Jose Carlos Báez

Instituto Español de Oceanografia | IEO · Centro Oceanográfico de Málaga

Accuracy of catch landing data reported by captains of commercial vessels is crucial in the assessment of marine species stocks and in fisheries policy and management. However, this data can be subject to estimation biases, such as a tendency to inflate some catches (to the detriment of others) and refusal to fill in logbooks. We assessed the accur...

Mortality resulting from interactions with fishing gears represent an important threat to sensitive species globally. In this study, we address this issue by defining five species groups of marine megafauna (marine mammals, seabirds, demersal and pelagic elasmobranchs, and sea turtles), and conducting a productivity-susceptibility analysis (PSA) wi...

The exponential rise in plastic debris in oceans poses a severe threat to marine biodiversity, including loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) due to their widespread distribution and feeding habits. The present study aimed to assess plastic ingestion in juvenile loggerhead sea turtles stranded in Tenerife, Canary Islands. Among the 312 turtles...

Jellyfish blooms along coastal areas can pose significant challenges for beach users and local authorities. Understanding the factors influencing jellyfish presence is crucial for effective management and mitigation strategies. In this study, citizen science data from the Andalusian coast (232 beaches, in 40 different localities) and machine learni...

The catches of the Spanish purse seine fleet targeting tropical tunas in the Indian Ocean have been systematically sampled in port and at sea by scientific research centres since the fleet began to operate in the 1980s. During these samplings, some silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) specimens were found in the wells of these vessels which had n...

Species Distribution Models (SDMs) have been widely applied in ecology to analyze the historical and future patterns of marine species' distributions. With the increasing impact of climate change in recent decades, understanding potential shifts in species distributions has become a crucial challenge. Research on alterations in spatial and temporal...

Surface longlining is one of the most common fishing gears to capture swordfish (Xiphias gladius) and blue shark (Prionace glauca) in the Atlantic Ocean. Many Atlantic coastal countries (e.g. Spain, Portugal, Brazil, United States, Uruguay), as well as others from distant regions (e.g. Japan, China, Taiwan, Korea), fish in the Atlantic using this t...

This document presents an analysis and review of fishing indicators related to tropical tuna fishing by the purse seine and baitfish fleet. From a historical perspective, and as a result of the current legislative and exploitation changes in these fisheries, the suitability of the current fishing indicators presented by some countries is analyzed....

We present the Terms of Reference for a case study on a Mediterranean eco-region focusing on the environmental component of the Ecosystem Report Card. The objective of this case study is to describe and monitor the variability of environmental processes in the Mediterranean Sea that affect the ecology of large pelagic fishes, with a particular atte...

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a drift gillnet fishery was conducted in the waters of the Strait of Gibraltar in which large quantities of Alopias superciliosus, a rare pelagic shark species in the Mediterranean, were caught. The aim of this work was to characterise this catch using data from an observer programme in the fishery. It was found t...

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a drift gillnet fishery was conducted in the waters of the Strait of Gibraltar in which large quantities of Alopias superciliosus, a rare pelagic shark species in the Mediterranean, were caught. The aim of this work was to characterise this catch using data from an observer programme in the fishery. It was found t...

Resumen La megafauna marina definida comúnmente como aquella fauna superior a 45 kilos de peso, y que incluye usualmente mamíferos, tortugas, tiburones pelágicos y algunas especies de peces óseos como los túnidos, juegan una importante función en los ecosistemas en los que participan. Además, debido a la relación positiva entre el tamaño corporal y...

Fisheries bycatch is a critical threat to sea turtle populations worldwide, particularly because turtles are vulnerable to multiple gear types. The Canary Current is an intensely fished region, yet there has been no demographic assessment integrating bycatch and population management information of the globally significant Cabo Verde loggerhead tur...

Marine Ecosystem Models (MEMs) have been developed to analyse the past and future dynamics of life in the oceans. One of such efforts is EcoOcean, a complex, mechanistic and spatio-temporal explicit MEM of the global oceans based on a trophodynamic core. EcoOcean requires as inputs the species native ranges and suitable habitats, and for key enviro...

