Gianna Fabi

Italian National Research Council | CNR · Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnologies IRBIM

Abstract The expected increase in global food demand, as a consequence of a rising and wealthier world population, and an awareness of the limits and drawbacks of modern agriculture, has resulted in a growing attention to the potential of the seas and oceans to produce more food. The capture production of presently exploited marine fish stocks and...

Funding innovation requires knowledge on previous/on-going research and identification of gaps and synergies among actors, networks and projects, but targeted databases remain scattered, incomplete and scarcely searchable. Here we present the BlueBio database: a first comprehensive and robust compilation of internationally and nationally funded res...

The diffusion of pollutants in the marine environment is nowadays a well-recognized issue that is attracting growing interest from the scientific and social communities. One of the possible strategies to study the effect of pollutants is to quantify their presence inside marine organisms that are directly exposed for a certain period to the pollute...

An integrated ecological monitoring is implemented as part of a multidisciplinary approach based on the use of lowimpacting monitoring techniques for the ecological mapping of an artificial reef located in the central Adriatic Sea. The aim was to identify ecosystem functions and services the area could provide and lay down the basis for improving m...

Three cumacean species, Eudorella nana Sars, 1879, Leucon affinis Fage, 1951, Leucon siphonatus Calman, 1905, were recorded for the first time and one rare amphipod presence, Stenothoe bosphorana Sowinsky, 1898, was confirmed in the Adriatic basin.

Paper presented at the OMC Med Energy Conference and Exhibition, Ravenna, Italy, September 2021. Paper Number: OMC-2021-239 Published: September 28 2021 Despite the OSPAR Convention decisions, the Oil&Gas installations placed in the marine environment can have positive impacts on marine ecology, providing hard substrates and habitats to species, i...

The paper presents a database of information on wrecks, natural and artificial reefs located in the Adriatic Sea, collected within the framework of the Interreg Italy–Croatia project ADRIREEF – Innovative exploitation of Adriatic Reefs in order to strengthen Blue Economy. The data collection lasted more than 1 year and included three surveys and a...

In the Mediterranean Sea, fishing vessels often operate throughout the geographical subdivisions adopted for statistical data collection (Geographical Sub-Areas; GSAs), causing a potential mismatch between catches site and reporting site. This paper provides a quantitative assessment of the fluxes of fishing activity of bottom trawlers across the M...

Multibeam echosounders are widely used for 3D bathymetric mapping, and increasingly for water column studies. However, they rapidly collect huge volumes of data, which poses a challenge for water column data processing that is often still manual and time-consuming, or affected by low efficiency and high false detection rates if automated. This rese...

Human pressures on marine ecosystems significantly increased during last decades. Among the intense anthropic activities, industrial fisheries have caused the alteration of habitats, the reduction of biodiversity and the main fish stocks. The aim of this research, carried out in the Adriatic Sea, was to test a repeatable Marine Spatial Planning fra...

The paper presents a database of information on wrecks, natural and artificial reefs located in the Adriatic Sea, collected within the framework of the Interreg Italy-Croatia project ADRIREEF – Innovative exploitation of Adriatic Reefs in order to strengthen Blue Economy. The data collection lasted more than one year and comprehended three surveys...

In the past decades, the Automatic Identification System (AIS) has been employed in numerous research fields as a valuable tool for, among other things, Maritime Domain Awareness and Maritime Spatial Planning. In contrast, its use in fisheries management is hampered by coverage and transmission gaps. Transmission gaps may be due to technical limita...

Fishery discard survival depends on multiple conditions; caution is essential when survival study outputs are employed to support management decisions. The study presents a stepwise procedure, devised to estimate discard survival, that accounts for the variability characterizing commercial fishing practices. The procedure was applied to the first s...

This work aims to investigate the potential capabilities of an uncalibrated Multibeam Echosounder (MBES) in fish school detection, reporting an experience regarding an offshore gas platform in the Adriatic Sea. If, on one hand, the Split-beam Echosounder technology is traditionally used for the purpose of biomass evaluation, on the other hand, rece...

Research on abundance and composition of fish assemblages surrounding offshore extraction platforms is essential to evaluate their impact as well as to understand relationships between natural and artificial habitats. Also decommissioning practice, which belongs to the lifecycle of these structures, can be encouraged or discouraged if fish school b...

Plastic waste is of increasing concern in the aquatic environment. A large portion of this plastic waste is produced onshore and reaches the marine environment, which is considered the main sink of plastic debris. Floating plastic particles accumulate in pelagic habitats. However, due to biofilm formation they eventually sink and accumulate on the...

