Walter ZupaCOISPA Tecnologia & Ricerca · stazione sperimentale per lo studio delle risorse del mare
Walter Zupa
Ph.D. in Marine Sciences
About
78
Publications
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1,275
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Introduction
Education
February 2006 - March 2009
October 1996 - November 2005
Publications
Publications (78)
The use of fish meal/oil in carnivorous fish feeds remains a concern for the environmental sustainability of aquaculture. In this study, we investigated the impact of an innovative diet designed to be cost-effective and environmentally sustainable (i.e., 60% replacement of fish meal by a blend of plant, yeast [Saccharomyces cerevisiae], and krill m...
In the Mediterranean Sea, pelagic longline fisheries, targeting tuna and swordfish, have contributed significantly to the bycatch of threatened chondrichthyan species, such as blue shark (Prionace glauca). The Mediterranean blue shark population is assessed as critically endangered, making a timely implementation of mitigation measures crucial. A c...
Predicting range shifts of marine species under different CO2 emission scenarios is of paramount importance to understand spatial potential changes in a context of climate change and to ensure appropriate management, in particular in areas where resources are critical to fisheries. Important tools which use environmental variables to infer range li...
The current study examined the effect of environmental, operational, temporal and catch-related variables on the discard quantities of four species subject to the EU landing obligation (Merluccius merluccius, European hake, HKE; Parapenaeus longirostris, deep-water rose shrimp, DPS; Mullus barbatus, red mullet, MUT; Trachurus trachurus, horse macke...
The large use of fish meal/fish oil in carnivorous fish feeds is the main concern regarding environmental sustainability of aquaculture. Here, we evaluated the effects of an innovative diet, designed to be (1) environmentally sustainable by lowering the marine protein content while being (2) cost effective by using sustainable alternative raw mater...
Spatial fisheries management is widely used to reduce overfishing, rebuild stocks, and protect biodiversity. However, the effectiveness and optimization of spatial measures depend on accurately identifying ecologically meaningful areas, which can be difficult in mixed fisheries. To apply a method generally to a range of target species, we developed...
Sharks, rays, and chimaeras (chondrichthyans) play a crucial role in marine ecosystem functioning but are highly vulnerable to fishing. Hence, understanding the spatial overlap between chondrichthyans and fishing effort is essential for effective conservation and management. Here, we propose an integrated approach that combines Vessel Monitoring Sy...
Background
The demosponge Hymeniacidon perlevis is characterized by wide geographic distribution and great adaptability to numerous and highly variable climatic and hydrological conditions. Indeed, the species can colonize many different environments, including several unusual ones, such as concrete drainage conduits of a marine land-based fish far...
The objective of WKFISHDISH2 was to develop a standardized and open-source way of routinely using trawl survey data to produce distribution maps which can be easily updated. To do so, workshop participants (i) reviewed models that can produce distribution maps from survey data in DATRAS and MEDITS formats, (ii) considered best practice guidance for...
The objective of WKFISHDISH2 was to develop a standardized and open-source way of routinely using trawl survey data to produce distribution maps which can be easily updated. To do so, workshop participants (i) reviewed models that can produce distribution maps from survey data in DATRAS and MEDITS formats, (ii) considered best practice guidance for...
Effectiveness of restocking programs in Marine Fully Protected Areas' (FPAs) can be highly affected by the movement behavior of the species to protect. We analyzed the data of 744 Palinurus elephas specimens tagged, relocated inside 12 FPAs, established in the seas surrounding Sardinia (central-western Mediterranean), and then recaptured. The overa...
The bamboo coral Isidella elongata is a forest-forming alcyonacean that dwells on deep-sea soft bottoms and is presently found in the Otranto Channel (Southern Adriatic Sea). In this study, we explored the spatial distribution and the demographic structure of the I. elongata facies (IF) over time, along with the diversity of IF-associated fauna in...
Stress coping styles (SCSs) are defined as coherent sets of individual physiological and behavioral differences in stress response consistent across time and context and are described in a wide range of taxa, including fishes. These differences in behavior and physiology are of great interest because they may have direct implications on animal heal...