This Collective article reports 17 introduced species and 22 new locations for these species in the Mediterranean Sea. The reports are from three different Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) subregions (Aegean-Levantine Sea, Adriatic Sea and Western Mediterranean Sea) and the Sea of Marmara and cover ten different countries. The goal of con...

The structure, materials and designs of drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (dFADs) have generally remained rudimentary and relatively unchanged since they first came into use in the 1980 s. However, more recently, dFADs have been increasing in dimensions and the prevailing use of plastic components. Abandoned, lost or discarded dFADs can therefore c...

In the Northern Alboran Sea, artisanal small-scale fisheries using trammel nets suffer economic losses, and local fishermen see their way-oflife endangered, due to interactions with wildlife species such as alien species and dolphins. On the one hand, the alien seaweed Rugulopteryx okamurae, which was first recorded in the Alboran Sea in 2015, has...

Drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (dFADs) are currently made with synthetic and non-biodegradable materials contributing to the increase of marine litter and other potential ecosystem impacts. Tuna RFMOs have promoted the research and progressive replacement of existing FADs by non-entangling biodegradable FADs (bioFADs). Here, we present the resul...

Fishing is one of the most widespread and important human activities in coastal ecosystems and it plays a fundamental role in employment and the economy of coastal communities. However, in the period 2020 to 2021, the global outbreak of COVID-19 negatively affected fishing economic activity. Against this background, Andalusia (South of Spain) is an...

A classic issue in ecology is to understand how similar species coexist in a given area (i.e., sympatry). The situation of dolphins in the Western Mediterranean Sea may represent a special case of sympatry in that three similar species (the short-beaked common dolphin [Delphinus delphis], the striped dolphin [Stenella coeruleoalba], and the bottlen...

It is widely known that the abundance and distribution dynamics of populations of small pelagic clupeid fish, such as sardines and anchovies, are affected by large-scale climate variability, which may lead to changeovers to new regimes of small pelagics. However, long-distance climatic oscillations , such as El Niño/La Niña and the Pacific Decadal...

In biogeography the competitive exclusion principle (CEP) has been confirmed in some cases but not in others. This has fueled an unresolved debate between those advocating niche theory or the neutral theory in biodiversity and biogeography. We suggest that this situation mainly arises from the use of crisp logic, where the CEP is defined as either...

Jellyfish swarms have a direct negative impact on human enterprise, specially on places dependent on the sun and beach economy. The local economy and the health of bathers may be at risk from the emergence of these gelatinous organisms. Economic losses can be mitigated by monitoring the occurrence of jellyfish on the coast. Due to the lack of jelly...

It is useful to complement more sophisticated stock status estimations based on stock assessment models with simpler approaches based on analyses of raw catch-effort data to maximize the probability of detecting overexploitation and hyperstability as early as possible. Here we develop a series of annual indices for the spatial distribution of catch...

Deep-habitat cetaceans are generally difficult to study, leading to a limited knowledge of their population. This paper assesses the differential distribution patterns of three deep-habitat cetaceans (Sperm whale— Physeter macrocephalus, Risso’s dolphin— Grampus griseus & Cuvier’s beaked whale— Ziphius cavirostris ). We used data of 842 opportunist...

Background - Along with the development of the tropical tuna purse-seine fishery from the 1960s in the Atlantic Ocean and from the 1980s in the Indian Ocean, many projects and studies have been conducted to improve knowledge about the biology, migrations and dynamics of the stocks of target and non-target (i.e. bycatch) species taken in these fishe...

Oceanic whitetip shark (Carcharhinus longimanus) is an important top predator in pelagic ecosystems currently classified as globally Critically Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. This species is incidentally caught by fisheries targeting highly migratory tunas and billfishes throughout the Indian Ocean. Understand...

El objetivo primordial de este estudio es explorar los efectos que las oscilaciones climáticas pueden ocasionar sobre la biología de tres especies de túnidos: la melva (Auxis rochei), la bacoreta (Euthynnus alletteratus) y el bonito (Sarda sarda) durante los movimientos migratorios característicos de estas especies en el océano Atlántico oriental y...

