Fouling is a major challenge for marine aquaculture infrastructures, and copper-based antifouling products are commonly used to address this issue. The wider adoption of multitrophic aquaculture to sustainably produce multiple species is encouraged worldwide, as it promotes nutrient recycling while reducing problems associated with contaminants. In this study, Mytilus sp. and Laminaria ochroleuca were exposed, ...
Climate change is causing mean sea surface temperatures (SST) to increase worldwide. However, this increase has not been temporally or spatially uniform, with variations observed depending both on the period considered and the geographic region. In this context, this paper aims to quantify relevant changes in SST along the Western Iberian Coast over the last four decades, through the calculation of trends and a...
Aquaculture is one of the food industries that most evolved in recent years in response to increased human demand for seafood products, which has led to a progressive stock threat in nature. With a high seafood consumption per capita, Portugal has been exploring its coastal systems to improve the cultivation of fish and bivalve species with high commercial value. In this context, this study aims to propose the ...
Physico-chemical and biological parameters along the Portuguese coast were analyzed to evaluate the potential to produce aquatic species of economic interest. Water samples were collected in 2018 and 2019 in five different areas of the Portuguese coast. Currents data were collected between 2018 and 2020 and historical waves height data from 1988 to 2019. According to the results, there is a wide variety of spec...
Holothuria mammata is one of the most valuable species of sea cucumber, as well as one of the main target species harvested in the Mediterranean and NE-Atlantic regions. This study aims to describe the reproductive cycle of H. mammata in a coastal area of southwest Portugal. Monthly samplings were carried out for 19 months, with the concomitant collection of environmental data and biometric data. H. mammata had...
Cockles are amongst the most exploited bivalve species in Portugal, playing an important ecological and socioeconomic role in coastal ecosystems. Two sympatric species of cockles, Cerastoderma edule (Linnaeus, 1758) and Cerastoderma glaucum (Bruguiere, 1789-1792) may co-occur in estuaries and coastal lagoons in mixed populations along the European Atlantic coast, namely in Portugal, France and the United Kingdo...
The Ecosystem Service Framework discloses the ecosystem’s benefits to society and provides support to preserve threatened systems while considering the economic and social dimensions of the communities more dependent on its resources. Mangroves provide important and valuable goods and services to communities, at different spatial and temporal scales. Nevertheless, over-exploitation of these resources can genera...
There is an increasing demand for sea cucumbers, for human consumption, mainly from Asian markets and, as a consequence, NE-Atlantic species are now new targets for exploitation and exportation. Holothuria mammata is one of the most valuable species in Europe. However, the lack of historical economic interest in this species in most European countries has also led to a lack of studies concerning biological and ...
The intensive exploitation of sea cucumbers, mainly exported to Asian seafood markets, has contributed to deplete natural populations of several species. In Europe, the aquaculture production of these echinoderms is minimal, reflecting the low scientific production on the topic. In Portugal, like in Mediterranean countries, there are native species with high commercial value, which can be potential candidates f...