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Introduction
Assessment and management of small-scale fisheries and conservation of biodiversity. Effects of human activities on invertebrate populations and communities in coastal systems. Development of co-management practices to improve the ecological knowledge and management of harvested species, giving special emphasis to the role played by markets, climate change and governance as critical drivers affecting fisheries sustainability and biodiversity conservation.
Additional affiliations
January 1981 - present
Publications
Publications (347)
Sandy beaches, essential components of coastal landscapes, are increasingly threatened by urbanization, resource extraction, and climate change, jeopardizing their ecological integrity and scenic value. This study assesses the health and scenic quality of 100 sandy beaches along the Uruguayan coast, influenced by the Ro de la Plata estuary, using t...
Small-scale fisheries in the Galapagos Marine Reserve face significant challenges due to climatic anomalies and human-induced changes such as weak governance and overfishing. This overview explores the social-ecological impacts of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and climate change on Galapagos small-scale fisheries, including the progress a...
Many seafood products marketed as “sustainable” are not. More exacting sustainability standards are needed to respond to a fast-changing world and support United Nations SDGs. Future fisheries must operate on principles that minimise impacts on marine life, adapt to climate change and allow regeneration of depleted biodiversity, while supporting an...
This study addresses the pressing issue of plastic pollution in coastal and marine ecosystems, challenging the misconception that the entrapment of plastics can be considered as an ecosystem service. We differentiate between essential natural processes that sustain ecological balance and biodiversity and the detrimental accumulation of synthetic po...
Despite regulations aimed at curbing shark finning and bycatch, shark fishing mortality rates continue to escalate, partly due to unintended consequences of these policies which, along with illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and ghost fishing, undermine conservation efforts. The ineffectiveness of current regulations to curb shark mortali...
Over the last three decades, the advent and the continuous sophistication of telemetry devices have revolutionized our understanding of how pelagic sharks move and exploit their three-dimensional underwater habitat, with implications for management and conservation. In this study, conventional (4,648) and electronic (18) tags were used to assess th...
Marine ecosystem-based management (EBM) is recognized as the best practice for managing multiple ocean-use sectors, explicitly addressing tradeoffs among them. However, implementation is perceived as challenging and often slow. A poll of over 150 international EBM experts revealed progress, challenges, and solutions in EBM implementation worldwide....
While the physical characteristics of sandy beaches play a significant role in shaping the macrofaunal community features through morphodynamics, regional environmental factors may also account for deviations from the expected patterns. Here, we assess the concurrent effects of local morphodynamic factors and regional variables, such as sea surface...
This work compiles and updates Information onthedevelopmentofsurf clams'fisheriesof the genus Mesodesma in the coasts of South America. Landings, pnces and exportation valúes (when available), are analyzed for those countries where the species are present: Brazil, Argentine, Uruguay, Perú and Chile. A marked increase in catches during the 80's was...
Desde 1983, la Sección Recursos Bentónicos del Instituto Nacional de Pesca de Uruguay (INAPE) se halla abocada al estudio de la pesquería de almeja amarilla Mesodesma mactroides (Deshayes, 1854), tomando en cuenta como puntos básicos la interdependencia de variables biológicas y socioeconómicas que pudiesen incidir en la misma. El presente trabajo...
Beach erosion is a complex process influenced by multiple factors operating at different spatial scales. Local (e.g., waves, tides, grain size, beach width and coastal development) and regional (e.g., sea level rise and mean sea level pressure) factors both shape erosion processes. A comprehensive understanding of how these drivers collectively imp...
Longlining represents a cost-effective fishing modality for catching tuna, but its use is contentious due to the unintended catch of endangered, threatened, and protected (ETP) species. In 2000, longlining was banned in the Galapagos Marine Reserve, Ecuador. Since then, local small-scale fishers have contested this decision. In contrast, longlining...
1. Over recent decades, our understanding of climate change has accelerated greatly, but unfortunately, observable impacts have increased in tandem. Both mitigation and adaptation have not progressed at the level or scale warranted by our collective knowledge on climate change. More effective approaches to engage people on current and future anthro...
A primary goal of the Illuminating Hidden Harvest (IHH) study is to develop more comprehensive and reliable global estimates of the catch of small-scale fisheries, as well as of the interactions of these fisheries with the environment. This chapter addresses the following questions: (1) What are the contributions of small-scale fisheries to the glo...
In 2000, longline fishing was banned inside the Galapagos Marine Reserve to prevent illegal fishing of sharks and bycatch of endangered, threatened, and protected (ETP) species. Despite local management institutions possess one of the most sophisticated control and surveillance systems in the Eastern Tropical Central Pacific, statistical and anecdo...