The use of fish aggregating devices (FADs) in tropical tuna fisheries has increased significantly during recent decades. Concurrently, concern about juvenile tuna mortality, bycatch, and marine debris associated with FAD fisheries increased, and this led to the implementation of FAD management measures and more sustainable designs (e.g., non-entang...

There is a vivid debate about the border location between North and South Atlantic swordfish stocks. Climate oscillations, East Atlantic (EA) and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), have a major impact on the Northern Hemisphere climate and weather conditions. The initial hypothesis of present study was that if it is considering the southern frontier...

El presente documento revisa la situación y aporta nuevos datos para las tortugas marinas en España durante el periodo 2013-2018. Se revisa el estado de conservación para el periodo 2013-2018 en cada una de las demarcaciones marítimas españolas: Levante –Baleares y Estrecho-Alborán para el Mediterráneo, y Noratlántica, Sudatlántica y Macaronesia en...

Sardine and anchovy have shown important changes in landings, biomass, abundance and body condition with time in the Western Mediterranean Sea. Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain these changes, including the negative interaction with jellyfish blooms. Increases in jellyfish blooms may be one of the reasons for a decline in these fish...

Several studies have shown the effect of climatic oscillations on fisheries. Small pelagic fish are of special global economic importance and very sensitive to fluctuations in the physical environment in which they live. The main goal of this study was to explore the relationship between the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the East Atlantic patte...

Global ocean physical and chemical trends are reviewed and updated using seven key ocean climate change indicators: (i) Sea Surface Temperature, (ii) Ocean Heat Content, (iii) Ocean pH, (iv) Dissolved Oxygen concentration (v) Arctic Sea Ice extent, thickness, and volume (vi) Sea Level and (vii) the strength of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Ci...

La comunidad científica se enfrenta a numerosos y muy diversos problemas que debe resolver en los próximos años. De estas respuestas van a depender las medidas que los gobiernos adopten para hacer frente a los retos de conservación que ponen en peligro la naturaleza en nuestro planeta. Uno de ellos es la situación de los ecosistemas marinos y, en c...

This study examines for the first time the biology of alfonsino (Beryx splendens) from three small seamounts of the Sierra Leone Rise (SLR), an unexploited and fragile ecosystem in the Atlantic, using data from an experimental survey carried out in 2001 by Spanish longliners. In general, the lack of rigorous baseline data limits the implementation...

Tunas species are considered high migrating species (HMS). In the Mediterranean Sea, there are important areas for the spawning of many of these HMS. The Alboran Sea is an important hotspot for tuna species. Moreover, the Alboran Sea shows important productive areas where the tuna species are concentrated, and, for this reason, the Alboran Sea has...

The Alboran Sea in the Mediterranean region is characterized by their multiples and different connections: atmospheric and oceanographic linking Mediterranean and Atlantic regions, geological between the common Betic–Rif belt but separated in two lithospheric plates (Eurasia and Nubia), biological and ecological, and geopolitical where the Alboran...

Marine megafauna typically include large pelagic sharks, sea turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals. These megafauna are mainly associated with pelagic ecosystems through which they undertake long-distance migration. The Alboran Sea connects the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea and is thus a relevant hotspot for marine megafauna. In this area, t...

A complex geological history, a critical geographical location, and the existence of permeable biogeographical barriers at both ends of its longitudinal range, the Strait of Gibraltar and the hydrographic front between Almería and Oran, have shaped the Alboran Sea as a biogeographical entity at the crossroads between the Atlantic Ocean and the Medi...

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are important tools for preserving species, habitats and ecological-geological-oceanographical processes. Nowadays, more than 10% of the Alboran Sea is under some protected figure or is on its way to be protected. This chapter presents the current state of the MPAs and KBAs of the Albo...

Humanity is facing formidable environmental and social changes and challenges related to climate change, food security, loss of territories, loss of biodiversity, etc. In this context, it is necessary to create necessary governance tools to facilitate the management of resources, enhance international scientific cooperation, and achieve, all togeth...

The pteridofloras of nine locations in the Gibraltar Arc were analyzed using a taxonomic distinctness index. We found that the index could be a proxy of historical biogeography of the pteridofloras from this area. Moreover, the value of the taxonomic distinctness index of the different locations showed relevant relationships with certain geographic...

