The present research documents new distributional records of two gobioid fishes, Acentrogobius vanderloosi Allen, 2015 and Pseudogobius fulvicaudus Huang, Shao, and Chen, 2014 from the southeastern coast of India. Indian coastal waters provide suitable habitats for many gobioid fishes due to its varied ecosystems. The confusion over the identity of a number of gobioid fishes in India suggests the need for more studies on these fishes to better understand their diversity, taxonomy, and geographical distribution. The present record of these species from the southeastern coast of India expands the known distribution of these species.

The goals of this paper are to: define terms relevant to industrially induced, but unintentional, trauma to whales; place the issue in a context of the prevalence of such mortalities in North American east coast waters; examine pertinent case studies; summarise the resultant pathobiology; and from this infer likely welfare concerns.

Baited trap or pot fisheries are considered to have relatively few wider ecosystem effects on the marine environment, particularly when compared with towed mobile fishing gear. However, this assumption is rarely tested in the field. This study aimed to determine the composition of non-target species that occur in crustacean pots and to assess spatial and temporal differences in catches in the waters around the Isle of Man, Irish Sea. The data were collected using fishery independent surveys and a questionnaire study. Based on fishery independent surveys, a total of five taxonomic groups and 43 species occurred as by-catch. The dominant by-catch species was velvet crab Necora puber. The by-catch per unit effort (BPUE) for all of the non-target species was low particularly in comparison to towed bottom gear fisheries around the Isle of Man. BPUE of species composition varied considerably between different locations around the Isle of Man. The results of both the fishery independent and questionnaire data suggested that the by-catch rates varied with season with peak BPUE occurring in spring which then declined into autumn and winter. By-catch composition did not decrease significantly with an increasing target species catch. Overall, by-catch was low relative to target species catch which may be partially attributable to the use of escape panels in pot fisheries in the Isle of Man.

Traps designed to capture insects during normal movement/dispersal, or via attraction to non-specific (plant) volatile lures, yield by-catch that carries valuable information about patterns of community diversity and composition. In order to identify potential native/introduced pests and detect predictors of colonization of non-native pines, we examined beetle assemblages captured in intercept panel traps baited with kairomone lures used during a national monitoring of the woodwasp, Sirex noctilio, in Southern Africa. We identified 50 families and 436 morphospecies of beetles from nine sites sampled in both 2008 and 2009 and six areas in 2007 (trap catch pooled by region) across a latitudinal and elevational gradient. The most diverse groups were mainly those strongly associated with trees, known to include damaging pests. While native species dominated the samples in terms of richness, the dominant species was the introduced bark beetle Orthotomicus erosus (Curculionidae: Scolytinae) (22 ± 34 individuals/site). Four Scolytinae species without previous records in South Africa, namely Coccotrypes niger, Hypocryphalus robustus (formerly Hypocryphalus mangiferae), Hypothenemus birmanus and Xyleborus perforans, were captured in low abundances. Communities showed temporal stability within sites and strong biogeographic patterns across the landscape. The strongest single predictors of community composition were potential evaporation, latitude and maximum relative humidity, while the strongest multifactor model contained elevation, potential evaporation and maximum relative humidity. Temperature, land use variables and distance to natural areas did not significantly correlate with community composition. Non-phytophagous beetles were also captured and were highly diverse (32 families) perhaps representing important beneficial insects.

In the present study, short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis L.) from the Bay of Gibraltar (GIB) and the Moray Firth (MF) were examined to document the relative frequency, distribution and shape of dorsal edge markings (DEMs) in the species and investigate potential causes for their occurrence. A dorsal fin layout system was used to map the relative positions and shapes of presenting DEMs along the anterior/posterior and upper/lower fin margin from 617 animals. A total of 1989 DEMs were extracted from the combined datasets, with individuals exhibiting between one and 11 nicks (median = 3). DEMs (in the form of tears, nicks, notches and indents) were primarily observed along the posterior trailing edges of fins, with the highest concentration being recorded in the upper region of the posterior fin (80.3%). Approximately 80% of all DEMs were round or rectangular in shape. Square (notched) and indented nick shapes were further recorded, but in significantly lower numbers. In contrast to all other nick shapes however, indented DEMs predominantly occurred along the anterior fin margin. Both natural and anthropogenic sources were implicated as causes of DEMs in the dataset. Interactions with fisheries were apparent in both GIB and MF animals and evidently present a threat to both populations. Indeed, the occurrence, prevalence and type of presenting DEM and/or fin injuries (e.g. missing fins or disfigurements) in the species may provide a useful measure of the type and intensity of fisheries interactions affecting different populations.

