Coispa Tecnologia & Ricerca

19/06/2026

🌊 New insights on blue shark conservation in the Adriatic Sea! 🦈

New research from our team, now available in Biological Conservation, explores the factors affecting the post-release survival of blue sharks (Prionace glauca). Through a multi-year integration of fishery monitoring and satellite telemetry (2019-2024), the study provides new insights on the resilience of these predators following their incidental capture in longline fisheries.

🔹 Satellite tagging reveals a post-release survival rate of approximately 77%, with survival strongly influenced by the shark's body size and condition at the moment of release.
🔹 Random Forest modelling identifies soak time as the primary driver of capture condition, indicating that release timing is critical for maximizing survival outcomes

These results provide the necessary scientific basis to support "catch-and-release" as an effective mitigation strategy and to implement more coordinated, adaptive management protocols in Mediterranean fisheries.

An important step forward in understanding the survival and resilience of these magnificent ocean travelers 🦈💙

📄 Full study: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2026.111939

05/06/2026

📦 New R Package Alert: BioIndex is now officially available on CRAN! 🚀

What is BioIndex?
It is a powerful tool designed for the analysis of quality checked MEDITS trawl survey data and the calculation of biological indicators for marine species and population components. It allows researchers to:

✅ Estimate abundance and biomass indices, and analyze length frequency distributions.
✅ Derive s*x ratio and maturity-related metrics.
✅ Explore spatial patterns and assess temporal trends.
✅ Perform statistical trend analysis of time series based on the Hotelling-Pabst test.
✅ Produce reproducible outputs to support monitoring, comparative analyses among GSAs and countries, and fishery management.

✨ Built-in Shiny App: BioIndex includes an embedded Shiny application providing a user-friendly graphical interface for intuitive analysis and data exploration.

Ready to elevate your MEDITS data analysis?

Get started here:
🌐 CRAN: https://doi.org/10.32614/CRAN.package.BioIndex
💻 GitHub: https://github.com/COISPA/BioIndex

15/05/2026

📢 We are proud to announce COISPA’s latest contribution to the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences collection, dedicated to the memory of Dr. Jeff Hutchings, a visionary leader in global fisheries science. 🌊📖

Our study addresses the critical challenge of assessing stock productivity in the Adriatic and Western Ionian Seas evaluating the biological and economic impacts of various management and climate scenarios.

🔗 Read our full paper here: https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2024-0382
🔗 Explore the complete Special Issue (Tribute to Jeff Hutchings): https://cdnsciencepub.com/topic/jeff-hutchings-tribute

01/05/2026

📦 New R Package Alert: RoME is now officially available on CRAN! 🚀

What is RoME?
It is a specialized tool designed to perform data quality checks on MEDITS survey data, providing a standardized framework for researchers to:

✅ Ensure consistency and accuracy in MEDITS datasets.
✅ Automate quality control and error detection.
✅ Guarantee high-quality data for scientific analysis and stock assessments.

✨ Built-in Shiny App: RoME includes a user-friendly interface for intuitive data exploration and visual validation.

Ready to streamline your MEDITS data workflow?

Get started here:
🔎 CRAN: https://doi.org/10.32614/CRAN.package.RoME
💻 GitHub: https://github.com/COISPA/RoME

11/04/2026

🐟🌍 4helixAquaCultureNet activities continue

Bari recently hosted the 2nd 4helixAquaCultureNet Communication Event, where partners, institutions, and stakeholders from Italy and Greece had the chance to meet and exchange views on current challenges in the aquaculture sector.

The meeting was a useful opportunity to share updates, discuss ongoing work, and continue building collaboration between the two countries.

The discussion also highlighted the importance of innovation, sustainability, and value chains in supporting the sector’s development — focusing not only on increasing production, but also on improving its quality.

🔗 Learn more and stay tuned
Interreg 4helix
Interreg Greece-Italy

08/04/2026

Are you working with age-based indicators, length-based indicators, data-limited stocks, stock assessment, thresholds?

