Ocean Optimism: Moving Beyond the Obituaries in Marine Conservation.

While the ocean has suffered many losses, there is increasing evidence that important progress is being made in marine conservation. Examples include striking recoveries of once-threatened species, increasing rates of protection of marine habitats, more sustainably managed fisheries and aquaculture, reductions in some forms of pollution, accelerating restoration of degraded habitats, and use of the ocean and its habitats to sequester carbon and provide clean energy. Many of these achievements have multiple benefits, including improved human well-being. Moreover, better understanding of how to implement conservation strategies effectively, new technologies and databases, increased integration of the natural and social sciences, and use of indigenous knowledge promise continued progress. Enormous challenges remain, and there is no single solution; successful efforts typically are neither quick nor cheap and require trust and collaboration. Nevertheless, a greater focus on solutions and successes will help them to become the norm rather than the exception.

Emerging Solutions to Return Nature to the Urban Ocean.

Urban and periurban ocean developments impact 1.5% of the global exclusive economic zones, and the demand for ocean space and resources is increasing. As we strive for a more sustainable future, it is imperative that we better design, manage, and conserve urban ocean spaces for both humans and nature. We identify three key objectives for more sustainable urban oceans: reduction of urban pressures, protection and restoration of ocean ecosystems, and support of critical ecosystem services. We describe an array of emerging evidence-based approaches, including greening grayinfrastructure, restoring habitats, and developing biotechnologies. We then explore new economic instruments and incentives for supporting these new approaches and evaluate their feasibility in delivering these objectives. Several of these tools have the potential to help bring nature back to the urban ocean while also addressing some of the critical needs of urban societies, such as climate adaptation, seafood production, clean water, and recreation, providing both human and environmental benefits in some of our most impacted ocean spaces.

The future of food from the sea.

Global food demand is rising, and serious questions remain about whether supply can increase sustainably1. Land-based expansion is possible but may exacerbate climate change and biodiversity loss, and compromise the delivery of other ecosystem services2-6. As food from the sea represents only 17% of the current production of edible meat, we ask how much food we can expect the ocean to sustainably produce by 2050. Here we examine the main food-producing sectors in the ocean-wild fisheries, finfish mariculture and bivalve mariculture-to estimate 'sustainable supply curves' that account for ecological, economic, regulatory and technological constraints. We overlay these supply curves with demand scenarios to estimate future seafood production. We find that under our estimated demand shifts and supply scenarios (which account for policy reform and technology improvements), edible food from the sea could increase by 21-44 million tonnes by 2050, a 36-74% increase compared to current yields. This represents 12-25% of the estimated increase in all meat needed to feed 9.8 billion people by 2050. Increases in all three sectors are likely, but are most pronounced for mariculture. Whether these production potentials are realized sustainably will depend on factors such as policy reforms, technological innovation and the extent of future shifts in demand.

Aquatic life criteria derivation and ecological risk assessment of DEET in China.

N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide (DEET) is the most widely used active ingredient in commercial insect repellents. In addition to its adverse effects in insects, DEET can affect non-target organisms in surface water systems. Nevertheless, the aquatic life criteria of DEET are not available. This study conducted both acute and chronic toxicity tests on DEET in native Chinese aquatic species, and derived its criterion maximum concentration (CMC) and criterion continuous concentration (CCC). The determined CMC and CCC of DEET were 21.53 and 0.52 mg/L, respectively. The toxicity data indicated that DEET exposure posed a higher toxicity to some algae than other aquatic species. Compared with other insect repellents, DEET exposure posed a moderate toxicity to aquatic species. Therefore, the exposure concentration of DEET in Chinese surface water was collected to assess the potential ecological risk. The preliminary ecological risk assessment showed that DEET posed negligible risk to aquatic ecosystems in China. However, considering its toxic effects on the growth and reproduction to aquatic organisms, the ecological risk posed by DEET is worth further concern.

Risk assessment of plastic pollution on marine diversity in the Mediterranean Sea.

Plastic marine pollution is an increasing threat to global marine diversity. Quantifying this threat is particularly difficult and complex, especially when evaluating multiple species with different ecological requirements. Here, we examine the semi-enclosed basin of the Mediterranean Sea where the inputs of plastic pollution and its impact on marine diversity are still widely unknown. Eighty-four species from six taxonomic classes were evaluated to assess the risk of ingesting plastic marine debris, integrating inter-specific factors such as plastic exposure rates and life history traits (e.g., motility, habitat, and body size). Species were modelled within a spatial context to identify and estimate their exposure to plastic ingestion across the Mediterranean Sea using literature data, species distribution maps and plastic dispersion models. Our approach identified hotspots for the risk of plastic ingestion across multiple taxa in the Mediterranean Sea, highlighting that coastal species are at higher risk of ingesting plastic in the marine environment than open-sea species. The plastic exposure analysis indicated that species with larger home ranges were more at risk of exposure with increased distances while local species were more likely to be exposed to plastic closer to the centre of their home range location. The approach used in this study can be applied to support management and mitigation efforts throughout the Mediterranean Sea and in other geographic regions to minimize the impact of plastic pollution on marine diversity.

