Hicham Masski - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Hicham Masski

Certaines populations marines, de par leur capacité à réaliser des déplacements de grande envergu... more Certaines populations marines, de par leur capacité à réaliser des déplacements de grande envergure, marquent leur distribution spatiale d'une forte variabilité; Celle ci s'inscrit souvent dans un cycle saisonnier avec une reproductibilité interannuelle. Ces déplacements sont liés soit à une migration saisonnière entre plusieurs aires, soit à une concentration saisonnière succédant à une phase dispersive. Deux activités physiologiques essentielles induisent ces mouvements saisonniers: la reproduction et l'alimentation. Les zones sont définies selon des critères préférentiels propres à chaque espèce qui peuvent correspondre soit à des caractéristiques particulières du biotope soi! à la confluence de caractéristiques physico-chimiques et hydrologiques favorables.

Desde Ceuta hasta Saidia, movimientos de delfines mulares en el sur de Alborán

espanolDurante el ano 2014 se realizaron dos campanas en abril-mayo y septiembre-octubre en el su... more espanolDurante el ano 2014 se realizaron dos campanas en abril-mayo y septiembre-octubre en el sur del mar de Alboran en el marco del proyecto “CETASUR Cetaceos al sur del mar de Alboran”. Con 4.000 km navegados se totalizaron 178 avistamientos de cetaceos, de los cuales 51 fueron de delfin mular (Tursiops truncatus). Las tasas de encuentro e indice de abundancia para esta especie por 100 km navegados, fueron de oeste a este 1,56 y 36 en la zona de Ceuta-Marina Smir, 3,56 y 53 en la zona del Parque Nacional de Alhucemas asi como 2,88 y 26 en la zona desde Melilla a Saidia respectivamente. Analizando 18.297 fotografias de aletas dorsales se pudieron identificar 53 animales diferentes en Ceuta-Marina Smir, 139 animales en Alhucemas y 101 animales en Melilla-Saidia. Comparando estos catalogos, se detectaron movimientos entre las tres zonas. Un animal se vio en la zona de Ceuta en mayo y fue reavistado en Alhucemas en octubre (134 km en linea recta), 8 animales fueron vistos en Melilla ...

A u cœur de la machine climatique terrestre, les océans subissent de plein fouet le changement cl... more A u cœur de la machine climatique terrestre, les océans subissent de plein fouet le changement climatique. Les effets observés aujourd’hui sur le milieu océanique sont nombreux : changements de la température de l’eau et des teneurs en oxygène, acidification, élévation du niveau de la mer, etc. Ces modifications physiques et biogéochimiques, et dans une moindre mesure la sévérité des événements extrêmes, influent sur les conditions de vie dans les océans. La répartition géographique des espèces ainsi que la dynamique des écosystèmes vont subir de profondes perturbations dans les décennies à venir et affecter les pêcheries au niveau mondial. Le déplacement des espèces vers les pôles conduira en particulier à une baisse des ressources halieutiques dans les régions tropicales compromettant la sécurité alimentaire dans nombre de pays du Sud.

What do otolith microchemical signatures tell us about sardines' movements along the Atlantic coast of Morocco (NW Africa)

Marine biota is redistributing at a rapid pace in response to climate change and shifting seascap... more Marine biota is redistributing at a rapid pace in response to climate change and shifting seascapes. While changes in fish populations and community structure threaten the sustainability of fisheries, our capacity to adapt by tracking and projecting marine species remains a challenge due to data discontinuities in biological observations, lack of data availability, and mismatch between data and real species distributions. To assess the extent of this challenge, we review the global status and accessibility of ongoing scientific bottom trawl surveys. In total, we gathered metadata for 283,925 samples from 95 surveys conducted regularly from 2001 to 2019. 59% of the metadata collected are not publicly available, highlighting that the availability of data is the most important challenge to assess species redistributions under global climate change. We further found that single surveys do not cover the full range of the main commercial demersal fish species and that an average of 18 sur...

Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2020

Previous analyses of marine fish species richness based on presence-absence data have shown chang... more Previous analyses of marine fish species richness based on presence-absence data have shown changes with latitude and average species size, but little is known about the underlying processes. To elucidate these processes we use metabolic, neutral and descriptive statistical models to analyse how richness responds to maximum species length, fish abundance, temperature, primary production, depth, latitude, and longitude, while accounting for differences in species catchability, sampling effort and mesh size. Results from 53,382 bottom trawl hauls representing 50 fish assemblages. The northern Atlantic from Nova Scotia to Guinea. Methods A descriptive Generalised Additive Model was used to identify functional relationships between species richness and potential drivers, after which non-linear estimation techniques were used to parameterize: 1) a 'best' fitting model of species richness built on the functional relationships, 2) an environmental model based on latitude, longitude and depth, and mechanistic models based on 3) metabolic and 4) neutral theory. In the 'best' model the number of species observed is a lognormal function of maximum species length. It increases significantly with temperature, primary production, sampling effort and abundance, and declines with depth and, for small species, with the mesh size in the trawl. The 'best' model explains close to 90% of the deviance and the neutral, metabolic, and environmental models 89%. In all four models, maximum species length and either temperature or latitude account for more than half of the deviance explained. The two mechanistic models explain the patterns in demersal fish species richness in the northern Atlantic almost equally well. A better understanding of the underlying drivers is likely to require development of dynamic mechanistic models of richness and size evolution, fit not only to extant distributions, but also to historical environmental conditions and to past speciation and extinction rates.

