Fifty-year study of microplastics ingested by brachyuran and fish larvae in the central English North Sea.

Microplastics (MPs) are ubiquitous pollutants in marine environments. Among the many detrimental consequences of microplastic pollution, its consumption by marine biota is of particular relevance for human health, due to exposure through the food web. Long-term time-series biotic samples are overlooked sources of information for microplastics research. These collections are extremely valuable for the detection and monitoring of changes in marine environments. However, there are very few long-term studies (>10 years) of the uptake of microplastics by biota. Here, we used Dove Time Series planktonic samples (from 1971 to 2020) to assess the presence and prevalence of microplastics in the English North Sea coast over time. Fish and brachyuran larvae were selected due to their commercial importance and consequent implications for human health. A custom enzymatic digestion method was used to extract microplastics for FTIR-ATR polymer identification. An increasing cumulative trend in MP ingestion was identified. Cellophane and polyethylene terephthalate were the polymer types found most frequently in both taxa. Although a total higher microplastics uptake was observed in fish, consumption was not significantly different between taxa over time. Equally, results were not clearly related to microplastics shape or polymer type. This work did not find significant long-term evidence on the increasing uptake of microplastic particles by zooplankton over time. However, the results of this report identified additives, plasticisers, and other more complex and hazardous compounds that should not be released to the environment (e.g., bis-(2-hydroxyethyl) dimerate, propylene glycol ricinoleate) inside marine biota. The study detailed herein provides a case study for the use of long-term time-series in providing accurate assessments of microplastic pollution in marine biota.

Expanding narratives of governance constraints to improve coral reef conservation.

To understand and address the failures of reef governance, it is critical to understand the perceptions of diverse policy makers and practitioners about the challenges they face in achieving their goals. Examining the discourse of policy makers and practitioners can reveal the extent to which these perceptions capture the full spectrum of potential governance challenges, including those related to management, institutional structures and processes, the values and principles underpinning governance, and the social and environmental context. We conducted semistructured interviews with 110 policy makers and practitioners across multiple sectors, scales, and contexts in Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis, Belize, and Honduras. We used thematic qualitative analysis informed by theories of interactive governance and governability to examine the challenges perceived by governance actors. Perceived governance challenges were broadly consistent across countries, but differed by sector (V = 0.819, F6,60 = 1.502, p = 0.01) and by level (community compared with national) (V = 0.194, F1,10 = 2.178, = 0.026). Management inputs and outputs, challenges relating to the socioeconomic context, issues of leadership and power, and stakeholder engagement were commonly cited challenges (>75%). Few respondents discussed challenges relating to the ecological context, governance processes, or the values and principles underpinning governance. We argue that examining perceptions can inform efforts to improve governance and assess the appropriateness of particular management tools under context-specific governance constraints. Furthermore, expanding the narratives of governance challenges to encompass the subtle values and images underpinning governance, and the scale of the challenges faced, can help identify a wider set of opportunities for change.

Expansión de las Narrativas de los Límites de la Gobernanza para Mejorar la Conservación de los Arrecifes de Coral Resumen Es muy importante entender las percepciones que tienen los practicantes y los formuladores de políticas sobre los retos que enfrentan para alcanzar sus objetivos para poder entender y abordar los fracasos en la gobernanza de los arrecifes. El análisis del discurso de los formuladores y los practicantes puede revelar la extensión a la que estas percepciones capturan el espectro completo de los retos potenciales para la gobernanza, incluidos aquellos relacionados con el manejo, las estructuras y los procesos institucionales, los valores y principios que apuntalan la gobernanza y el contexto social y ambiental. Realizamos entrevistas semiestructuradas a 110 formuladores y practicantes de múltiples sectores, escalas y contextos en Barbados, San Cristóbal y Nieves, Belice y Honduras. Usamos un análisis cualitativo temático informado por las teorías de la gobernanza interactiva y la gobernabilidad para examinar los retos percibidos por los actores de gobernanza. A grandes rasgos, los retos percibidos en la gobernanza fueron coherentes entre los países, pero difirieron por sector (V = 0.819, F6,60 = 1.502, p = 0.01) y por nivel (comunitario comparado con nacional) (V = 0.194, F1,10 = 2.178, = 0.026). Las aportaciones y producciones del manejo, los retos relacionados con el contexto socioeconómico, los temas de liderazgo y poder y la participación de los actores fueron los retos mencionados comúnmente (>75%). Pocos respondientes discutieron los retos relacionados con el contexto ecológico, los procesos de gobernanza o los valores y principios que apuntalan la gobernanza. Alegamos que el análisis de las percepciones puede guiar a los esfuerzos para mejorar la gobernanza y evaluar cuán apropiadas son las herramientas particulares de manejo bajo los límites de gobernanza específicos al contexto. Además, expandir las narrativas de los retos de gobernanza para englobar los valores e imágenes sutiles que apuntalan la gobernanza, y la escala del reto al que se enfrenta, puede ayudar a identificar un conjunto más amplio de oportunidades de cambio.

Enzymatic digestion method development for long-term stored chitinaceous planktonic samples.

Different extraction methods have been proposed to study the ingestion of microplastics by marine organisms, including enzymatic digestion. While mussels have been the focus of research, crustaceans' enzymatic digestion has received little attention. An overlooked source of information for microplastic research is analysis of long-term time-series biotic samples. These collections are invaluable for the detection and monitoring of changes in ecosystems, especially those caused by anthropogenic factors. Here, crustacean larvae collected in two periods, 1985 and 2020, in the central North Sea were used to develop and optimise an effective and gentle enzymatic digestion method suitable for microplastic research. Sequential breakdown of these chitinaceous samples via a mechanical and surfactant (Sodium Dodecyl Sulphate 1% v/v) pre-treatment, followed by proteinase K (100 mU/mL) and chitinase (50 mU/mL) digestion, efficiently removed >96% of biomass of 1985 and 2020 samples. The optimised method was effective without interfering with the identification of naturally weathered microplastics via FTIR Spectroscopy.

Diverging strategies to planning an ecologically coherent network of MPAs in the North Sea: the roles of advocacy, evidence and pragmatism in the face of uncertainty.

The North Sea is one of the most economically important seas in the world due to productive fisheries, extensive oil and gas fields, busy shipping routes, marine renewable energy development and recreational activity. Unsurprisingly, therefore, the use of marine protected areas (here defined widely to include fisheries closed areas and no-take marine reserves) in its management has generated considerable controversy-particularly with regards to the design of a regional ecologically coherent MPA network to meet international obligations. Drawing on three MPA processes currently occurring in the UK North Sea, we examine the real-world problems that make the designation of MPA networks challenging. The political problems include: disagreement among (and within) sectors over policy objectives and priorities, common access to fisheries resources at the EU level increasing the scale at which decisions have to be made and lack of an integrated strategy for implementing protected areas in the North Sea. The scientific problems include the patchy knowledge of benthic assemblages, limited knowledge of fishing gear-habitat interactions, and the increased risk of unforeseen externalities if human activity (predominantly fishing) is displaced from newly protected sites. Diverging stakeholder attitudes to these problems means that there is no consensus on what ecological coherence actually means. Ultimately, we caution against 'quick-fix' solutions that are based on advocacy and targets, as they create confusion and undermine trust in the planning process. We argue for a more pragmatic approach to marine protection that embraces the complexity of the social and political arena in which decisions are made.