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Plastic pollution is an environmental concern due to the magnitude of mismanaged plastics reaching the environment and affecting it in different ways. Their physicochemical properties, including their light weight, resistance to corrosion and low degradation rates, allow plastics to travel great distances in the environment. Plastics undergo weathering, degradation, and fragmentation processes through exposure to ultraviolet radiation, abrasion, and interactions with biota. The JPI Oceans funded ‘MicroplastiX’ project explored the interaction between plastics, microorganisms, and the biofilm layer at the surface, which is a less studied scientific area. Moreover, the project also focussed on the organic and inorganic pollutants in this surface biofilm layer, commonly known as ‘plastisphere’. This brief highlights the main project findings resulting from case-studies carried out in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. These aimed to assess the (1) environmental microplastic (MP) concentrations, (2) genetic diversity and accumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and trace metals in the plastisphere and the (3) polymer type spectral changes from in situ experiments. The aim of this international collaborative and interdisciplinary project was to improve the understanding of how degradation mechanisms affect plastics in natural environments. The team included a network of scientists from diverse research fields (chemistry, biology, microbiology, physics and mathematical modelling), and countries (Sweden, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, and Brazil), working in synergy to address gaps on the pathways and fate of plastics in coastal and open ocean waters. This policy brief aims to share the main findings of the JPI Oceans funded 'MicroplastiX' project, which focused on the relationship between microplastics and the plastisphere. The plastisphere is a biofilm layer growing in the surface of plastics and microplastics, and it has consequences on (1) the adsorption of organic and inorganic pollutants, (2) plastic density (important for modelling), (3) the genetic diversity of species attached to and growing in the surface of the plastics. The project also explored how the plastisphere causes spectral changes that hinder plastic identification. The policy brief was written and peer-reviewed within the team, being written in a way where complex scientific results were translated into acessible language. 

The Ocean Multi-Use Toolkit is a comprehensive resource designed to support the integration of ocean multi-use (MU) within marine spatial planning (MSP) and associated policies. The Toolkit provides guidance and tools for policymakers, planners, stakeholders, and researchers to facilitate the sustainable development of ocean MU. The Toolkit chapters cover a wide range of topics related to MU developments, including policy, permitting, stakeholder engagement, technology, and business models and provide a comperhansive overview of relevant 'real-world' examples. The authors would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to all the contributors to the Ocean Multi-Use Toolkit, whose unwavering dedication and invaluable contributions have played a pivotal role in shaping this comprehensive resource. Their insights, examples, and careful reviews have significantly enriched the content of the Toolkit. Special thanks to the extended MULTI-FRAME team: John Patrick Walsh, Peter Freeman - University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography Coastal Resources Center; Abbey Greene, Claire Hodson - University of Rhode Island, Graduate School of Oceanography Coastal Resources Center and Rhode Island Sea Grant; Fredrik Grönhdahl- KTH Royal Institute of Technology; Josselin Guyot-Téphany - University of Nantes, Mariana Mata Lara - s.Pro; as well as to the external contributors Helena Calado - University of the Azores; Frank Maes, Marijn Rabaut - Ghent University; Eline Van Onselen - The Ritch North Sea; and Jacek Zaucha - Gdynia Maritime University. Heartfelt gratitude is also extended to the UNITED Horizon 2020 project partnership, which provided insights from its five real-world pilots, enriching and enhancing the comprehensiveness of this document. Their practical experience in offshore multi-use has been instrumental in shaping this resource.

Sea turtles are an iconic group of marine megafauna that have been exposed to multiple anthropogenic threats across their different life stages, especially in the past decades. This has resulted in population declines, and consequently many sea turtle populations are now classified as threatened or endangered globally. Although some populations of sea turtles worldwide are showing early signs of recovery, many still face fundamental threats. This is problematic since sea turtles have important ecological roles. To encourage informed conservation planning and direct future research, we surveyed experts to identify the key contemporary threats (climate change, direct take, fisheries, pollution, disease, predation, and coastal and marine development) faced by sea turtles. Using the survey results and current literature, we also outline knowledge gaps in our understanding of the impact of these threats and how targeted future research, often involving emerging technologies, could close those gaps.

Streptococcus agalactiae is a major health concern in tilapia farming worldwide. In contrast to the availability of susceptibility profile results, interpretative criteria for disk diffusion assays and the influence of serotypes on resistance profiles are not available. To address this, sixty isolates (thirty of each serotype, Ib and III) were evaluated using the disk diffusion assay against six antibiotics, and the epidemiological cut-off value (ECV) was calculated. All the isolates were classified as non-wild type (NWT) for sulfamethoxazole (SUT) and norfloxacin (NOR). The inhibition zones for oxytetracycline (OXY) and doxycycline (DOX) were largely distinct; all serotype Ib and III isolates were classified as wild-type (WT) and NWT, respectively. The results for serotype III of fish group B Streptococcus (GBS) were comparable to the NWT tetracycline profile of human GBS available in EUCAST, suggesting the presence of resistance mechanisms in these fish isolates. The calculation of the cut-off wild type (COWT) values for OXY and DOX was appropriate for both serotypes. Differences between the distribution of florfenicol (FLO) and amoxicillin (AMO) were found, and we attribute this to the faster growth rate of serotype III, which promotes smaller inhibition zones. Therefore, using separate COWT for each serotype is necessary. In conclusion, the serotype of fish GBS affects its susceptibility profile, and it is recommended to use serotype-specific COWT values as interpretative criteria for disk diffusion assays against FLO and AMO.