Toxicity assessment of pollutants sorbed on environmental microplastics collected on beaches: Part II-adverse effects on Japanese medaka early life stages.

While microplastics are present in great abundance across all seas and oceans, little is known about their effects on marine life. In the aquatic environment, they can accumulate a variety of chemicals and can be ingested by many marine organisms including fish, with chronic physical and chemical effects. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the toxic effects of pollutants sorbed at the surface of environmental microplastics (MPs), collected on various beaches from three islands of the Pacific Ocean. Developmental toxicity of virgin MPs or artificially coated with B[a]P and environmental MPs from Easter Island, Guam and Hawaii was evaluated on embryos and prolarvae of Japanese medaka. Mortality, hatching success, biometry, malformations, EROD activity and DNA damage were analyzed after exposure to DMSO extracts. No toxicity was observed for extracts of virgin MPs whatever the endpoint considered. Extracts of virgin MPs coated with 250 µg.g-1 of B(a)P induced lethal effects with high embryo mortality (+81%) and low hatching rate (-28%) and sublethal effects including biometry and swimming behavior changes, increase of EROD activity (+94%) and DNA damage (+60%). Environmental MPs collected on the three selected islands exhibited different polymer, pollutant and toxicity patterns. The highest toxicity was detected for MPs extract from Hawaï with head/body length and swimming speed decreases and induction of EROD activity and DNA stand breaks. This study reports the possible sublethal toxicity of organic pollutants sorbed on MPs to fish early life stages.

River health assessment of the Yellow River source region, Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China, based on tolerance values of macroinvertebrates.

For decades, the river health of the Yellow River source region (YRSR) on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau has been a focal issue owing to its unique geographic location and ecological functions. This study investigated the ecological status of the headwater streams, the main stem, and the tributaries of the Yellow River in the YRSR using the tolerance values of macroinvertebrates and those related to biotic indices. The macroinvertebrate assemblages of the headwater streams were characterized by lower biodiversity than the tributaries downstream, based on comparisons of taxonomical composition, functional feeding group composition, and the pollution-tolerant capacity of taxa. The headwater streams had a lower ratio (16%) of pollution-sensitive macroinvertebrate taxa than that of the tributaries downstream (30%). The biotic indices (family- and genus-level biotic indices) indicated that the ecological health of the headwater streams was comparably poorer than that of the downstream tributaries. The combined effect of vulnerable natural conditions and increasing human disturbance is likely the main cause of eco-environmental degradation in the Yellow River headwater streams.

Exposure and ecotoxicological risk assessment of mixtures of top prescribed pharmaceuticals in Swedish freshwaters.

Surface water concentrations of 54 pharmaceuticals were predicted for seven major Swedish rivers and the Stockholm City area basins using the STREAM-EU model. These surface water concentrations were used to predict the ecotoxicological impact resulting from the exposure of aquatic organisms to this mixture of 54 pharmaceuticals. STREAM-EU model results indicated that <10 substances were present at median annual water concentrations greater than 10 ng/L with highest concentrations occurring mostly in the more densely populated area of the capital city, Stockholm. There was considerable spatial and temporal variability in the model predictions (1-3 orders of magnitude) due to natural variability (e.g. hydrology, temperature), variations in emissions and uncertainty sources. Local mixture ecotoxicological pressures based on acute EC50 data as well as on chronic NOEC data, expressed as multi-substance potentially affected fraction of species (msPAF), were quantified in 114 separate locations in the waterbodies. It was estimated that 5% of the exposed aquatic species would experience exposure at or above their acute EC50 concentrations (so-called acute hazardous concentration for 5% of species, or aHC5) at only 7% of the locations analyzed (8 out of 114 locations). For the evaluation based on chronic NOEC concentrations, the chronic HC5 (cHC5) is exceeded at 27% of the locations. The acute mixture toxic pressure was estimated to be predominantly caused by only three substances in all waterbodies: Furosemide, Tramadol and Ibuprofen. A similar evaluation of chronic toxic pressure evaluation logically demonstrates that more substances play a significant role in causing a higher chronic toxic pressure at more sites as compared to the acute toxic pressure evaluation. In addition to the three substances contributing most to acute effects, the chronic effects are predominantly caused by another five substances: paracetamol, diclofenac, ethinylestradiol, erythromycin and ciprofloxacin. This study provides regulatory authorities and companies responsible for water quality valuable information for targeting remediation measures and monitoring on a substance and location basis.

