Abstract
The current study provides valuable insight into the ecological risks and decline of the bivalve fishery and biodiversity in the Amvrakikos Gulf over the last 50 years through a triangulation of information from in situ surveys and expert judgment, supplemented with historical archives. In situ sampling showed that bivalve species composition was a typical composition of benthic fauna consisting of the olive green cockle, Cerastoderma glaucum, the grooved carpet shell, Ruditapes decussatus, and the Mediterranean mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis. Interviews confirmed the dramatic decrease in the abundance of striped venus clam, Chamelea gallina, and noble pen shell Pinna nobilis, both of which might be attributed to human-induced impacts, habitat degradation and climate change. Official data depicted a gradual reduction of bivalve catches since 1980 and massive degradation of the resources after 2000. As a result, the bivalve fishery was abandoned, having a negative impact on the local socio-economic community. The present study fills in a gap in knowledge for preserving species biodiversity that is critical to the health of the coastal environments.
Highlights
Biodiversity loss directly affects ecosystem functioning, ecosystem processes and services’ complexity [1]
The aim of the present work is to assess through a multi-level approach the longterm (50 years) changes in bivalve biodiversity in a traditional fisheries-dependent area, the “National Park” of Amvrakikos Gulf (Eastern Ionian Sea, Greece)
Professionals stated that the current catches of C. gallina, R. decussatus and A. noea ranged between 100 and 400 kg/fishing boat/harvesting day, usually staffed by 2–3 fishers each
Summary
Biodiversity loss directly affects ecosystem functioning, ecosystem processes and services’ complexity [1]. Coastal environments are under increasing pressure by a wide variety of impacts, originating from human activities and environmental variability In this context, the Natura 2000 network aims to protect most of the valuable and threatened species and habitats in Europe, where Mediterranean biodiversity hotspots are characterized by higher levels of threat and endemism than the rest of Europe [2]. The integration of historical experience on Mediterranean community-based fisheries with in situ field observations has significantly increased recently in fostering the sustainability of coastal resources and subsequently social cohesion [4] Certain bivalve species such as the noble pen shell Pinna nobilis (Linnaeus, 1758), and European date mussel Lithophaga lithophaga (Linnaeus, 1758) are listed as “species for which there is a prohibition to fish for, retain on board, transship, land, store, sell, display or offer for sale” under the article 10(2) and the Annex I of the European Regulation 1241/2019 [5]
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