Marine citizen science is emerging with promising opportunities for science, policy and public but there is still no comprehensive overview of the current state in Europe. Based on 127 projects identified for the North Sea area we estimate there might be as much as 500 marine and coastal citizen science projects running in Europe, i.e., one marine...

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is the most important large-scale climatic oscillation affecting the North Atlantic region. The variability introduced by the NAO affects many meteorological parameters, including wind speed and direction, and differences in air temperature and rainfall, particularly during the boreal winter. The NAO is also kno...

We presented a summary of activities and results obtained in the framework of the project “Mainstreaming Small-scale Fisheries in the Mediterranean”, 2018-2020 carried out by Low Impact Fishers of Europe (LIFE), supported by the MAVA Foundation and the Spanish Herpetological Association (AHE) and two independent consultants. This multiregional pilo...

Este documento se ha preparado para devolver a los pescadores algunos resultados importantes obtenidos durante el proyecto de interacciones y predacción de delfines en la pesca artesanal del Mediterráneo andaluz y compartir información y resultados entre científicos y pescadores. This document has been prepared to return to fishermen some important...

We identify cases in which there is evidence of loggerhead turtles bitten by sharks

Tourism, fishing and aquaculture are key economic sectors of Costa del Sol (southern Iberian Peninsula). The management of these activities is sometimes disturbed by the onshore arrival and stranding of jellyfish swarms. In the absence data on the occurrence of these organisms, it may be interesting to explore data from non-driven systems, such as...

El clima de la Tierra ha sufrido fuertes modificaciones desde su origen. Ahora, por ejemplo, estamos experimentando un nuevo cambio fruto de la actividad humana, lo cual puede acarrear problemas tanto para nuestra salud, como para nuestro futuro. Este cambio —perceptible en el clima— es lo que conocemos como cambio climático. Este libro repasa los...

The Alboran Sea represents a regional Mediterranean space where North and South worlds merges, creating a geopolitical region where marine resources and maritime activities should be managed from a national and international perspectives. It is widely known, that currently the planet is suffering a global change, and it is also affecting the Albora...

The document updates the knowledge on observations and incidences, including fishing bycatch, as well as other relevant information on projects and conservation of marine turtles carried out in the Spanish Mediterranean area, as part of the global Mediterranean region marine turtles assessment.

Primer registro de nidificación de tortuga boba (Caretta caretta) en el Mar de Alborán: significado biológico e implicaciones del manejo en la conservación

This document provides an update on the statistics reported for the Spanish purse seine fleet fisheries in the Indian Ocean for the period 1984 to 2019. Data include catch and effort statistics, as well as some fishery indicators by species and fishing mode. Information about the coverage of the sampling, together with maps and diagrams illustratin...

Here, we outline actions taken by Tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations on the science of marine turtle’s conservation. The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (1949), the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (1966), the Indo-Pacific Tuna Program (prior to 1980) the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission(1993), and t...

Follow the translation to English Los primeros estudios científicos sobre el mar de Alborán se remontan al siglo XIX. Se iniciados desde el Laboratorio Oceanográfico de Málaga como un punto crucial para conocer el intercambio de aguas en el estrecho de Gibraltar y la distribución de especies atlánticas en el Mediterráneo. El Laboratorio Oceanográfi...

Since starting up the Spanish purse seiner's fishery in the Indian Ocean, the concentration of tuna schools under natural floating objects adrift has been exploited. Thus, two different mode sets are performed: associated school sets (sets on Floating Objects or FOBs), and free school sets (Free sets). The number of sets on FOBs has been consistent...

In a recent study, the authors concluded that there is a lagged effect modulated mainly by PDO-SOI, which could be related to a good recruitment, larval survival, or improved spawning, after analyzing the combined effect of the main atmospheric teleconnections affecting the Indian Ocean (i.e. South Oscillation Index-SOI-, Pacific Decadal Oscillatio...

Tras visitar distintos lugares con importancia arqueologica y comprobar la abundancia de reptiles se subraya la importancia de los lugares de importania arqueológica y las ruinas para la herpetofauna, por lo que convendría incrementar el estudio de esos lugares para la conservación de la biodiversidad. Sería recomendable que los planes de gestion d...