In the face of an increasing world population and a subsequent need for an increase in sustainable and healthy food production, low trophic species, such as oysters, emerge as a promising alternative. However, regional variations in oyster production techniques, market dynamics, and consumption patterns create challenges for both the global and local industry’s growth. In this study, a descriptive qualitative analysis of oyster markets across seven Atlantic regions was carried out. The Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) was found to be farmed in most Atlantic regions except the US but is classified as invasive in Sweden and potentially invasive in South Africa. Other farmed and/or harvested species include native species (C. gasar and C. rhizophorae) in Brazil, the American cupped oyster (C. virginica) in the US, and the European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) in France, Sweden, and the US. In Irish farms, Pacific oysters are primarily for export to European markets. The marine aquaculture sectors of Sweden, South Africa, and Namibia, as well as Brazil’s farming for C. gasar, were found to be underdeveloped. This study also observed a variation in licensing, property rights, and regulatory frameworks. Financial challenges for small businesses, ecological implications of seed production techniques, biosecurity risks, and public health considerations are emphasized as critical areas for attention. This study offers valuable insights into the selected markets and can serve as a useful resource for policymakers, aquaculture practitioners, and stakeholders in optimizing global shellfish industry strategies.

Dispersal is more intense in the ocean than on land because most marine taxa present planktonic life stages that are transported by currents even without specific morphological traits. Thus, species dispersal shapes the distribution of biodiversity along seascapes and drives the composition of biodiversity assemblages. To identify marine assembling zones which characterise spatial areas particularly prone to receive and retain similar animal assemblages from the regional pool of species through passive dispersal, we propose a community-based approach grounded on Lagrangian simulations of plankton dispersal. This novel approach was applied to communities (coast, outer shelf, slope, seamounts and islands; 0–80 m depth) of the Tropical Southwestern Atlantic and used to assess connectivity pathways. For that, we classified the modelled particles in 15 categories according to biological traits (planktonic life duration and spawning habitat) of representative planktonic communities. From the hierarchical clustering of the multivariate matrix containing the amount of arriving particles from each category in each cell we defined 14 assembling zones. Results highlighted that the assembling zones were mostly shaped by the degree of exposure to currents and the presence of mesoscale features (eddies, recirculation) derived from the interaction between these currents and coastlines. The boundaries, dispersal and connectivity patterns of these zones consistently align with local and regional in situ spatial distribution and abundance patterns of organisms, and provide an appropriate basis for the formulation of ecological hypotheses in the metacommunity framework to be tested in situ, such as the balance between species sorting and mass effect assembling archetypes. This approach, when coupled with the knowledge of other processes shaping communities' structure and distribution, provides important insights for regions and animal groups for which knowledge is limited or absent, and more generally allows for a comprehensive overview of the distribution of distinct communities and connectivity pathways along marine environments. \ₑprint: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/ecog.07110 International audience

The Irish Shelf Seabed Geomorphological Map (ISSGM) (v2023) presented here, is the first high-resolution geomorphological map of the entire Irish continental shelf. This large-scale mapping exercise took advantage of the vast INFOMAR multibeam echosounder dataset, and used a protocol of semi-automated mapping techniques to accurately and rapidly extract seabed features. All previous mapping efforts and existing literature on the Irish shallow shelf geomorphology have also been collated and integrated in the map, critically evaluating the previous interpretations. An internationally standardised classification scheme was adopted, aligning the ISSGM (v2023) to other international geomorphological work. At a national level, this detailed geomorphological digital map is intended primarily as a resource to better inform multiple offshore activities and management of the marine environment. The map also acts as a baseline for future studies in marine geomorphology, as it identifies gaps in the knowledge and highlights areas of contentious interpretation that require further work. The map is available online on the Irish Marine Atlas (https://atlas.marine.ie – Geology Theme). We present the Irish Shelf Seabed Geomorphological Map (v2023), which represents the first high-resolution geomorphology map of the Irish continental shelf.The map was produced using a protocol of modern machine-assisted mapping techniques to streamline the results.All previous mapping efforts and existing literature on Irish shelf geomorphology have been collated and integrated in the map, critically evaluating the previous interpretations.An internationally standardised geomorphological classification scheme has been adopted, aligning the map to international work.The map is intended firstly as a resource to better inform multiple offshore activities and management of the marine environment on the Irish continental shelf. We present the Irish Shelf Seabed Geomorphological Map (v2023), which represents the first high-resolution geomorphology map of the Irish continental shelf. The map was produced using a protocol of modern machine-assisted mapping techniques to streamline the results. All previous mapping efforts and existing literature on Irish shelf geomorphology have been collated and integrated in the map, critically evaluating the previous interpretations. An internationally standardised geomorphological classification scheme has been adopted, aligning the map to international work. The map is intended firstly as a resource to better inform multiple offshore activities and management of the marine environment on the Irish continental shelf.

Animals and plants worldwide are structured in global biogeographic regions, which were shaped by major geologic forces during Earth history. Recently, humans have changed the course of events by multiplying global pathways of introduction for nonindigenous species and propagating local species extirpations. Here, we report on how introductions and extirpations have changed the distributions of freshwater fishes worldwide and how it affected their natural biogeographic regions. We found major shifts in natural regions, with the emergence of an intercontinental region arising from the fusion of multiple faunas, which we named Pan-Anthropocenian Global North and East Asia (PAGNEA). The PAGNEA region is evocative of the Pangea supercontinent, as flows of introductions show that dispersal has become possible again across multiple continents, suggesting that human activities have superseded natural geological forces. Our results constitute evidence on the expected modification of biostratigraphic boundaries based on freshwater fish, which are abundant in the fossil record, thereby supporting the concept of the Anthropocene epoch. International audience