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a consolidated technique for the study of biological systems, usually ex vivo or in culture, under different experimental conditions. Yet, the diffusion of the technique in the scientific context of histology is still rather slow and limited. In the present work, we demonstrate the potential of AFM, in terms of morp...

Hydrocarbon seepage is overlooked in the marine environment, mostly due to the lack of high-resolution exploration data. This contribution is about the set-up of a relocatable and cost-effective monitoring system, which was tested on two seepages in the Central Adriatic Sea. The two case studies are an oil spill at a water depth of 10 m and scatter...

Alive specimens belonging to Tellimya tenella (Lovén, 1846) were recorded for the first time in Adriatic Sea. Up to date, only few pleistocene fossils or empty valves of this species had been reported in Italian waters.

Descriptive and spatially-explicit information on fisheries plays a key role for an efficient integrated management of the maritime activities and the sustainable use of marine resources. However, this information is today still hard to obtain and, consequently, is a major issue for implementing Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). Since 2002, the Automa...

In recent years, the occurrence of microplastics in the aquatic environment has gathered increasing scientific interest. Several studies have shown that the ingestion of microplastics may negatively influence the physiology of marine organisms having different feeding strategies, particularly in those species which cannot discriminate between food...

The currently existing Biological Protection Areas (BPAs) are Italian conservation measures specifically oriented to preserve/recover commercial fish stocks through the regulation or ban of few fishing activities. Although BPAs have been well identified/designed within the Italian national waters, neither data on their effects on fishery resources...

Final report Project NORA Sviluppo di strumenti a sostegno della governance partecipata degli usi del mare nel Compartimento marittimo di Chioggia Piano di Azione del FLAG GAC Chioggia Delta del Po 2014/2020 "Sviluppo dell’economia blu per una crescita complessiva del territorio di Chioggia e Delta del Po” Obiettivo 3: Rafforzare il ruolo delle...

Ficopomatus enigmaticus is a serpulid polychaete, reef-forming, dioecious gamete spawner throughout different seasons and in different salinity conditions. Due to these characteristics, its candidacy as a model organism to monitor both marine and brackish matrices was assessed. Marine sediments collected in a polluted area near the port of Ancona (...

The abundance and composition of the sea-floor marine litter collected in the North-Central Adriatic Sea during four survey years (2013-2016) are reported, focusing on the use of different items classifications to understand which one may provide more information to better identify the marine debris sources. Litter was classified using three method...

Variations in two biotic indices, Species Richness (S) and Shannon-Wiever (H’), obtained from macrobenthic community around a gas platform placed in the central Adriatic Sea, were analysed to evaluate Taxonomic Sufficiency effectiveness, considering three levels of biodiversity resolution: species, genus and family. No significant differences were...

Often human activities taking place at limited available marine space may lead to important spatial and temporal conflicts and synergies. Through Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) a series maritime issues have been addressed focusing on such interactions. This chapter makes a presentation of the development of Maritime Spatial Planning concepts and a...

Macrozoobenthos living around several pipelines placed at different depths and sediment types in the Western Adriatic Sea was investigated for three years after structures' deployment to detect possible effects due to their installation and presence. Three environmental habitats were considered based on the grain size (silty clay, clayey silt and s...

This two-year study evaluates the effects of new management strategies directed at helping the recovery of Adriatic cuttlefish populations. The ability of three specially developed artificial spawning devices–seagrass collectors (SC; deployed on artificial reefs), longline collectors (LC; deployed at mussel farms), and trap collectors (TC; delivere...

A growing concern about the depletion of marine resources due to fishing overexploitation and degradation of ecosystems has been demonstrated over the last decade. Monitoring the spatial and temporal distribution of fishing activities is an important tool for fisheries management which can also be used by other sectors such as fisheries science, pu...

Plastic micro litter represents an emerging contaminant as well as a multiple stress agent in aquatic environments. Microplastics are found even in the remote areas of the world. Together with their occurrence in all environmental compartments, there is a growing concern about their potential to adsorb pollutants co-occurring in the environment. At...

Micro-plastic particles in the world's oceans represent a serious threat to both human health and marine ecosystems. Once released into the aquatic environment plastic litter is broken down to smaller pieces through photo-degradation and the physical actions of waves, wind, etc. The resulting particles may become so small that they are readily take...

Morphological analysis, molecular characterization, and information on distribution and density of Anadara kagoshimensis (Tokunaga, 1906) specimens collected in the Adriatic Sea were here carried out as based on various material and data from five surveys conducted from 2010 to 2014, for a total of 329 bottom trawl hauls. The morphological and mole...

