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Holothurian Fisheries and Sustainability in the Hellenic Seas: Current State, Future Trends, and Ecological Implications

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability, Biodiversity and Conservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 5166

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Prof. Dr. Dimitrios Vafidis

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Guest Editor

Department of Ichthyology & Aquatic Environment, School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Thessaly, Fytokou str., 384 45 Volos, Greece
Interests: biodiversity; aquatic research; invertebrate biology; invertebrate fisheries; systematics; ecosystem ecology; autecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Chryssanthi Antoniadou

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Guest Editor

School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 541 24 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: biology of marine invertebrates; marine benthic communities, habitats, and ecosystems; fishery exploitation of marine invertebrate species; marine biodiversity and conservation; biomonitoring and ecological quality assessment of transitional and coastal waters

Dr. Dimitris Klaoudatos

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Guest Editor

Department of Ichthyology & Aquatic Environment, School of Agricultural Sciences, University of Thessaly, Fytokou str., 384 45 Volos, Greece
Interests: fisheries; ICZM; population dynamics; marine biology; aquatic research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Holothurians are a major fishery resource worldwide; however, their intense exploitation has caused the collapse of several natural stocks and raised concern on future viability. Overfishing combined with the increasing demand from Asian markets has shifted traditional fisheries to unexploited marine grounds and species. Lately, sea cucumber fisheries have expanded within the Mediterranean Sea, with Turkey and Greece being the leading countries, followed by Spain, Italy, and France. Since overfishing seriously threatens the viable exploitation of this biological resource, the implementation of appropriate management is essential. In the search for sustainability, the collection of biological data along with stakeholder involvement and public awareness represents a major step towards future success, especially considering the synergy of the climate crisis that alters marine ecosystems through the invasion of competitive species and increased mortality due to thermal stress.

This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive review of the most recent advances concerning Mediterranean holothurian fishery biology, focusing on the Hellenic Seas, one of the pioneer countries in sea cucumber harvesting, processing, and trade. More specifically, this attempt’s goal is to target the elaboration of the main biological features of exploited species and natural stocks, such as reproductive biology, growth, and genetic connectivity; the socioeconomics of developed small-scale fisheries, the nutritional value and quality assurance of processed holothurian seafood products, and the ecological implications and fishery side-effects of harvesting under global warming. The provided information could serve as a coherent basis for the development of novel ideas regarding viable management plans for harvesting Mediterranean holothurians whilst supporting policy makers and enhancing public awareness towards the sustainable exploitation of this precious biological resource.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include, but are not limited to, the following:

Fishery biology;
Holothurian biology;
Genetic connectivity of sea cucumber resources;
Holothurian tolerance to global warming;
Sea cucumber food processing and trade;
Socio-economics of the small-scale holothurian fishery;
Holothurian fishery grounds: species invasion and ecological implications;
Future perspectives of holothurian fisheries and developed management policies.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Dimitrios Vafidis
Dr. Chryssanthi Antoniadou
Dr. Dimitris Klaoudatos
Guest Editors

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Keywords

holothuria
small-scale fisheries
abundance
biometry
natural stocks
genetic diversity
reproductive biology
food processing and safety
global warming
sustainable exploitation policies

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 5682 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Size Structure of Exploited Holothurian Natural Stocks in the Hellenic Seas

by Dimitris Vafidis, Chryssanthi Antoniadou, Chrysoula Apostologamvrou, Konstantinos Voulgaris, Anastasios Varkoulis, Efthymia Giokala, Alexios Lolas and Kyriakoula Roditi

Sustainability 2023, 15(18), 13483; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813483 - 8 Sep 2023

Viewed by 469

Abstract

Size limitations are commonly applied as regulatory measures for the sustainable management of marine invertebrate fishery resources. However, the setting of biologically meaningful size limits in holothurians is puzzling, due to the limited knowledge of their biology and the great plasticity in size and weight, owing to the increased contractibility of their body, and the large quantity and variability of their coelomic fluid. To evaluate the efficiency of official size limits in Hellenic fishery regulation, the biometry of the exploited species, i.e., H. tubulosa, H. poli, H. mammata, and H. sanctori, was assessed in the main fishery grounds of the Hellenic Seas. Specimens of all four species were haphazardly collected and measured for total length and drained body weight at 46 sampling sites dispersed in the north Aegean, the Sporades, the Cyclades, the Dodecanese, and the Ionian fishery grounds. According to presented results, the official size limit of 180 g for drained weight appeared to be adequate for H. tubulosa and H. mammata. Adjustment of the relevant regulations for H. poli and H. sanctori are suggested by reduction to 140 g for the former and increment to 200 g for the latter species, to better fit their biological traits. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Holothurian Fisheries and Sustainability in the Hellenic Seas: Current State, Future Trends, and Ecological Implications)

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13 pages, 1001 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Microbial and Physicochemical Status of Raw and Processed Sea Cucumbers from the Hellenic Seawaters

by Ioannis S. Boziaris, Dimitrios A. Anagnostopoulos, Foteini F. Parlapani, Faidra Syropoulou, Petros V. Martsikalis, Chrysoula Apostologamvrou, Despoina Kokioumi and Dimitris Vafidis

Sustainability 2023, 15(18), 13467; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151813467 - 8 Sep 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 801