Climate change impacts on fishery resources have been widely reported worldwide. Nevertheless, a knowledge gap remainsvfor the warm-temperate Southwest Atlantic Ocean—a global warming hotspot that sustains important industrial and small-scale fisheries. By combining a trait-based framework and long-term landing records, we assessed species’ sensiti...
Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) has become a priority for many states wanting to develop national blue economy plans and meet international obligations in response to the increasing cumulative impacts of human activities and climate change. In areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ), MSP is proposed as part of a package of solutions for multi-secto...
Large-scale spatial and temporal variability in environmental conditions may result in differences in life-history traits, population demography, and abundance of sandy-beach species. We analyzed the effects of salinity, chlorophyll a (chl a), and sea surface temperature (SST) on population parameters of the wedge clam Donax hanleyanus from 75 Sout...
The blue shark (Prionace glauca) is one of the most abundant and wide-ranging shark species in the world, and also one of the most heavily fished and traded. However, available information is disproportionately distributed across its range, and many aspects of its biology are still poorly understood, limiting our capacity to assess stock status and...
The sandy beaches that fringe much of the world’s oceans are the most sought-after venue for recreation and tourism on our home planet. However, the value of sandy shores goes well beyond simple recreation, fun and enjoyment. The social-ecological system comprising the sandy littoral zone has diverse intrinsic values, not just in ecosystem services...
Sandy shores are highly regarded as sites for recreation, places to play in the sun, sea, and sand. In contrast, very little attention is given to beaches as ecosystems that support diverse biological communities, and comprise essential ecological infrastructure that provides numerous ecosystem services to people over and above recreation. Therefor...
To assess how sandy beach biodiversity is influenced by the effects of environmental features and urbanization, we sampled the macrofauna in the whole across-shore gradient of 90 beach sites in Southeast Brazil. We found that morphodynamic features were the main drivers of macrobenthos, but urbanization-related variables, such as number of beachgoe...
Ecosystem engineers can modify the environment, affecting the associated community. Studies of mussels as ecosystem engineers have been conducted mostly in the rocky intertidal zone, while those in sedimentary intertidals have been relatively scarce. The present study assessed the effect of varying densities of Brachidontes rodriguezii on local env...
Changes in the structure and dynamics of sandy beach macrofaunal populations result from the simultaneous action of local and regional factors acting synergistically. This is particularly noticeable in transitional interfaces between freshwater and marine ecosystems, where large-scale gradients affect local beach morphodynamics and resident fauna....
Tagging studies are a fundamental tool for understanding fish population dynamics. Choosing the right tag type, however, is of major importance, as properties such as shedding rate can affect estimates of mortality, abundance, and movement rates. Here, we provide tag-specific recapture rates for blue sharks (Prionace glauca) and assess the retentio...
The biodiversity of marine and coastal habitats is experiencing unprecedented change. While there are well-known drivers of these changes, such as overexploitation, climate change and pollution, there are also relatively unknown emerging issues that are poorly understood or recognized that have potentially positive or negative impacts on marine and...
Sandy beaches are part of an integral social-ecological system whose management has to encompass the natural and societal features of the catchment and the adjacent marine area, as well as the beach itself. Using a multi-use and complex beach system in Uruguay, the La Coronilla and Barra del Chuy resort, we interrogate those natural and societal fe...
Sandy beach macrofaunal communities are mainly structured by the independent response of species to the harsh physical environment. The theoretical framework for sandy beach ecology has been mainly developed on the basis of the outstanding role of morphodynamic factors on resident fauna in this narrow land-sea interface. In the case of supralittora...
The yellow clam Mesodesma mactroides is a cool-water species that typifies sandy beaches of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean (SAO), which embraces one of the strongest ocean warming hotspots. The region is influenced by the Rio de la Plata (RdlP), which represents a zoogeographic barrier that restricts its larval exchange. We investigated yellow cla...
Small-scale fisheries (SSFs) provide food security, livelihood, and employment to millions of people around the world. Whereas the urgency of securing sustainable SSFs is widely recognized, the governance characteristics that promote sustainability are poorly understood. This study evaluates the performance and governance of SSFs in 20 countries in...
Many studies have demonstrated human impacts on sandy beach macroinvertebrates. However, little is known about causative drivers among multiple co-occurring stressors and how these interact with natural habitat conditions to yield specific faunal responses. We performed a global meta-analysis to shed light on how interactions between human disturba...
