird species from across the Atlantic; quantify overlap with the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) and determine the habitat characteristics that drive this association. Our results indicate the CCLME is a biodiversity hotspot for migratory seabirds; all tracked species and more than 70% of individuals used this upwelling region. Relative species richness peaked in areas where sea surface temperature averaged between 15 and 20°C, and correlated positively with chlorophyll a, revealing the optimum conditions driving bottom-up trophic effects for seabirds. Marine vertebrates are not confined by international boundaries, making conservation challenging. However, by linking diversity to ocean productivity, our research reveals the significance of the CCLME for seabird populations from across the Atlantic, making it a priority for conservation action.

An extensive review of cephalopod fauna in the Central and North Atlantic coast of Africa was performed based on material collected during 10 research cruises in these waters. In the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) area, a total of 378,377 cephalopod specimens was collected from 1247 bottom trawl stations. Of those specimens, 300 were sampled for subsequent identification in the laboratory and found to belong to 65 different species and 23 families. After an exhaustive review of the existing literature on the cephalopods and new data obtained from the surveys, an updated checklist of 138 species was generated for the CCLME area. Our knowledge of the known geographic distribution ranges of several species has been expanded:Muusoctopus januariihas been sighted from Guinea–Bissau waters, passing through Western Sahara, to Morocco waters for the first time;Lepidoteuthis grimaldiiandOctopus salutiihave been sighted off Morocco waters for the first time;Austrorossia mastigophora,Abralia(Heterabralia)siedleckyi,Abralia(Pygmabralia)redfieldiandSepiola atlanticahave been cited off Western Sahara waters for the first time;Magnoteuthis magna,Abralia(Asteroteuthis)veranyiandOctopoteuthis megapterahave been sighted off Moroccan and Western Sahara waters for the first time;Ancistroteuthis lichtensteinii,Opisthoteuthis grimaldii,Onykia robsoni,Muusoctopus levisandBathypolypus valdiviaehave been cited in the Guinea–Bissau coast for the first time; the northern geographic limit ofBathypolypus ergasticushas been expanded to Morocco, Western Sahara and Mauritania and southward to Guinea–Bissau waters. The presence ofMuusoctopus johnsonianusin Senegalese waters has been reported for the first time. AChtenopteryx siculaspecimen was reported in Western Sahara waters. A specimen belonging to the poorly knownCirrothauma murrayispecies was found in South Moroccan waters.Amphitretus pelagicus, a probably cosmopolitan species, has been reported in the Western Sahara and Guinea–Bissau waters. Some species that were previously recorded in the area,Sepia angulata,Sepia hieronis,Heteroteuthis dagamensis,Helicocranchia joubiniandTremoctopus gelatus, were removed from the final checklist and considered to be not present in the CCLME area.Cycloteuthis akimushkiniwas substituted withCycloteuthis sirventi, its senior synonym, in the final checklist. Similarly,Mastigoteuthis flammeaandMastigoteuthis grimaldiiwere substituted withMastigoteuthis agassizii.