Abstract

The aquatic environment is a reservoir of many species that have not yet been exploited at a global level and have not been extensively investigated. The aim of the present work was to study the microbial populations, the bacterial communities and physicochemical parameters (pH, water activity, humidity, salinity) in raw, frozen, boiled, dehydrated and salted final products of two sea cucumber species (Holothuria polii and Holothuria tubulosa) originating from the Hellenic seawaters. The results indicated that all products were found at acceptable levels from a microbiological point of view. The metabarcoding analysis of the 16S rRNA gene revealed the existence of several different bacterial groups, the presence and abundance of which were mainly dependent on product type, even though some moderate differences in the microbiota profile between the two sea cucumber species were also detected in some of the products. Overall, the present work deals with an underexplored aquatic product and provides novel and useful information for the aquatic food industry, consumers and other stakeholders, increasing, in parallel, the need for further scientific attention in the near future. Our findings could be exploited as a baseline to highlight a promising aquatic food product provided to the international market. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Holothurian Fisheries and Sustainability in the Hellenic Seas: Current State, Future Trends, and Ecological Implications)

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12 pages, 1244 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Admixture of Holothurian Species in the Hellenic Seas (Eastern Mediterranean) as Revealed by RADseq

by Georgios A. Gkafas, Joanne Sarantopoulou, Chrysoula Apostologamvrou, Chryssanthi Antoniadou, Athanasios Exadactylos, Georgios Fleris and Dimitris Vafidis

Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11493; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511493 - 25 Jul 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 896

Abstract

Admixture and hybridization may play a key role in population dynamics and speciation with respect to habitat, demographic history, and adaptive selection. The present study examines the genetic diversity of two congeneric—but in different subgenera—holothurians that live in sympatry in mixed populations. Strong evidence of admixture was provided by analyzing RAD sequencing data from 90 and 67 individuals of Holothuria (Holothuria) tubulosa and Holothuria (Roweothuria) poli, respectively, from various areas of the Hellenic Seas (eastern Mediterranean). Coalescent demographic analysis revealed a recent directional gene flow from H. poli to H. tubulosa. The two species populations diverged around 13.5 thousand years ago, just after the Last Glacial Maximum. According to the pairwise sequential Markovian coalescent approach, the historical population effective sizes for both species declined during the last Pleistocene glaciations, probably due to population decline, followed by a relative rapid recovery as it is calculated using LD methods. The presented results imply a role for admixture upon secondary contact and are consistent with the recent suggestion that the genomic underpinning of ecological speciation often has an older, allopatric origin. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Holothurian Fisheries and Sustainability in the Hellenic Seas: Current State, Future Trends, and Ecological Implications)

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16 pages, 5111 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Holothurian Fisheries in the Hellenic Seas: Seeking for Sustainability

by Dimitris Vafidis and Chryssanthi Antoniadou

Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9799; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129799 - 19 Jun 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1187

Abstract

In Mediterranean, the exploitation and exportation of holothurians as food is increasing during the last 25 years, with Turkey and Greece as leading countries. In Greece, the fishery is expanding by the development of two métiers; however, official monitoring is missing, creating concerns on the future viability of the industry. To evaluate the status and future perspectives of holothurian fisheries, an extensive field survey has been completed (May 2019–July 2021) covering 162 sites dispersed in the Hellenic Seas. Field data included the assessment of the abundance of holothurians (via 100 m transect replicates), and catch per unit of effort (C_NPUE and C_BPUE, based on 10-min commercial fishing practices). H. tubulosa, H. poli, H. mammata and H. sanctori were fished in 41.35% of the surveyed stations. H. poli (C_NPUE 168 specimens, C_BPUE 22.24 kg) and H. tubulosa (C_NPUE 127 specimens, C_BPUE14.51 kg) were the most common species, forming locally dense populations. Mean annual catch was 275 metric tons (2016–2021) according to the processing of the units’ data; 62% of the production was made by H. tubulosa and 38% by H. poli. Our results suggest the existence of exploitable grounds in the north Aegean, the central Cyclades, and the north Dodecanese, according to the prevalent environmental conditions (organic load) and fishing pressure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Holothurian Fisheries and Sustainability in the Hellenic Seas: Current State, Future Trends, and Ecological Implications)

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17 pages, 1659 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Different Interspecies Demographic Histories within the Same Locality: A Case Study of Sea Cucumbers, Cuttlefish and Clams in Greek Waters

by Konstantinos Feidantsis, Georgios A. Gkafas, Athanasios Exadactylos, Basile Michaelidis, Alexandra Staikou, Marianthi Hatziioannou, Chrysoula Apostologamvrou, Joanne Sarantopoulou and Dimitris Vafidis

Sustainability 2022, 14(21), 14380; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142114380 - 3 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1134

Abstract

Coalescent methods in population genetics aim to detect biodiversity patterns, evolutionary mechanisms, and signatures of historical changes in effective population sizes with respect to the species fidelity. Restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) was used to evaluate the population dynamics of invertebrate species within the same localities. New sequencing technologies, such as the ones employed by population genetics, could be used to improve the management and sustainability of marine and aquaculture resources. Sea cucumbers (Holothuria tubolosa) showed genetic differentiation patterns favoring limited gene flow between studied areas. Similar results for clams (Venus verrucosa) suggest local adaptation and low-dispersal abilities for sessile organisms. On the contrary, cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) exhibited a panmictic pattern, resulting in a single genetic stock in the area. The larvae settlement duration may be responsible for such interspecies variations. Interspecies demographic modeling revealed different environmental pressures of historical events’ signatures with respect to the three invertebrates. Sea cucumbers favor a post-glacial bottleneck event followed by a more recent recovery, whereas cuttlefish favor an expansion before the late glacial maximum. Lastly, clams showed a constant effective population size in the area. The results of historical demographic changes in natural populations provide opportunities for critical evaluation and management in terms of the conservation of the species in the area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Holothurian Fisheries and Sustainability in the Hellenic Seas: Current State, Future Trends, and Ecological Implications)

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