The pelagic stingray Pteroplatytrygon violacea is known to be a frequent by-catch in longline fisheries worldwide. This study analysed the eco-geographic, technical and temporal parameters that affect pelagic stingray by-catch by the Spanish surface drifting longline fleet that operates in the Mediterranean Sea. Between 2000 and 2013, 3007 longline fishing operations were monitored. Over this period, we recorded 57 574 pelagic stingray by-catches by this fleet. Two gear types were involved in 96.05% of the pelagic stingray by-catch observed: traditional surface longliners targeting swordfish (LLHB) and surface drifting longliners targeting albacore (LLALB). We obtained two statistically significant explanatory models for the two types of gear. In both cases, two of the most important variables were fisheries being sited over the continental shelf and fishing during the summer season. The LLHB explanatory model included the following variables: number of hooks, latitude where setting started, distance between the ends of the longline, and the spring season. Regarding the LLHB, we found an association between the Capture per Unit Effort of pelagic stingray from favourable sets per year and the North Atlantic Oscillation in the previous year.

Latitudinal patterns of composition, biogeographic affinity and indicators of taxonomic diversity are described for the by-catch fish community in five typical shrimping areas in the Mexican Pacific (Upper Gulf of California, Sinaloa-Nayarit, Jalisco-Colima, Michoacán-Guerrero and Gulf of Tehuantepec). The taxonomic composition included two classes, 20 orders, 65 families, 147 genera and 292 species. The family Sciaenidae was the best represented with 33 species, whereas at the genus level, Anchoa was represented with eight species. A high percentage of the species showed wide distribution ranges (30.2% for Cortez Province ~ Panamic Province; 21.3% for San Diego Province ~ Panamic Province); nevertheless, each ecosystem included a characteristic combination of species, apparently related to the physiographic conditions of the ecosystems. Species richness showed a pronounced decrease from the Upper Gulf of California, which has warm-temperate features, to the Gulf of Tehuantepec, which has tropical conditions; this is an opposite trend to that observed in the taxonomic diversity indicators, suggesting that a taxonomic redundancy was present in tropical areas and higher taxonomic diversity was present in the Upper Gulf of California, despite the lower species richness. This is explained by the prevailing environmental conditions and isolation processes generated during the formation of the Gulf of California.

Members of the Epinephelinae subfamily of serranids (‘grouper’) are heavily exploited by bottom longline in the Gulf of Gabès located in the south of Tunisia. In addition to direct mortality, hook and release mortalities likely occur when fish are caught and released, due to injuries sustained from hooking as well as those associated with retrieval. During five experimental trips (29 fishing sets) conducted in August 2011 from the port of Djerba (south of the Gulf of Gabès), we evaluated the effect of hook styles (9/0 ‘J’ and 12/0 circle hook) on groupers and non-target species. A total of 340 specimens representing 10 species were captured. The higher catch rate was registered for Epinephelus aeneus. The majority of groupers captured were female mature. The circle hook increased the capture of the most common grouper E. aeneus and did not affect the catch of Epinephelus marginatus and Epinepheleus costae. The effect of the type of hook on hooking location was inconclusive. Managing of the grouper fishery using some management actions such as size limits, bag limits, and closed seasons may prevent more unnecessary losses of grouper species. From this preliminary study, a definite conclusion for or against the use of circle hook cannot be drawn. Further research on the role of gear modification and hook designs in reducing by-catch, hooking-related injury and mortality should be encouraged.