You are invited to join ICES Workshop on Future Work on D3C3 (WKD3C3_Future) to identify practical ways to move forward with assessing MSFD D3C3 by developing workable indicators, thresholds, and approaches for implementation.
📅22-25 June 2026 📍 Copenhagen, Denmark ⏰ Registration closes 22 May 2026 https://www.ices.dk/community/groups/Pages/WKD3C3_Future.aspx

At the workshop, participants will
🔹 Analyse D3C3 assessments from latest MSFD reporting cycles
🔹 Evaluate length-based and age-based indicators
🔹 Tackle thresholds for data-limited stocks

🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟

The European Commission has asked ICES to coordinate a process to guide the next steps needed for the assessment of D3C3. The results will inform the context of Working Group on Good Environmental Status under the MSFD Common Implementation Strategy on the possible next steps for the implementation of D3C3 for the next MSFD reporting cycle. ℹ️MSFD D3 https://mcc.jrc.ec.europa.eu/main/dev.py?N=21&O=131&titre_chap=D3%20Fisheries

05/12/2025

🦈New insights into the life of blue sharks in the Adriatic Sea! 🌊

A recent study from COISPA explored how blue sharks change shape as they grow — and what these changes mean for how they swim, hunt, and survive. By measuring sharks from juveniles to adults, researchers found clear differences in body shape, especially in the fins and tail.

🔹 Young sharks have body shapes that help them turn quickly and avoid predators.
🔹 Adults develop features that make long-distance swimming more efficient — perfect for migrations and diving to deeper waters.

These findings show how blue sharks adapt their bodies to different needs throughout their lives, helping them save energy, move efficiently, and make the most of their open-ocean environment.

A fascinating look at how one of the ocean’s most iconic predators grows and thrives! 🦈💙

📄 Full study: https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.72478

This study examines how the morphology of Mediterranean blue sharks (Prionace glauca ) changes throughout their development. Using linear and geometric morphometrics, it reveals that juveniles and ad...

28/11/2025

📍 Wrapping up the B-USEFUL Annual Meeting in Sète, France 🌊

Three inspiring days brought the B-USEFUL consortium together to align on the final project milestones and strengthen the bridge between marine science, policy, and real-world management.

💬 Discussions highlighted risk assessment, ecosystem modelling, scenario planning, and the development of user-focused tools for biodiversity protection.

B-USEFUL continues to turn science into actionable knowledge for marine biodiversity protection and sustainable ocean management. 🌍

23/11/2025

🚀 La Fondazione COISPA ha un nuovo sito web! 🌐

Raccogliendo oltre 40 anni di esperienze scientifiche della cooperativa COISPA, la Fondazione promuove e svolge numerose attività di ricerca guidate dai principi dello sviluppo sostenibile 🌊

🔹 Scopri i nostri progetti di ricerca sull’innovazione ecologica, la biologia marina, l’acquacoltura e la gestione della pesca 🔬
🔹 Esplora la nostra collezione di centinaia di pubblicazioni📚
🔹 Conosci i membri del team COISPA e mettiti in contatto con noi 👥

Resta aggiornato sulle nostre iniziative e scopri di più
👉 www.fondazionecoispa.org

21/11/2025

🌐Siamo lieti di accogliere ufficialmente la Fondazione COISPA su questa pagina social! 🤝

🏛️ Fondata a Bari nel 2022, la Fondazione nasce dall’esperienza e dalla passione di oltre 40 anni di ricerca scientifica della cooperativa COISPA.

🔬 La nostra missione è promuovere la ricerca e l’innovazione nei campi dell’ecologia, della biologia marina, dell’acquacoltura e della gestione sostenibile della pesca, guidati dai principi dello sviluppo sostenibile. 🌊🐟

📢 Seguici per restare aggiornato sulle nostre attività e sui progetti che portano avanti la tradizione scientifica e l’impegno per la sostenibilità. 🌍