Multidisciplinary monitoring of the impact of offshore gas platforms on northern and central Adriatic marine ecosystems has been conducted since 1998. Beginning in 2006, 4-5 year investigations spanning the period before, during, and after rig installation have explored the effects of its construction and presence on macrozoobenthic communities, se...

The Adriatic Sea plays a central role in the economies of both European and non-European countries. As such, it is subject to impacts from a large number of human activities, including fishing. In a basin characterized by high biodiversity and complex ecosystem processes, such as the Adriatic Sea, habitat conservation and protection measures rely o...

Conero Promontory represents the only location from Venice to Gargano Promontory with a steep cliff coast. The area is influenced by continuous input of organic material from rivers discharge, especially from the Po River. These waters are an important source of nutrients, favouring primary and secondary production in the ecosystem and affecting ph...

Gas platforms can exert relevant effects on various ecosystem properties of the hosting area, modifying patterns of productivity and particle sedimentation. We hypothesised that the presence of gas platforms is associated with higher organic matter (OM) contents and we tested the null hypothesis by which benthic trophic conditions do not vary signi...

Population structure and distribution of the starry ray, Raja asterias, were described based on data collected during yearly rapido trawl surveys (SoleMon), between 2005 and 2014 in the Northern and Central Adriatic Sea. A total of 306 individuals were caught, sex ratio was 1.04:1 in favor of males and length-weight relationships were obtained for...

Occurrence and distribution of the sea pens Virgularia mirabilis and Funiculina quadrangularis in the northern and central Adriatic Sea were determined from data collected during five trawl surveys from 2011 to 2015 carried out through rapido trawl. Species density data (number of individuals per km ) were processed to describe their spatial distri...

The present study provides a parasitological analysis of the elasmobranch species caught in the northern and central Adriatic Sea. A total of 62 marine leeches were recorded on 747 individuals of Raja clavata Linnaeus, 1758 (thornback ray), Myliobatis aquila Linnaeus, 1758 (common eagle ray), and Torpedo marmorata Risso, 1810 (marbled torpedo ray)...

ISSN: 0001-5113 AADRAY

This study evaluates the variation in population abundance overtime of twenty commercial fish species associated with an artificial reef and a reference site. Mean yearly catch rates were computed from data collected monthly from 1988 to 2012 using trammel nets. The log-transformed ratios of catches obtained at the reef and the reference site were...

The spatial distribution of fish assemblages was investigated through either hydro-acoustic surveys (using a Multibeam Echosounder) or fishing surveys (using trammel nets) carried out at increasing distance from two gas extraction structures in the Adriatic Sea and characterized by different building architecture: one, a four-leg platform; the othe...

The observation of a new species in a new area represents the first opportunity to follow and study the dynamics of colonization and understand how a new species arrives, what are its movements and its potential impact. The discovery of a large number of species outside their usual area of distribution is probably the most important reason for the...

Fishing of Nassarius mutabilis is by far the most important activity carried out by artisanal fisheries in the central and northern Adriatic Sea, accounting for more than 35% of total fishing effort and yielding from 2000 to 3000 t of landings each year. This gastropod is targeted from the beginning of autumn to the end of spring using basket traps...

Multibeam Echosounder (MBES) is increasingly becoming suitable for marine habitat mapping and various classification methods, diversifying in terms of classification algorithms, automation and MBES involved data features, are requiring scientific attention. On the other hand, the improved quality and volume of MBES data, as well as the increased de...

The distribution of polychaetes associated with an offshore gas platform built on a muddy-sandy bottom in the northern Adriatic Sea was investigated with emphasis on their feeding structure. Polychaete species were collected at different distances from the rig using a Van Veen grab. Assessment of the polychaete community and trophic groups for impa...

Experimental fishing trials were carried out on an Italian commercial vessel to test gillnets of different monofilament diameters targeting common sole (Solea solea). The gillnets only differed in the nominal monofilament diameter: 0.18, 0.20, 0.22, 0.25, and 0.30 mm. The nominal mesh size (stretched) was 72 mm. A total of 47 taxa were caught. The...

Artificial reefs (ARs) have become popular technological interventions in shallow water environments characterized by soft seabed for a wide number of purposes, from fisheries/environmental protection and enhancement to research and tourism. AR deployment has the potential for causing significant hydrographical and biological changes in the receiv...

Often human activities taking place at limited available marine space may lead to important spatial and temporal conflicts and synergies. Through Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) a series maritime issues have been addressed focusing on such interactions. This chapter makes a presentation of the development of Maritime Spatial Planning concepts and a...