Lead Partner COISPA Tecnologia & Ricerca in Consortium with University of Alicante (UA), Consorzio per il Centro Interuniversitario di Biologia Marina ed Ecologia Applicata “G. Bacci” di Livorno (CIBM), NISEA Società cooperativa, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries of Split (IOF), Institute of Oceanol...
Physiological real-time monitoring could help to prevent health and welfare issues in farmed fishes. Among physiological features that can be of interest for such purposes, there is the metabolic rate. Its measurement remains, however, difficult to be implemented in the field. Thus, mapping the fish acceleration recorded by tag with the oxygen cons...
The Working Group on Fisheries Benthic Impact and Trade-offs (WGFBIT) develops methods
and performs assessments to evaluate benthic impact from fisheries at regional scale, while con-
sidering fisheries and seabed impact trade-offs.
In this report, new fishery benthic impact assessments are carried out for several sub-regions in
the Mediterranean (...
Some of the factors that influence fish growth are intrinsic (e.g. genetic and physiological), while others are environmentally driven (e.g. temperature, food availability). Growth, therefore, has biological but also ecological implications, as it is influenced by the environment in terms of energy flow.
In this study, the growth patterns of the st...
The Norwegian skate Dipturus nidarosiensis (Storm, 1881) has only recently been recorded in the western-central Mediterranean Sea. It was hypothesized a more ancient presence of the species, which has not been detected due to a misidentification with other species of the same genus. This situation could lead to underestimate the risk of a dramatic...
Measurement of metabolic rates provides a valuable proxy for the energetic costs of different living activities. However, such measurements are not easy to perform in free-swimming fish. Therefore, mapping acceleration from accelerometer tags with oxygen consumption rates (MO2) is a promising method to counter these limitations and could represent...
Both the conventional and organic aquaculture sectors have grown rapidly over the past few years. Moreover, welfare has attracted increased attention on the part of both consumers and governments. However, fish welfare assessment is complex and thus needs to adapt measurements that are easily applicable to aquaculture conditions. In this study, in...
The lack of information on age validation often affects ageing studies in cartilaginous fish, even in the most common species. Recently, the annual growth band deposition pattern has been directly validated for thornback ray in the Mediterranean Basin, thus providing a highly reliable protocol for age reading. In this regard, taking advantage of th...
The presence of invasive species in the Mediterranean Sea is much higher than in other European seas, and understanding the reasons behind the range expansion of this invasive species is important for minimising any possible impacts to the already highly pressurised Mediterranean marine ecosystem. In this work, a brief description of sightings of t...
Summary:
https://marine.copernicus.eu/news/ocean-state-report-5-summary-now-available
Full report:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1755876X.2021.1946240
Metabolic rates are linked to the energetic costs of different activities of an animal’s life. However, measuring the metabolic rate in free-swimming fish remains challenging due to the lack of possibilities to perform these direct measurements in the field. Thus, the calibration of acoustic transmitters with the oxygen consumption rate (MO2) could...
Despite being commonly recognized by the general public, knowledge about the biology and life-history of electric rays is still scarce. Globally, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, more of the 80% of the species belonging to the Torpedinidae family are, indeed, classified as Data Deficient, so as, in most of the cases,...
Raja clavata is the most widespread and landed skate species in the Mediterranean Basin. Despite its diffusion and economic importance, several aspects of its life history, such as age and growth, are poorly understood. This study evaluated the species’ growth in the South Adriatic Sea (Central Mediterranean Sea) and for the first time attempted an...
Background
Telemetry applied to aquatic organisms has recently developed greatly. Physiological sensors have been increasingly used as tools for fish welfare monitoring. However, for the technology to be used as a reliable welfare indicator, it is important that the tagging procedure does not disrupt fish physiology, behaviour and performance. In t...
Three groups of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) were fed for seven months, with either a conventional diet or two different organic diets, which contain organic vegetables and a natural antioxidant compound. The two organic diets differed themselves in terms of raw proteins, fish oil, and lipid contents. Sea bass welfare condition was asse...