The franciscana dolphin (Pontoporia blainvillei) is a small coastal dolphin endemic to the south-western Atlantic Ocean. Incidental captures in fishing gillnets is possibly the greatest conservation concern for this species, and occurs within most of its geographical distribution. The aim of this paper is to determine the biological parameters of franciscana dolphin by-caught from artisanal coastal fisheries of the southern Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Between 2003 and 2009, carcasses of 54 incidentally captured franciscanas were collected. The age, sexual and physical maturity and body condition of each specimen was determined. The sex-ratio of the by-caught dolphins did not differ from parity and, consistent with other areas, juveniles younger than 4 yr old were captured in higher proportion (69%). In addition, 74% of the entangled animals were sexually immature and 85% physically immature. Sexually immature dolphins were predominant in the spring, a period which coincides with the breeding season. An assessment of the body condition of captured franciscanas suggests that entanglements were not associated with a disease or physiological disorder. The results presented here are important to assess the impact of artisanal fisheries on the population of franciscana dolphins in the southernmost area of its distribution.

The Indian swellshark Cephaloscyllium silasi is a poorly known deep water scyliorhinid (Carcharhiniformes) shark described from the south-west coast of India (off Kollam). Since the original description, reports of this species are absent due to rarity of specimens. This paper presents the first report of its egg case and also provides detailed morphological data about C. silasi based on recently collected materials.

Fisheries by-catch is considered to be a major threat to loggerhead turtles in the Mediterranean Sea. Technical differences in both gear configurations (e.g. hook and bait type) and fisheries operations carried out by the Spanish Mediterranean surface longline fleet could have an effect on by-catch rates and size selectivity. The aim of the present study was to test the differences in by-catch per unit effort and body size of loggerhead sea turtles caught using different gear types in the Mediterranean surface longline fishery. Our results suggest that differences in the gear type used have an effect on catch rates and size selectivity. Thus, surface longliners targeting albacore (LLALB) using smaller hooks tend to capture smaller loggerheads but have the highest by-catch per unit of effort (BPUE), whereas other longlines, such as surface longliners targeting bluefin tuna (LLJAP) and traditional surface longliners targeting swordfish (LLHB), using larger hooks tend to select the larger animals; moreover, LLHB had the lowest BPUE. Disproportionate rates of fisheries-induced mortality on certain size/age-classes can differentially affect sea turtle populations, as each sea turtle age-class contributes differently to current and future reproduction. Thus, fisheries management should not only be focusing on preserving the large juvenile and mature turtles, but also on reducing the total by-catch. Thus, we recommend encouraging the use of LLHB versus other surface gears. We suggest that it is very important to take into account the gear type (and its particular catch rates) when making inferences about the impact of longline fisheries on sea turtle populations.

Neobythites stefanovi is recorded for the first time from Indian waters in the Gulf of Mannar. Two specimens were landed as by-catch in trawl gear at Tuticorin fisheries harbour, south-east coast of India, in March 2010. This is also the first record of the species outside the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman and Gulf of Aden, in the western Indian Ocean.

A new record on the occurrence of Neobythites multistriatus which hitherto had not been recorded from the Bay of Bengal is reported. Two specimens measuring 160 and 180 mm standard length were collected from the landings of a deep-sea trawler by-catch at depths of 200–250 m off the Tuticorin coast in the Gulf of Mannar (part of the Bay of Bengal) during March 2010. This is the first record of Neobythites multistriatus from the Bay of Bengal. The specimen is described and figured.

The striated fusilier Caesio striata, is recorded for the first time in Indian waters. A single specimen was caught in the Gulf of Mannar and landed at Tuticorin fisheries harbour in September 2010.

This paper presents results of a study conducted on the trawling industrial fishery fleet of Merluccius gayi in south-central Chile, and the resulting interactions with the South American sea lion (Otaria flavescens). This study is based on observations made during September 2004, when incidental sea lion catch in the trawls was 6.3 sea lions/working day (1.2 sea lions/trawl−1). A total of 82 animals were incidentally caught, of which 12 were found dead, and the 70 remaining suffered from internal bleeding and/or fractures as a result of their capture. 83.3% of the fatalities occurred during nocturnal trawls, which comprise 30% of all observed trawls. Possible mechanisms of sea lion take are discussed. This note presents the first records of sea lions incidental by-catch by the trawler fleet along the south-east Pacific coast of Chile.