Often human activities taking place at limited available marine space may lead to important spatial and temporal conflicts and synergies. Through Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) a series maritime issues have been addressed focusing on such interactions. This chapter makes a presentation of the development of Maritime Spatial Planning concepts and a...

Three species of bivalves, Thyasira succisa , Lyonsia norwegica and Poromya granulate , were recorded for the first time in the Adriatic Sea during surveys conducted from 2010 to 2012 on offshore relict sand bottoms at a depth range of 45–80 m.

Different marine and coastal activities have diverse economic, environmental, and socio-cultural objectives, which can lead to conflict when these multidimensional activities coincide spatially or temporally. This is sometimes driven by a lack of understanding or other users' needs and consequentially adequate planning and the utilization of a comm...

As a consequence of the growing global demand of energy supplies, intense oil and gas exploration and exploitation programs have been carried out worldwide especially within the marine environments. The release of oil-derived compounds in the sea from anthropogenic sources both as effluents or accidental spill is perceived as a major environmental...

The present study analyzes spatial distribution and typology of marine litter on the seabed in the FAO Geographical Sub-Area 17 (northern and central Adriatic Sea). Two surveys were conducted during fall 2011 and 2012 and 67 stations were sampled each year. Litter items were collected using the "rapido" trawl, a modified beam trawl commonly used by...

The spatial distribution of common sole adults in the northern and central Adriatic Sea has been analysed together with the spatial patterns of “rapido” trawl fishing effort and holothurians and bryozoans assemblages. Areas not suitable for the “rapido” trawl activity due to the high occurrence of megazoobenthos represent refugium zones with import...

Artificial reefs have been used for a long time around the world and have served many purposes ranging from habitat restoration, fish stock enhancement and fisheries management to research and recreation. At present, fish stock enhancement and fisheries management are the main reasons driving reef construction in the Mediterranean Sea, while habita...

A monitoring program was developed to assess the impact on the marine ecosystem induced by the off-shore gas platform located in the Northern Adriatic Sea. Benthic communities are widely used in the monitoring of effects of marine impacts as the organisms are mostly sessile and integrate effects of pollutants over time. Changes to benthic infauna,...

- Occurrence and persistence of the bryozoan Amathia semiconvoluta in the northern and central Adriatic Sea (GSA 17) were assessed yearly from 2007 to 2012. The results show a distribution and persistence of this species confined in a triangular-shaped region. The colonies of this bryozoan obstruct the bottom trawl nets strongly compromising the...

Within the European Water Framework Directive, many studies have been conducted to evaluate the sensitivity/robustness of a variety of indices in relation to natural or anthropogenic disturbance events. However, these indices have rarely been applied to verify the impacts of disturbances in offshore environments, though the Marine Strategy Framewor...

Benthic communities colonising two different typologies of artificial structures, Tecnoreef® pyramids (PY), and plinth modules (PL), differing for material and shape, were investigated for three years after their deployment on a soft bottom offshore Pedaso (Western Adriatic Sea). The aims were to describe the colonisation patterns of benthic assemb...

Common sole in the northern and central Adriatic Sea: Spatial management scenarios to rebuild the stock, Journal of Sea Research (2014), doi: 10.1016/j.seares.2014.02.002 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manus...

The pressure for more energy demand is a strong driver for the construction of offshore oil and gas platforms. This also applies to the Adriatic Sea where, since 1960 several gas field were commissioned. The continuous expansion of the gas industry may potentially produce detrimental effects on marine communities, especially in such a peculiar semi...

Weight-length relationships for 20 fish species in the Adriatic Sea are reported. Specimens were caught from 1999 to 2009 during fishing surveys with trammel nets at dephts ranging from 12 to 90 m. A total of 38562 individuals were collected, belonging to 20 fish species from 14 families. Sparidae included the highest number of species (4), followe...

The pressure for more energy demand is a strong driver for the construction of offshore oil and gas platforms. This also applies to the Adriatic Sea where, since 1960, several gas fields have been commissioned. The continuous expansion of the gas industry may potentially have detrimental effects on marine communities. This may become particularly c...

The aim of this study is to increase the knowledge on the distribution of decapod crustaceans associated with an artificial reef positioned on sandy-mud bottoms in the central Adriatic Sea. The reef is constituted of concrete modules assembled in pyramids and concrete poles. Hard and soft bottom samples were collected from 2001, just after reef con...

a b s t r a c t Size selectivity of basket traps for changeable nassa (Nassarius mutabilis) was estimated through compar-ative fishing trials with traps varying in mesh size and net colour. Selectivity curves of two commercial (19 mm white twine and 19 mm black twine) and three experimental (23, 26 and 28 mm white twine) traps were estimated using...