Macro-regional strategy for the Mediterranean: Maritime & marine strategies

Viral nervous necrosis (VNN) is the most important viral disease affecting farmed fish in the Mediterranean. The relevance of this disease as one of the main biological hazards for Mediterranean finfish farming has been particularly addressed in two recent H2020 projects: PerformFISH and MedAID. The presence of the virus in the environment and in the farming systems poses a serious menace for the development of the Mediterranean finfish aquaculture. Due to the potential severe impact, a holistic integrated management approach is the best strategy to control VNN in marine fish farms. This approach should include continuous surveillance and early and accurate diagnosis, essential for an early intervention when an outbreak occurs, the implementation of biosecurity and disinfection procedures in the production sites and systematic vaccination with effective vaccines. Outbreak management practices, clinical aspects, diagnostic techniques, and disinfections methods are reviewed in detail in this paper. Additionally, new strategies are becoming more relevant, such as the use of genetic resistant lines and boosting the fish immune system though nutrition.

This report analyses and evaluates the consistency, comparability and adequacy in the elements and parameters concerning the Descriptor 10 ((Properties and quantities of marine litter do not cause harm to the coastal and marine environment)), the application of methodological standards and the integration of results among MS and European marine regions. The main aim of the present report is to highlight gaps or limitations in current assessment and provides recommendations for improvement in the next MSFD reporting cycle of D10 criteria, GES determination and on the establishment of environmental targets.

The current report analyses the information provided by the European Union Member States (MS) on Descriptor 3 (D3) – populations of commercial species - of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). The reported information by the MS follows the Article 17 requirements of the MSFD for updating Articles 8, 9 and 10 of the Directive, for the last 6-year MSFD reporting cycle. By September 2020, 20 MS reported on D3 in electronic format. Concerning Article 8, all reporting MS assessed the primary criterion D3C2 and 19 of them assessed the primary criterion D3C1 for at least a single element (i.e. population of a commercial species).

The European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) aims at implementing a precautionary and holistic ecosystem-based approach for managing European marine waters. Marine mammals are included as a functional group for the assessment and reporting under Descriptor 1-Biodiversity. Conservation of mobile marine megafauna such as cetaceans requires transboundary cooperation, which the MSFD promotes through regional instruments, such as the Regional Sea Conventions and other regional cooperation structures such as ACCOBAMS (Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area). A questionnaire survey and an exploratory analysis of MSFD implementation in the Mediterranean and Black Seas were conducted. The analysis revealed (i) the saliency of cetacean conservation, and (ii) heterogeneity among countries in the implementation of the MSFD that may hinder transboundary collaboration. ACCOBAMS can stimulate collaboration among scientists involved in cetacean monitoring and can foster transboundary initiatives that would align with MSFD objectives.