The challenge of managing the commercial harvesting of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus: advanced approaches are required.

ABSTRACT: Sea urchins act as a keystone herbivore in marine coastal ecosystems, regulating macrophyte density, which offers refuge for multiple species. In the Mediterranean Sea, both the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus and fish preying on it are highly valuable target species for artisanal fisheries. As a consequence of the interactions between fish, sea urchins and macrophyte, fishing leads to trophic disorders with detrimental consequences for biodiversity and fisheries. In Sardinia (Western Mediterranean Sea), regulations for sea urchin harvesting have been in place since the mid 90s. However, given the important ecological role of P. lividus, the single-species fishery management may fail to take into account important ecosystem interactions. Hence, a deeper understanding of popu

SUBMITTER: Farina S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7548073 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature