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SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Ocean Sustain.
Sec. Marine Governance
Volume 2 - 2024 |
doi: 10.3389/focsu.2024.1449190
This article is part of the Research Topic Understanding the Response of Ecosystems to Increasing Human Pressures and Climate Change – Management Options View all 16 articles
Management of jellyfish outbreaks to achieve Good Environmental Status
Provisionally accepted- 1 Marine Research Division, Technology Center Expert in Marine and Food Innovation (AZTI), Pasaia, Spain
- 2 Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biologiche e Ambientali (DiSTeBA), Università del Salento,, Lecce, Apulia, Italy
- 3 Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), Lowestoft, United Kingdom
- 4 Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare (CoNISMa), Rome, Lazio, Italy
- 5 Department of Marine Sciences, University of the Aegean, Mytilene, Greece
- 6 Technical University of Denmark, DTU Aqua, Centre for Gelatinous Plankton Ecology & Evolution, Lyngby, Denmark
- 7 Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, University of Salento, Lecce, Apulia, Italy
- 8 Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Rome, Sicily, Italy
- 9 International Estuarine & Coastal Specialists (IECS) Ltd., Leven, United Kingdom
- 10 CNR, Istituto di Scienze delle Produzioni Alimentari, Lecce, Apulia, Italy
- 11 Marine Conservation Research Group, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, England, United Kingdom
- 12 School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University College, Cork, Ireland
Jellyfish and gelatinous zooplankton (GZ) in general, fulfil important ecological roles with significant impacts, although they are often oversimplified or misunderstood. This paper reviews the impacts, pressures, monitoring methods and current management strategies for various GZ groups. It also introduces potentially applicable indicators for their assessment in ecosystem-based management approaches, such as the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). This multi-faceted review is primarily envisioned to serve as a state-of-the-art document for scientists and policymakers to foster a holistic assessment and management of GZ across European regional seas. The systematic review on global impacts of GZ shows a notable increase in the number of studies since the early 2000s. Stings were the main cause of human health impacts.Mechanisms that impact biodiversity included direct predation, modification of trophic flows or competition for resources. Several GZ taxa may be beneficial to biodiversity acting as biological regulators and provide societal ecosystem services such as food provision or medical applications. The systematic review on monitoring techniques outlined a variety of methods, such as nets (the most used technique), continuous plankton recorder, polyp and jelly-falls monitoring, acoustic methods, remote aerial and underwater images, molecular methods, and citizen science. Furthermore, several currently employed management strategies were enumerated, including the use of antijelly nets, bubble curtains, chemical compounds, or the introduction of GZ predators. This study highlights the pressing need for enhanced GZ-dedicated monitoring, assessment, and anticipatory management of GZ populations to address future GZ crises more effectively and cost-efficiently. Moreover, exploring GZ ecosystem services unveils opportunities to harness marine resources while mitigating adverse effects, thereby supporting sustainable blue economies.
Keywords: Cnidaria, Ctenophora, pelagic tunicates, impacts, Monitoring, Ecosystem Based Management Approach (EBMA)
Received: 14 Jun 2024; Accepted: 02 Sep 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 Sagarminaga, Piraino, Lynam, Leoni, Nikolaou, Jaspers, Bosch Belmar, Fumarola, Borja, Spada, Amorim, Borrello, De Angelis, Leone, Montero, Ferrer, Holland, Doyle, Tsirtsis and Katsanevakis. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Yolanda Sagarminaga, Marine Research Division, Technology Center Expert in Marine and Food Innovation (AZTI), Pasaia, Spain
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