Biological implications of recreational shore angling and harvest in a marine reserve: the case of Cape Creus

• 1. Recreational shore fishing along the coast of the marine reserve of Cap de Creus (NW Mediterranean) was studied in 2007 and 2009 based on roving creel surveys (on‐site angler surveys during which anglers' harvests are examined by the survey clerk). The study aimed to assess the biological impacts of this leisure activity on coastal fish stocks and the potential risks arising from the use of exotic baits.
• 2. Recreational shore fishers employ seven different fishing techniques, of which the bottom fishing rod (a fishing rod whose hooks, together with the bait, lie on the bottom or near it by means of a heavy weight) is by far the most widely used method (nearly 90% of observations). In total, 25 fish species were identified in the catch from the bottom fishing rod.
• 3. The estimated annual shore fishing catches (c.3 tons) are much lower than those obtained by recreational boat and spear fishing (c.20 tons each), and those from commercial (artisanal) fishing (c.50 tons). The weighted mean vulnerability index and trophic level values in the catch from the bottom fishing rod are 52.2 and 4.03, respectively.
• 4. A minimum of 43% of the baits used by the shore anglers were live, non‐native species (mostly polychaetes).
• 5. Overall, results highlight the impact of shore angling on coastal fish communities of a protected area and the increasing environmental risks arising from the use of exotic marine baits, which constitute a potential and unregulated vector of introduction of non‐native species in the Mediterranean. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

     

A new large‐scale and cost‐effective restoration method for cold‐water coral gardens

1. Gorgonians dwelling on the Mediterranean continental shelf are among the most frequent fishing bycatch taxa. These species display several traits, such as long lifespans and slow growth, which make them very vulnerable to the impacts caused by fishing activities with far‐reaching and long‐lasting effects.
2. Hence, restoration and mitigation actions are crucial to enhance and speed up the natural recovery of damaged cold‐water coral gardens. Given the growing concern to develop effective and affordable restoration actions, the present study aims to propose and technically validate a new large‐scale and cost‐effective restoration method.
3. This technique, named ‘badminton method', consists of attaching bycatch Eunicella cavolini colonies to cobble supports and returning them to the continental shelf by gently throwing the gorgonian transplants directly from a boat.
4. Two consecutive field experiments were conducted in order to find the best cobble type support and gorgonian size to be used: first, to evaluate the landing efficiency of gorgonian transplants at different depths (from 5 to 30 m) and second, to evaluate their capability to maintain a correct position over time.
5. Natural cobbles with large gorgonians attached were the best option. Field results and modelling approaches suggest that the transplants would correctly land on the continental shelf seabed in a predicted area of around 60 m². Moreover, they would successfully maintain an upright position ensuring gorgonian survival over time.
6. The success of this method highlights the feasibility of large‐scale and low‐cost restoration actions with promising results for the conservation and recovery of cold‐water coral gardens.

     

Study of some Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains for winemaking after preadaptation at low temperatures

Low-temperature fermentations (13 degrees C) are considered to improve wine aromatic profiles. However, because the risk of stuck and sluggish fermentations is high, these fermentations are not common. The aim of this paper was to analyze the effect of different preadaptation protocols in two commercial wine strains on the fermentation and some wine parameters. Preadaptation is understood to be the process between the rehydration of active dry yeast and the inoculation. In this study, it consisted of preparing a fermentation starter (addition of yeast grown at 25 degrees C) or inocula preadapted at low temperatures (as before, but grown at a fermentation temperature of 13 or 17 degrees C). These results were compared with those of rehydrated active dry yeast, and a commercial "cryotolerant" yeast was used as a reference. General fermentation kinetic parameters, yeast imposition, nitrogen consumption, and main wine products were analyzed. The results showed that the preadaptation of a yeast could improve the fermentation performance, although this improvement was strain-dependent. Low-temperature fermentations also had some general effects: reduction of acetic acid and fusel alcohol production and increased concentrations of glycerol. When the yeast performed better in fermentation because of preadaptation, nitrogen consumption was faster and the wine's "negative" attributes (acetic acid, fusel alcohols) were significantly reduced. Thus, in some strains, preadaptation could be an effective mechanism for improving low-temperature fermentation, which also significantly reduces detrimental wine attributes.     

Badger hair in shaving brushes comes from protected Eurasian badgers

The Eurasian badger (Meles meles) is included in Appendix III of the Bern Convention and protected by national laws in many European countries. Badger hair is used to manufacture luxury shaving brushes, although it is frequently argued that the hog badger (Arctonyx collaris), which in Europe is an introduced and unprotected species, is the origin of the hair used. We applied an extraction protocol to recover DNA from the unrooted hair of shaving brushes obtained from commercial companies in The Netherlands and Spain. The tested brushes originated from The Netherlands, Spain, France, Italy and the United Kingdom where the Eurasian badger is a protected species. We sequenced 191 bp of the mitochondrial DNA control region and 170 bp of the cytochrome b gene and compared the sequences obtained with Eurasian badger and hog badger reference sequences of the same mitochondrial DNA regions obtained in our laboratory and from GenBank. Sequences obtained from four shaving brushes were clearly hog badger sequences, whereas four sequences clustered with Eurasian badger sequences of both European and Asian origins. One of the shaving brushes made of Eurasian badger was produced in France, where it is legal to capture or trade the species under certain conditions. The remaining three brushes originated from The Netherlands, where it is illegal to possess, sell, transport or use for commercial purposes dead Eurasian badgers or products derived from them.     

Accurate determination of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole in wines at low parts per trillion by solid-phase microextraction followed by GC-ECD

A headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) procedure at 30 degrees C with a 100 microm PDMS fiber of a saturated NaCl solution stirred at 1100 rpm combined to GC-ECD for the 2,4,6-trichloroanisol (TCA) determination in wines has been developed. Due to the matrix complexity and ethanol absorption into the fiber, the internal standard selection was crucial to obtain unbiased results. Thus, matrix effects were observed when analyzing different types of Spanish wines (white, early, and vintage red wines) spiked with TCA at low concentration levels (i.e., <40 ng L(-)(1)). In contrast, the use of 2,4,6-tribromoanisole (TBA) as internal standard overcame these matrix effects, whereas the use of 2,4,6-trichlorophenyl ethyl ether led to inconsistent results. The developed HS-SPME-GC-ECD methodology reaches a limit of quantitation for TCA in wine within 2.9-18 ng L(-)(1), with a relative standard deviation of 2.5-13.4%, depending on the TCA concentration level and wine characteristics. This analytical method is comparable to the existing methodologies based on HS-SPME followed by GC-MS in terms of accuracy, precision, length of determination, and length of quantification; however, analysis cost is reduced.     

Influence of vine training and sunlight exposure on the 3-alkyl-2-methoxypyrazines content in musts and wines from the Vitis vinifera variety cabernet sauvignon

The influence of vine training and sunlight exposure on the 3-alkyl-2-methoxypyrazines contents in musts and wines was studied by means of two previously reported methods based on headspace solid-phase micro-extraction. Experimental samples were monitored throughout grape ripening and wine making. 3-Isobutyl-2-methoxypyrazine, 3-sec-butyl-2-methoxypyrazine and 3-isopropyl-2-methoxypyrazine were identified. The 3-isobutyl-2-methoxypyrazine content decreased throughout grape ripening in all of the sample types studied. After 1 day of maceration with the skins, there was an increase, but after racking, no further increase was observed. No significant differences between samples were found during grape ripening. Wines from goblet-trained vines, however, contained significantly less 3-isobutyl-2-methoxypyrazine. Clusters protected from sunlight since the beginning of the veraison resulted in wines with a significantly lower content of this compound than the control samples.     

Managing forests for climate change mitigation

Forests currently absorb billions of tons of CO2 globally every year, an economic subsidy worth hundreds of billions of dollars if an equivalent sink had to be created in other ways. Concerns about the permanency of forest carbon stocks, difficulties in quantifying stock changes, and the threat of environmental and socioeconomic impacts of large-scale reforestation programs have limited the uptake of forestry activities in climate policies. With political will and the involvement of tropical regions, forests can contribute to climate change protection through carbon sequestration as well as offering economic, environmental, and sociocultural benefits. A key opportunity in tropical regions is the reduction of carbon emissions from deforestation and degradation.     

Efficient preparation of catechin thio conjugates by one step extraction/depolymerization of pine (Pinus pinaster) bark procyanidins

The skin penetrating antioxidant cysteamine derivative of (-)-epicatechin as well as other thio conjugates were efficiently obtained with high yields from pine (Pinus pinaster) bark by simultaneous one pot extraction and depolymerization using water and cysteamine hydrochloride. The influence of the concentration of bark, acid, and cysteamine, as well as the reaction time on the total conversion, was studied. The total conversion into the epicatechin and catechin conjugates was as high as 47 g/kg pine bark with 1666 g cysteamine/kg bark and 28 g/kg with 166 g cysteamine/kg bark. A fast cleanup step by absorption/desorption on XAD-16 greatly facilitated further purification of the active major component. At a pilot scale, 4beta-(2-aminoethylthio)epicatechin (1) (conversion 263 g, purity 35% by reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography/weight) was obtained from 17 kg of pine bark after simultaneous extraction/depolymerization followed by cleanup with the polymeric resin in approximately 10 h. The results show that pine (P. pinaster) bark is a suitable source of flavanols for the preparation of active thio derivatives. Conditions are given for the fast and efficient preparation of the conjugates.     

Procyanidin fractions from pine (Pinus pinaster) bark: radical scavenging power in solution, antioxidant activity in emulsion, and antiproliferative effect in melanoma cells

Pine (Pinus pinaster) bark is a rich source of procyanidin oligomers. From a total polyphenolic extract, we have generated fractions of different procyanidin composition. The mixtures, devoid of gallate esters, were active as free radical scavengers against ABTS(*+), DPPH, and HNTTM. Pine bark fractions were tested for antioxidant activity in solution (hydrogen donation and electron transfer) and emulsion (inhibition of lipid peroxidation) and compared with their galloylated counterparts from grape origin. While galloylation clearly influenced the free radical scavenging efficiency in solution, it did not seem to play a determinant role in protection against lipid peroxidation in emulsion. The fractions were very mild inhibitors of cell proliferation. Because gallate esters appear to interfere with crucial cell functions, gallate free pine procyanidins may be the innocuous chemopreventative agents of choice for many applications in food and skin protection.