Marine microalgae commercial production improves sustainability of global fisheries and aquaculture.

A method is described for saving 30% of the world fish catch by producing fishmeal and fish oil replacement products from marine microalgae, the natural source of proteins and oils in the marine food web. To examine the commercial aspects of such a method, we adapt a model based on results of microalgae production in Hawaii and apply it to Thailand, the world's fourth largest producer of fishmeal. A model facility of 111 ha would produce 2,750 tonnes yr-1 of protein and 2,330 tonnes yr-1 of algal oil, at a capital cost of $29.3 M. Such a facility would generate $5.5 M in average annual net income over its 30-year lifetime. Deployment of 100 such facilities in Thailand would replace all domestic production of fishmeal, 10% of world production, on ~1.5% of the land now used to cultivate oil palm. Such a global industry would generate ~$6.5 billion in annual net income.

Predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC) and assessment of risk for the fungicide, triadimefon based on reproductive fitness of aquatic organisms.

Triadimefon, a broad-spectrum, systemic fungicide used to protect agricultural crops is popular in China. However, sub-lethal effects of triadimefon on aquatic organisms remained poorly understood, and its risks to aquatic organisms were unclear. In the current study, thresholds for chronic toxicity to five aquatic organisms were determined and a PNEC based on reproductive fitness of nine aquatic organisms was derived through use of a species sensitivity distribution (SSD). NOECs, based on reproduction or inhabitation of growth, for Oryzias latipes, Daphnia magna, Brachionus calyciflorus, Heterocypris incongruens and Soirodela polyrhiza were 5, 25, 80, 320 and 500 µg L-1, respectively, and the final PNEC derived was 3.66 µg L-1. A screening-level hazard assessment of surface water based on both measured environment concentrations (ND∼5.22 µg L-1) in 3 lakes, 2 reservoirs and 1 river and predicted environment concentrations (0.36-65 µg L-1) in a simulated river and pond, identified unacceptable hazard to aquatic organisms posed by triadimefon, with maximum hazard quotients (HQs) of 1.43 and 17.8, respectively. Potential deleterious effects and hazards or risks of exposure of aquatic organisms from current patterns of use of triadimefon in surface water if of concern. Since HQs were relatively small and the benefits large, it is suggested that mitigations be applied to allow use while minimizing potential for adverse effects on aquatic organisms.

Food insecurity and coping strategies in a marine protected area in southeastern Tanzania.

This article examines the perceived food security and coping strategies in coastal communities located in a marine protected area (MPA) in southeastern Tanzania. Drawing on fieldwork concentrated in a representative coastal village, the article illustrates how women in particular understand their food security situation in relation to the MPA. Data from interviews with 120 women suggest that the majority of the households in the study area were food insecure. Only few respondents, however, specifically attributed their food insecurity to the MPA's presence in their village, suggesting that food security is multidimensional and is undergirded by several interrelated factors that vary over time. The findings query the assertion that MPAs can and do contribute to improved food security in coastal populations through increased fish biomass or ecotourism projects.

Ecotoxicological risk assessment of chosen pharmaceuticals detected in surface waters.

The goal of this work was to assess the risk posed by the presence of ciprofloxacin, 17α-ethinylestradiol and 5-fluorouracil in aquatic ecosystems based on chronic single-species ecotoxicological tests. There were 23 species used in this study: one cyanobacterium, three green algae, one higher plant, one protozoan, two crustaceans, two fish, 12 bacteria and one fungus (yeast). The risk assessment was performed on the basis of the PEC/PNEC ratio (PEC - predicted environmental concentration, PNEC - predicted no-effect concentration). PNEC was calculated using an assessment factor and statistical extrapolation models. The risk in relation to aquatic organisms proved to be high. The potentially affected fraction of aquatic species in the presence of pharmaceutical active ingredients, depending on the calculation method and the selected concentration in surface waters (predicted or measured), ranged from 6.26 to 27.84% for ciprofloxacin, 2.13 to 18.74% for 17α-ethinylestradiol and 4.96 to 39.28% for 5-fluorouracil. The study indicates several gaps in the existing guidelines, which may be considered within the guideline-revision process.

Assessment of toxicity of selenium and cadmium selenium quantum dots: A review.