The concurrent role of morphodynamics and estuarine gradients in shaping population patterns in sandy beach macrofauna has not been adequately assessed. Here, we analyze the effects of beach morphodynamics, salinity, sea surface temperature, and chlorophyll-a (chl-a) on life-history traits of the wedge clam Donax hanleyanus in four sandy beaches lo...
Small-scale fisheries (SSF) are critical to food systems and livelihoods. However, the relation between fisheries resilience, outcomes of proximate and distal drivers and the potential space for transformative changes have been largely unexplored. Such knowledge is key to understanding how fishery resources, institutions and actors respond to, and...
All clam fisheries in the western Mediterranean Sea have dramatically declined in the last few decades. Recently, most have collapsed in Spain, resulting in job loss for hundreds of small-scale fishers. However, insufficient attention has been given to the profound significance of this socio-ecological crisis. We evaluated the historical, social, a...
The complexity of global changes and their effects on social-ecological systems motivate the development of more integrated and innovative management approaches to balance the society-nature relationship. With the challenge of meeting global demands and considering local impacts, Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) emerges as an assessment and action...
Small-scale fisheries and aquaculture (SSFA) provide livelihoods for over 100 million people and sustenance for ~1 billion people, particularly in the Global South. Aquatic foods are distributed through diverse supply chains, with the potential to be highly adaptable to stresses and shocks, but face a growing range of threats and adaptive challenge...
As sites of floating marine material deposition, sandy beaches accumulate marine litter. While research and assessment on beach litter is increasing and involves various actors (scientists, society and NGOs), there is the need to assess current and future dominant trends, directions and priorities in that research. As such, a textural co-occurrence...
Approximately half of the world’s ice‐free ocean coastline is composed of sandy beaches, which support a higher level of recreational use than any other ecosystem. However, the contribution of sandy beaches to societal welfare is under increasing risk from local and non‐local pressures, including expanding human development and climate‐related stre...
Small-scale fisheries and aquaculture (SSFA) provide livelihoods for over 100 million people and sustenance for ~1 billion people, particularly in the Global South. Aquatic foods are distributed through diverse supply chains, with the potential to be highly adaptable to stresses and shocks, but face a growing range of threats and adaptive challenge...
Sandy beaches combine a highly documented ecological relevance with a widely acknowledged human development potential. Management of these mainly physically-driven ecosystems is a complex task that relies primarily on ranking protocols for site assessment, which is a procedure dependent on expert perceptions. This approach fails to address the syst...
Abstract.Distribution and population dynamics of the Asiatic clam Corbicula fluminea (Bivalvia, Corbiculidae) in rivers of Uruguay. The Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea) is a bivalve native to southeast Asia, introduced into the River Plate Basin to the end of the sixties. Since then, it has invaded a large number of watercourses in Brazil and Argent...
The Rio de la Plata and the adjacent Atlantic Ocean are covered by the most significant amount of environmental cooperation in the Southwest Atlantic. There are joint agreements between Uruguay and Argentina and their institutions, and there is a long history of bi-national fisheries management and maritime traffic organizations. However, these agr...
In a nutshell:
1. Sandy beach ecosystems make up half of the world’s ice-free ocean coastlines and function as social-ecological systems.
2. No other ecosystem on the planet carries such a high level of recreational use, which is increasing worldwide as demand for leisure time rises.
3. We illustrate a global trend in social-ecological shifts and c...
The wedge clam Donax hanleyanus Philippi, 1845 is a conspicuous member of the sandy beach macrofauna along hundreds of kilometres in the northern coasts of Argentina. Age, growth, mortality, and productivity of this species were assessed in the southernmost limit of its distribution range (Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires province, Argentina). The param...
Despite the global occurrence of microplastic contamination on sandy beaches, evidence of microplastic distribution within beaches remains contradictory. When conflicting evidence is used to inform sampling surveys, it increases uncertainty in resulting data. Moreover, it hampers spatially explicit risk characterization of microplastic pollution to...
Small-scale fisheries in developing regions are particularly vulnerable to climate change, but the assessment of climate-induced changes and impacts are often hampered by the data poor-situation of these social-ecological systems. Based on 40 years of scientific and local ecological knowledge, we provide a coherent narrative about the effects of a...
The across-shore distribution of arthropods in two Uruguayan sandy beach-dune systems with contrasting morphodynamics was investigated. A deconstructive analysis was performed to describe faunal changes from the dunes to the shoreline. The Habitat Safety Hypothesis (HSH), which states that sandy beach supralittoral species are more abundant in the...