The bamboo coral Isidella elongata is a key structuring species on deep muddy bottoms, which has suffered severe consequences from bottom-fishing activities, as it often co-occurs with precious fishery resources such as red shrimps. A five-year series of data collected during a scientific trawl survey was used to localize the presence and to charac...
In aquaculture, fish species may experience stressful episodes caused by poor farming conditions. The exponential increase of global aquaculture has raised the number of research studies aimed at demonstrating the sensitivity of aquatic animals in confined environments. The development of a real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry methods were invest...
As other vertebrates, fish differ on an individual basis in their responses to disturbance (i.e. stress) and in their capacity for adaptation to environmental change. This individual stress-coping style (SCS) might have an impact on the individual welfare in aquaculture facilities. However, most of the studies about the behavioral and physiological...
Background
Recently, telemetry applied to the aquatic organisms had a great development. Progressively, physiological sensors were used, as tools for fish welfare monitoring. However, it is important that tagging procedure does not disrupt fish physiology, behavior and performances to be used as a reliable non-invasive welfare indicator. In this co...
Background: Telemetry applied to aquatic organisms has recently developed greatly. Physiological sensors have been increasingly used as tools for fish welfare monitoring. However, for the technology to be used as a reliable non-invasive welfare indicator, it is important that the tagging procedure does not disrupt fish physiology, behaviour and per...
Background: Telemetry applied to aquatic organisms has recently developed greatly. Physiological sensors have been increasingly used as tools for fish welfare monitoring. However, for the technology to be used as a reliable welfare indicator, it is important that the tagging procedure does not disrupt fish physiology, behaviour and performance. In...
Welfare in farmed fish got particular attention during the last decades from both governmental and public sides. In aquaculture context, welfare concerns are mainly related to handling procedures, water quality and stoking densities. In Europe, authorities had to clarify the threshold limits of stocking densities to maintain fish good welfare, incl...
In this study we investigated the spatio-temporal distribution of gurnards (8 species of Triglidae and one species of Peristediidae) in the northern Mediterranean Sea using 22 years of MEDITS bottom trawl survey data (1994-2015). Gurnards showed significant differences in terms of abundance, dominance and composition among geographical sub-areas an...
The main characteristics concerning the distribution of two of the most important decapod crustaceans of commercial interest in the Mediterranean Sea, the deep-water rose shrimp, Parapenaeus longirostris, and the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus, are studied in the European Mediterranean waters. The study is based on data collected under the MED...
Stocking density is considered a stress factor for fish and is therefore one of the numerous concerns about fish welfare in an aquaculture context. Stress coping styles (SCS) are defined as a coherent set of individual physiological and behavioral differences in stress responses that are consistent across time and context and appear to be promising...
Summary: Marine litter is one of the main sources of anthropogenic pollution in the marine ecosystem, with plastic representing a global threat. This paper aims to assess the spatial distribution of plastic macro-litter on the seafloor, identifying accumulation hotspots at a northern Mediterranean scale. Density indices (items km–2) from the MEDITS...
The uncertainty in age estimation by otolith reading may be at the root of the large variability in red mullet (Mullus barbatus) growth models in the Mediterranean. In the MEDITS survey, red mullet age data are produced following the same sampling protocol and otolith reading methodology. However, ageing is assigned using different interpretation s...
The present study provides updated information on the occurrence, abundance and biomass distribution patterns and length frequencies of Merluccius merluccius in the Mediterranean Sea, by analysing a time series of data from the Mediterranean International Trawl Surveys (MEDITS) from 1994 to 2015. The highest values of abundance and biomass were obs...
Thanks to the availability of the MEDITS survey data, a standardized picture of the occurrence and abundance of demersal Chondrichthyes in the northern Mediterranean has been obtained. During the spring-summer period between 2012 and 2015, 41 Chondrichthyes, including 18 sharks (5 orders and 11 families), 22 batoids (3 orders and 4 families) and 1...
Small‐scale driftnets (SSDs) have been historically used in the Mediterranean without major environmental concern. The introduction of large‐scale driftnets caused unwanted catches of protected species. Specific regulations were therefore issued in European waters, culminating in a proposed moratorium on SSDs. This study aimed to characterise the S...
