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Catch me in winter! Seasonal variation in air temperature severely enhances physiological stress and mortality of species subjected to sorting operations and discarded during annual fishing activities

  • CHALLENGES TO MARINE ECOSYSTEMS
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Abstract

Several studies have considered the direct and indirect effects of demersal trawling on discarded species in terms of sublethal damages, survival, and stress due to the fishing processes. Nevertheless the effects of air temperature on the physiological stress and the survival of species during sorting operations were only marginally explored. This factor could be particularly important in the context of sustainable fisheries at temperate latitudes where the seasonal variation of air temperature can be particularly pronounced. In this study the seasonal effects of rapido trawling on the non-target species Liocarcinus depurator (Portunidae) in the Northern Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean Sea) have been compared by applying survival tests and considering the unbalance in metabolites’ concentration as indicators of physiological stress. Results showed consistently higher mortalities during exposure to air in summer (temperature: 28°C), which reached about 96% in 20 min, compared to winter (temperature: 9°C) when only 2% of individuals died. Furthermore trawled and emersed crabs showed significant increase of hemolymph ammonia, lactate, and glucose concentrations as effects of extreme exercise and suffocation, which was more prominent during summer, suggesting that air temperature can play an important role in determining non-target species survival.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Padova, Viale G. Colombo 3, 35131, Padova, Italy

    Folco Giomi, Paolo Di Muro & Mariano Beltramini

  2. ICRAM—Istituto Centrale per la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica Applicata al Mare, Loc. Brondolo, Chioggia, 30015, Venice, Italy

    Saša Raicevich & Otello Giovanardi

  3. Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Venice, Venice, Italy

    Fabio Pranovi

Authors
  1. Folco Giomi
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  2. Saša Raicevich
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  3. Otello Giovanardi
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  4. Fabio Pranovi
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  5. Paolo Di Muro
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  6. Mariano Beltramini
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Correspondence to Folco Giomi.

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Guest editors: J. Davenport, G. Burnell, T. Cross, M. Emmerson, R. McAllen, R. Ramsay & E. Rogan

Challenges to Marine Ecosystems

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Giomi, F., Raicevich, S., Giovanardi, O. et al. Catch me in winter! Seasonal variation in air temperature severely enhances physiological stress and mortality of species subjected to sorting operations and discarded during annual fishing activities. Hydrobiologia 606, 195–202 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-008-9336-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-008-9336-x

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