In July 2010 and August 2011 a subadult and an adult porbeagle shark Lamna nasus were respectively caught as by-catch by an artisanal fishery boat using a gill net in the central Adriatic Sea. The specimens, a mature 200 and a maturing 150 cm total length male, were photorecorded, measured and identified on the basis of meristic traits. Such two occurrences are discussed in the context of recent and historical information available on the presence of this species in the Mediterranean Sea. Overall, data confirmed on the one hand the rarity of the porbeagle shark in the Adriatic Sea also, and, on the other hand, they suggested some relation between the density of the findings for this species and the presence of a pit zone in the central part of the Adriatic Sea.

Distributions of deep-sea fish, benthic invertebrates and the effects of deep-sea bottom trawling were studied based on data collected in 2005 from a joint collaboration survey undertaken between the Spanish Institute of Oceanography and a deep-sea trawler on the Hatton Bank (north-east Atlantic). A total of 163 valid bottom trawl hauls (600–1600 m) were analysed. The main trawlable grounds were located on the sedimentary seabed of the western flank of the bank (Hatton Drift). Grenadiers and smoothheads were predominant in the trawl catches (67% and 11.8% by weight respectively). Both species were abundant along the western flank. Deep-water sharks accounted for 7.4% of weight, and were abundant along the south-eastern slopes. Chimerids, lotids, morids and other deep-sea species were also taken as by-catch. Grenadiers and deep-water sharks dominated the discards. By-catches of cold-water corals were generally associated with the rocky outcrop and were more abundant at the top of the bank. Abundant by-catches of large sponges, characteristic of sponge-dominated biotopes, were taken from the eastern flank.

The present study analysed the reproductive biology of Callinectes danae and Callinectes ornatus, which are captured as by-catch from pink-shrimp trawling in Guanabara Bay. The size at gonadal maturity was 79.9 mm and 67.4 mm respectively, for C. danae and C. ornatus. The pattern of reproduction was continuous for both species; however, the gonadosomatic index analyses showed seasonal and alternating reproductive peaks in the bay. While C. danae showed reproductive peaks in the autumn and in the winter, C. ornatus showed an apparent reproductive peak in the summer and probably another in the spring. The sex-ratio of C. danae was significantly skewed in favour of females (3.0:1). However, in C. ornatus, males predominated (1.2:1). This reproductive pattern indicated that possibly the females of C. danae return to the estuary after spawning where trawling takes place, while ovigerous females of C. ornatus migrate to adjacent coastal areas around the bay.

The effects of deep-sea bottom longlining on fish communities and the benthic ecosystem, as well as the interactions between fishing and seabirds, were studied based on data collected from a joint collaboration between the Spanish Institute of Oceanography and a longliner, carried out on the Hatton Bank area (north-east Atlantic) in 2008. A total of 38 longline sets were distributed mainly along the rugged bottom of the rocky outcrop at depths ranging from 750 to 1500 m. Deep-water sharks and lotids were predominant in the catches contributing respectively 80.4% and 13.1% in terms of weight. Deep-water sharks were predominant in the discards. By-catch of cold-water corals and small glass sponges occurred along the western flank of the Hatton Bank, while large hexactinellids were found along the eastern flank. Longlines fished the adult fraction of vulnerable deep-water sharks and lotids. High catches per unit effort values for these species were obtained in coral areas. A combination of seabird-scaring streamer lines and other measures of preventing seabird by-catch were used. Only one fulmar was captured and it survived. Data on distribution of marine litter and derelict deep-sea gillnets are also presented.

The oilfish, Ruvettus pretiosus, is an incidental by-catch of the drifting surface longlines targeting swordfish and Thunnidae in the Mediterranean and elsewhere. Despite its global distribution and frequent occurrence in the catch of many fishing gears, little is known about its biology. In this study we examined the dietary preferences and reproductive biology of this species from specimens caught in the eastern Mediterranean. The most numerous and frequently occurring prey items were benthopelagic fish, followed by cephalopods. The sex-ratio was highly skewed in favour of females (1:8.4), while histological examination of the collected ovaries displayed six developmental stages (perinucleolar, early and late lipid stage; early, middle and late vitellogenesis). Oocyte diameter ranged from 23–69 μm at the perinucleolar stage to 224–366 μm at the late vitellogenesis stage. Spawning is expected to occur during mid and late summer; however there were no individuals available from this period. The findings are discussed in relation to the ecology of the species.