The oocyte maturation and spawning pattern of European hake Merluccius merluccius, one of the most important species in the Mediterranean fishery, were investigated using data collected in a scientific trawl survey (Mediterranean International Trawl Survey, MEDITS) as well as commercial landing data collected in several geographical sub-areas (GSAs...
The Norwegian skate Dipturus nidarosiensis (Storm, 1881) has only recently been
recorded in the western Mediterranean Sea along the coast of southern Sardinia, off
Algeria and the Alboran Sea. The present study confirmed the presence of the species
in the Central Mediterranean Sea by identifying morphometric, morphological features
and molecular ma...
The effects of social hierarchies (dominant/subordinate individuals), such as aggressiveness, feeding order, and territoriality, are some of the characteristics used for describing fish behaviour. Social hierarchy patterns are still poorly understood in European-reared sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). In this work, we examine the social interaction...
Length (mm) and Weight (g) of European seabass involved in the experiment.
(PDF)
Haematological and serological parameters (Glucose [mg dL-1]; Lactate [mg dL-1]; Cortisol [ng mL-1]; Lysozyme [μg mL-1 HEWL]; HCT [%]; Hb [g dL-1]; RBCC [106 cells mm-3]), for each fish at the beginning and at the end of the experiment.
(PDF)
Electromyogram (EMG) by hierarchy position of specimens and time (experiment day).
(PDF)
Number of attacks carried out by fish per experiment day.
(PDF)
The growth of Mullus barbatus has been widely studied using different methods, but no previous study has focused on age validation. The uncertainty in estimating the age of the red mullet by otolith reading is linked to the number of false-growth increments laid down before the annulus. The capture of red mullets in the early life stage allowed us...
Data collected in the central-southern Tyrrhenian, southern Adriatic and western Ionian seas have been used to analyze the maturation cycle and sex composition of the catches of Diplodus annularis (L., 1758) and to estimate the size at first maturity for both sexes. Results indicated that the reproduction period is wide, with a peak in early spring...
Muscular activity patterns in red and white muscles linked to oxygen consumption were studied during critical swimming tests in the sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax Linnaeus 1758). The species is one of the most important for Mediterranean Sea aquaculture. A sigmoid model was used to fit both the oxygen consumption and red muscle activity while the w...
In fish, social defeat refers to losing a confrontation among conspecific animals. This could represent a powerful stressor that can lead to drastic changes in animal physiology and behaviour. It is increasingly clear that individuality in stress reactions has to be included in the concept of animal welfare. Aggressiveness and feeding order are the...
The main important reproductive aspects of Mullus barbatus, one of the most important target species for the fishery in the Mediterranean basin, have been studied on the basis of MEDITS trawl survey and sampling of commercial landing. The total length (TL) of females has been demonstrated to be positively correlated with egg sizes and plasmatic con...
Small driftnets of limited length and relatively small mesh size to catch small/medium sized species have been used for generations by many artisanal fleets along the Mediterranean coasts, without major environmental concerns. Problems started in the late 70s-80s when the use of driftnets with larger meshes and much greater overall size targeting m...
Fishing for deep-water red shrimps by gill net in the Ischia island (Central-Southern Tyrrhenian Sea) is carried out in late spring-summer and it show a high degree of specialization to the target species, both in terms of weight and number of specimens (respectively 45% and 75%). The adult fraction of the population is particularly vulnerable to t...
Groups of adult sea bass were reared at either low (10 kg m−3) or high (50 kg m−3) stocking densities respectively for 84 and 116 days. To monitor the red muscle activity, about 20 fish from both densities were surgically implanted with EMG (Electromyograms) radio transmitters, after EMG calibration during exhaustive swimming exercise (Ucrit test)....
Galeus melastomus blackmouth catshark is widely distributed in eastern Atlantic Ocean and in all Mediterranean sea. It is caught by the commercial vessels mostly through bottom trawl and long-lines and represents one of the most abundant shark species in Italian seas. Despite the wide diffusion significant gaps still exist on knowledge of its repro...