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Mediterranean fish species living along Italian (Gaeta) and Egyptian (Alexandria) coasts were analyzed using DNA barcodes for molecular identification. Mitochondrial Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene was sequenced from 31 different marine species to test whether the morphology-based assignment of individuals into 19 families, 6 orders was supported by DNA-based species delimitation and Neighbour Joining cladogram. All COI rRNA gene barcodes were matched with reference sequences of expected species, according to morphological identification. Neighbour joining tree was drawn based on COI rRNA gene and the majority of specimens clustered in agreement with their taxonomic classification. Our results updated Mediterranean edible fish knowledge providing graphical resources, taxonomical and bioinformatics references, improving the genetic fish database and the basic molecular information to strengthen the science-policy interface for biodiversity and ecosystem services as conservation, blue economy, and long-term human well-being.

The caves have a significant economic importance in their role as tourist attraction and are of great importance for the presence of some rare species. The fauna identification in the "Grotta del Maresciallo" cave, situated in the Riviera di Ulisse Regional Park, started in march 2013 by a visual census and molecular approach. The studies allowed to detect 12 classes, 46 families, 47 species with their ecological niches, and the percentage contribution of each group to the Mediterranean marine cave diversity. Furthermore, we report the presence of two thermophilic species, as the star coral, Astroides calycularis (Pallas, 1766) and the goldblotch grouper, Epinephelus costae (Steindachner, 1878); the tropical species, the ringneck blenny Parablennius pilicornis (Cuvier, 1829); the endangered species, the dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus (Lowe, 1834) included in the IUCN Red List; the rare species, the black brotula Grammonus ater (Risso, 1810), and some uncommon species such as the golden coral shrimp, Stenopus spinosus (Risso, 1826) and the spotted bumblebee shrimp, Gnatophillum elegans (Risso, 1816). Species of economic and medical interest were also recorded. In a DNA barcoding approach, Neighbour Joining (NJ) phylogenetic tree of 25 mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I species sequences, indicates that COI gene is suitable for an unambiguous identification. This first geological and biological attempt at the Marine Area of the "Grotta del Maresciallo" provides useful indications to focus future investigations, and may become a potential management tool for local administrations to protect these habitats.

The Mediterranean Sea has a long-lasting history of fishery exploitation that, together with other anthropogenic impacts, has led to declines in several marine organisms. In particular, elasmobranch populations have been severely impacted, with drastic decreases in abundance and species diversity. Based on their experience, fishers can provide information on marine species occurrence, abundance and behavioural traits on a long-term scale, therefore contributing to research on the poorly studied biological aspects of elusive or rare elasmobranch species. In this study, for the first time, the use of the Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK) of fishers was applied to study the behavioural traits of sharks, rays and skates in 12 FAO-GFCM geographical sub-areas (GSAs) of the Mediterranean Sea. This study found both new insight and proved the reliability of LEK-based catch seasonality, reflecting seasonal movements, by comparing LEK-based findings and available literature on five elasmobranch taxa (Mustelus spp., Squalus acanthias, Raja spp., Myliobatis aquila and Scyliorhinus stellaris) in the Adriatic Sea and 7 taxa (Mustelus spp., Raja spp., Prionace glauca, Scyliorhinus canicula, Torpedo spp., Pteroplatytrygon violacea and Isurus oxyrinchus) in the remaining Mediterranean GSAs. In addition, LEK provided new insights into a novel comprehensive representation of species aggregations (Mustelus spp., S. acanthias, M. aquila and S. canicula) in the sampled GSAs and supplied the first descriptions of the size, number of individuals and sex composition of the aggregations. When the limits and shortcomings of LEK-based research are considered, this methodology can be a complementary and cost-effective tool used to study elasmobranchs in either a data-poor scenario or a scenario in which a baseline is missing. LEK can also be useful for the evaluation and inclusion of fishers’ perceptions on bottom-up management and to provide important evidence for conservation plans.

Antifoulant paints were developed to prevent and reduce biofouling on surfaces immersed in seawater. The widespread use of these substances over the years has led to a significant increase of their presence in the marine environment. These compounds were identified as environmental and human threats. As a result of an international ban, research in the last decade has focused on developing a new generation of benign antifoulant paints. This review outlines the detrimental effects associated with biocide versus eco-friendly antifoulants, highlighting what are effective antifoulants and why there is a need to monitor them. We examine the effects of biocide and eco-friendly antifoulants on the antioxidative defence mechanism and settlement in a higher sessile organism, specifically the Mediterranean mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis. These antifoulants can indirectly assess the potential of these two parameters in order to outline implementation of sustainable antifoulants.