The yellow clam (Mesodesma mactroides) is a cool-water species that is harvested by artisanal fishers along warm-temperate sandy beaches of the Atlantic coast of South America. This region represents a major global-warming hotspot, where sea surface temperature has been dramatically increasing since the mid-1990s, when a shift in the ocean–climate...
As a land-sea interface, the fingerprints of climate perturbations may be immediately and profoundly felt in sandy beaches and the macroinvertebrates they harbour. In particular, extreme climatological events can result in long-lasting or irreversible ecological changes, and therefore, it has become critical to understand how these ecosystems respo...
Studies comparing the distribution of genetic diversity may help revealing connectivity patterns in marine populations, as they allow identifying factors behind genetic population structure and elucidating the relationship between the habitat and resident species. The macrofauna of sandy beaches constitutes an interesting study subject, since it in...
La FAO ha promovido el enfoque ecosistémico de la pesca (EEP) como una aproximación
holística dirigida a mejorar la situación crítica de la pesca a nivel mundial. A pesar de la amplia aceptación del EEP, se desconoce el grado en que la adopción de dicho marco
condujo, en la práctica, a cambios reales en los sistemas de gestión. Esta publicación
ana...
Many major and mega-cities have developed on coasts worldwide, thereby increasing reliance on coasts for human habitation and infra-
structure, commerce and industry (ports and transport), and tourism and recreation (Small and Nicholls, 2003; Defeo et al., 2009; Sengupta et al., 2020; Defeo et al., in revision). This results from the benefits to hu...
The biophysical mechanisms influencing larval distribution and their impacts on the metapopulation dynamics of sandy beaches, particularly the connectivity patterns associated with larval dispersal, are poorly understood. Here, we identify larval connectivity patterns of the mole crab Emerita brasiliensis in the coast of Uruguay. A biophysical indi...
We present an interdisciplinary review of the observed and projected variations in atmospheric and oceanic circulation within the southwestern South Atlantic focused on basin-scale processes driven by climate change, and their potential impact on the regional fisheries. The observed patterns of atmospheric circulation anomalies are consistent with...
Sandy beaches are ecosystems under increasing human pressure that require efficient management and conservation strategies. Resident macroinvertebrates usually respond to disturbances by changing their behaviour and abundance, and therefore they may be used as indicator species using simple and low-cost monitoring strategies. We synthesize informat...
The rapid urban population growth and coastal infrastructure development worldwide add dimensionality and complexity to the management process in sandy shores, and therefore the development of beach quality indices that take into account the increasing role of urbanization are particularly relevant. This work analyses the potential of human populat...
More than two months after an oil spill impacted almost 2,500 km of coastline in Northeastern Brazil, hundreds of beaches, estuaries, reefs, and mangroves are still being threatened. Efforts coordinated by the Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente e dos Recursos Naturais Renováveis (IBAMA), in collaboration with the Brazilian Navy and multiple envi...
Muchas de las características poblacionales de organismos que habitan sistemas de playas arenosas estarían influenciadas por la morfodinámica costera, lo que se conoce como “Hipótesis de severidad de hábitat” (HHH; Defeo et al. 2001), la cual predice que las especies intermareales presentan mayores abundancias y tasas de crecimiento, fecundidad, pe...
Knowledge on the status and trends in marine biodiversity, and associated drivers of biodiversity change across the Americas is sparse and geographically uneven. International cooperation is needed to fill observational gaps at these geographic scales and provide information to satisfy policy targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development a...
Distribution, abundance and life history traits of marine fish and invertebrates are increasingly affected by ocean warming. Consequently, landings of traditional fisheries and their
relative species composition could potentially be modified. The mean temperature of the catch (MTC) concept, which refers to the average inferred temperature preferenc...
Distribution, abundance and life history traits of marine fish and invertebrates are
increasingly affected by ocean warming. Consequently, landings of traditional fisheries and their relative species composition could potentially be modified. The mean temperature of the catch (MTC) concept, which refers to the average inferred temperature preferenc...
Organisms’ traits are increasingly being targeted to describe systems and their functionality. In ecological studies, analysis of traits’ as units are largely applied to communities, while the application of traits to taxonomic levels is receiving less attention. The project “Talitraits” was launched to target: 1) a relatively low taxonomic level,...
Since the beginning of the fishing industry in Uruguay, a variety of fishing activities began, evolved, and expanded into the deeper waters of the Uruguayan marine territory. The purpose of this study was to identify and map the Uruguayan higher intensity fishing areas over a 58-year time span. The concept of métier was used, which allows the group...