This paper reviews the current understanding of the toxicity of selenium (Se) to terrestrial mammalian and aquatic organisms. Adverse biological effects occur in the case of Se deficiencies, associated with this element having essential biological functions and a narrow window between essentiality and toxicity. Several inorganic species of Se (-2, 0, +4, and +6) and organic species (monomethylated and dimethylated) have been reported in aquatic systems. The toxicity of Se in any given sample depends not only on its speciation and concentration, but also on the concomitant presence of other compounds that may have synergistic or antagonistic effects, affecting the target organism as well, usually spanning 2 or 3 orders of magnitude for inorganic Se species. In aquatic ecosystems, indirect toxic effects, linked to the trophic transfer of excess Se, are usually of much more concern than direct Se toxicity. Studies on the toxicity of selenium nanoparticles indicate the greater toxicity of chemically generated selenium nanoparticles relative to selenium oxyanions for fish and fish embryos while oxyanions of selenium have been found to be more highly toxic to rats as compared to nano-Se. Studies on polymer coated Cd/Se quantum dots suggest significant differences in toxicity of weathered vs. non-weathered QD's as well as a significant role for cadmium with respect to toxicity.

Binary mixture toxicities of triphenyltin with tributyltin or copper to five marine organisms: Implications on environmental risk assessment.

Triphenyltin (TPT) often coexists with tributyltin (TBT) and Cu in coastal waters worldwide. The combined toxic effect of TPT and TBT has always been assumed to be additive without any scientific proof, and the combined effect of Cu and TPT on marine organisms has not been vigorously studied. This study, therefore, investigated the acute toxicity of binary mixture of TPT/Cu and TPT/TBT to five selected marine species including Thalassiosira pseudonana, Skeletonema costatum, Tigriopus japonicus, Brachionus koreanus and Oryzias melastigma. The interaction between TPT and TBT or Cu was modeled antagonistic based on concentration addition (CA) model, while it was synergistic according to response addition (RA) model. Both model well predicted the toxicity of binary mixtures to the five organisms. As for the environmental risk assessment, CA overestimated the toxicity in most cases and thus is a more conservative model than RA model for assessing the toxicity of these chemical mixtures.

Virus Resistance Is Not Costly in a Marine Alga Evolving under Multiple Environmental Stressors.

Viruses are important evolutionary drivers of host ecology and evolution. The marine picoplankton Ostreococcus tauri has three known resistance types that arise in response to infection with the Phycodnavirus OtV5: susceptible cells (S) that lyse following viral entry and replication; resistant cells (R) that are refractory to viral entry; and resistant producers (RP) that do not all lyse but maintain some viruses within the population. To test for evolutionary costs of maintaining antiviral resistance, we examined whether O. tauri populations composed of each resistance type differed in their evolutionary responses to several environmental drivers (lower light, lower salt, lower phosphate and a changing environment) in the absence of viruses for approximately 200 generations. We did not detect a cost of resistance as measured by life-history traits (population growth rate, cell size and cell chlorophyll content) and competitive ability. Specifically, all R and RP populations remained resistant to OtV5 lysis for the entire 200-generation experiment, whereas lysis occurred in all S populations, suggesting that resistance is not costly to maintain even when direct selection for resistance was removed, or that there could be a genetic constraint preventing return to a susceptible resistance type. Following evolution, all S population densities dropped when inoculated with OtV5, but not to zero, indicating that lysis was incomplete, and that some cells may have gained a resistance mutation over the evolution experiment. These findings suggest that maintaining resistance in the absence of viruses was not costly.

Aquatic Nuisance Species in the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Basin-A Risk Assessment in Support of GLMRIS.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is conducting the Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study to identify the highest risk aquatic nuisance species currently established in either the Mississippi River Basin or the Great Lakes Basin and prevent their movement into a new basin. The Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study focuses specifically on aquatic nuisance species movement through the Chicago Area Waterway System, a multi-use waterway connecting the two basins. In support of Great Lakes and Mississippi River Interbasin Study, we conducted a qualitative risk assessment for 33 aquatic nuisance species over a 50-year period of analysis based on the probability of aquatic nuisance species establishing in a new basin and the environmental, economic, and sociopolitical consequences of their establishment. Probability of establishment and consequences of establishment were assigned qualitative ratings of high, medium, or low after considering the species' current location, mobility, habitat suitability, and impacts in previously invaded systems. The establishment and consequence ratings were then combined into an overall risk rating. Seven species were characterized as posing a medium risk and two species as posing a high risk to the Mississippi River Basin. Three species were characterized as posing a medium risk to the Great Lakes Basin, but no high-risk species were identified for this basin. Risk increased over time for some aquatic nuisance species based on the time frame in which these species were considered likely to establish in the new basin. Both species traits and the need to balance multiple uses of the Chicago Area Waterway System must be considered when identifying control measures to prevent aquatic nuisance species movement between the two basins.

Characterization of oil and water accommodated fractions used to conduct aquatic toxicity testing in support of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill natural resource damage assessment.

The Deepwater Horizon blowout resulted in the release of millions of barrels of crude oil. As part of the Trustees' Natural Resource Damage Assessment, a testing program was implemented to evaluate the toxicity of Deepwater Horizon oil and oil/dispersant mixtures to aquatic organisms from the Gulf of Mexico. Because of the variety of exposures that likely occurred, the program included 4 Deepwater Horizon oils, which encompassed a range of weathering states, and 3 different oil-in-water mixing methods, for a total of 12 unique water accommodated fractions (WAFs). The present study reports on the chemical characteristics of these 4 Deepwater Horizon oils and 12 WAFs. In addition, to better understand exposure chemistry, an examination was conducted of the effects of WAF preparation parameters-including mixing energy, starting oil composition, and oil-to-water mixing ratios-on the chemical profiles and final concentrations of these 12 WAFs. The results showed that the more weathered the starting oil, the lower the concentrations of the oil constituents in the WAF, with a shift in composition to the less soluble compounds. In addition, higher mixing energies increased the presence of insoluble oil constituents. Finally, at low to mid oil-to-water mixing ratios, the concentration and composition of the WAFs changed with changing mixing ratios; this change was not observed at higher mixing ratios (i.e., >1 g oil/L). Ultimately, the present study provides a basic characterization of the oils and WAFs used in the testing program, which helps to support interpretation of the more than 500 Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment toxicity testing results and to enable a comparison of these results with different tests and with the field. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1450-1459. © 2016 SETAC.

Non-use Economic Values for Little-Known Aquatic Species at Risk: Comparing Choice Experiment Results from Surveys Focused on Species, Guilds, and Ecosystems.

Accounting for non-market economic values of biological diversity is important to fully assess the benefits of environmental policies and regulations. This study used three choice experiments (species-, guild-, and ecosystem-based surveys) in parallel to quantify non-use values for little-known aquatic species at risk in southern Ontario. Mean willingness-to-pay (WTP) ranged from $9.45 to $21.41 per listing status increment under Canada's Species at Risk Act for both named and unnamed little-known species. Given the broad range of valuable ecosystem services likely to accrue to residents from substantial increases in water quality and the rehabilitation of coastal wetlands, the difference in WTP between species- and ecosystem-based surveys seemed implausibly small. It appeared that naming species-the 'iconization' of species in two of the three surveys-had an important effect on WTP. The results suggest that reasonable annual household-level WTP values for little-known aquatic species may be $10 to $25 per species or $10 to $20 per listing status increment. The results highlighted the utility of using parallel surveys to triangulate on non-use economic values for little-known species at risk.

Are we going about chemical risk assessment for the aquatic environment the wrong way?

The goal of protecting the aquatic environment through testing thousands of chemicals against hundreds of aquatic species with thousands of endpoints while also considering mixtures is impossible given the present resources. Much of the impetus for studies on micropollutants, such as pharmaceuticals, came from the topic of endocrine disruption in wild fish. But despite concern over reductions in fish fertility, there is little evidence that fish populations are in peril. Indeed, fish biologists suggest that many cyprinid populations have been recovering for the past 30 to 40 yr. The central assumption, key to current risk assessment, that effects observed in the laboratory or predicted by models are readily transferrable to the population level, is therefore questionable. The neglect in monitoring wildlife populations is the key weakness in environmental protection strategies. If we do not know whether aquatic wildlife species are declining or increasing, how valuable are our other ecotoxicological activities? Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:1609-1616. © 2016 SETAC.

Approaches for integrated assessment of ecological and eutrophication status of surface waters in Nordic Countries.

We review approaches and tools currently used in Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) for integrated assessment of 'ecological status' sensu the EU Water Framework Directive as well as assessment of 'eutrophication status' in coastal and marine waters. Integration principles for combining indicators within biological quality elements (BQEs) and combining BQEs into a final-integrated assessment are discussed. Specific focus has been put on combining different types of information into indices, since several methods are currently employed. As a consequence of the variety of methods used, comparisons across both BQEs and water categories (river, lakes and coastal waters) can be difficult. Based on our analyses, we conclude that some principles and methods for integration can be critical and that a harmonised approach should be developed. Further, we conclude that the integration principles applied within BQEs are critical and in need of harmonisation if we want a better understanding of potential transition in ecological status between surface water types, e.g. when riverine water enters a downstream lake or coastal water body.