International Aquatic Research, 2018

In the current study, ten elements contents (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Cr, Co, Ni, Cd, Pb and Hg) have been... more In the current study, ten elements contents (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Cr, Co, Ni, Cd, Pb and Hg) have been measured in muscle and liver of four pelagic fish species (Engraulis encrasicolus, Sardina pilchardus, Scomber japonicus and Trachurus trachurus) from the north-west African coast (South Atlantic Moroccan coast), collected during summer and autumn seasons (July and December 2013, respectively). Significant differences in metal contents were found between the different species (p \ 0.05). Metals levels were also much higher in liver than those recorded in muscle tissues. The concentrations of Fe, Zn, Cd, Co, Cu and Pb were significantly higher in mackerel liver (p \ 0.05).While, in muscle, anchovy presents a higher content of Mn, Cu, Cr, Ni and Pb. A high level of cadmium was recorded in liver of the different species which can be attributed to an anthropogenic source (phosphate industry) and to natural sources (upwelling activities). The main concentration of toxic elements (Cd, Pb and Hg) recorded in the four edible muscles of pelagic fish species, under study, were below the established values by the European Commission Regulations and show that their effect on the consumers health can be considered as negligible.

Aires marine protégées ouest-africaines

Sexual dysfunction, a common side effect of antipsychotic medications, may be partly caused by do... more Sexual dysfunction, a common side effect of antipsychotic medications, may be partly caused by dopamine antagonism and elevation of prolactin. In QUALIFY, a randomized study, aripiprazole once-monthly 400 mg (AOM 400), a dopamine D 2 receptor partial agonist, showed noninferiority and subsequent superiority versus paliperidone palmitate (PP), a dopamine D 2 receptor antagonist, on the Heinrichs-Carpenter Quality-of-Life Scale (QLS) in patients with schizophrenia aged 18-60 years. Sexual dysfunction (Arizona Sexual Experience Scale) and serum prolactin levels were also assessed. Odds for sexual dysfunction were lower with AOM 400 versus PP [week 28 adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval), 0.29 (0.14-0.61); P = 0.0012] in men [0.33 (0.13-0.86); P = 0.023], women [0.14 (0.03-0.62); P = 0.0099], and patients aged 18-35 years [0.04 (< 0.01-0.34); P = 0.003]. Among patients shifting from sexual dysfunction at baseline to none at week 28, there was a trend toward greater improvement in the QLS total score. The mean (SD) prolactin concentrations decreased with AOM 400 [ -150.6 (274.4) mIU/l] and increased with PP [464.7 (867.5) mIU/l] in both men and women. Six PP-treated patients experienced prolactin-related adverse events. In addition to greater improvement on QLS, patients had a lower risk for sexual dysfunction and prolactin elevation with AOM 400 versus PP in QUALIFY.

Journal of Ecological Anthropology, 2016

We investigated 16 fishing sites in order to gather local fish names. A total of 691 vernacular n... more We investigated 16 fishing sites in order to gather local fish names. A total of 691 vernacular names were assigned to the 138 species considered. Regarding the number of names, a great part of variability was of linguistic origin, and the patterns disclosed showed four groups of sites. Names of Spanish origin were predominant at the national level, and their proportion decreased southward for the benefit of names of Arabic, Amazigh, and French origins. Joint to geographic and cultural proximity, trade relationships of newly exploited species (after the 1950s) probably determined the emergence of such a pattern.

Fish and Fisheries, 2016

Fisheries have had major negative impacts on marine ecosystems, and effective fisheries managemen... more Fisheries have had major negative impacts on marine ecosystems, and effective fisheries management and governance are needed to achieve sustainable fisheries, biodiversity conservation goals and thus good ecosystem status. To date, the IndiSeas programme (Indicators for the Seas) has focussed on assessing the ecological impacts of fishing at the ecosystem scale using ecological indicators. Here, we

Naming Moroccan fish: when diversity faces standardisation imperatives

Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 2016

Summary The Moroccan national fisheries information system aims at adopting a standard list of co... more Summary The Moroccan national fisheries information system aims at adopting a standard list of common names for fishery products. Thus, the goal of this study is to provide a means structuring vernacular names, which, although in wide use, are highly variable and do not necessarily meet trade requisites. The 138 species considered in this study have 691 vernacular names – an average of five names per species. Large disparities in the number of vernacular names were found between species and among the 16 study sites. Much of this variability is due to pronunciation and syllable adjunction, which do not affect the root name structure. Pronunciation aside, for the most part the analysed variability in vernacular names of fishes is of linguistic origin stemming from four geographic – and thus cultural – groups. The Iberian names, preponderant in the eastern Moroccan Mediterranean, decreased southward in favour of Arabic, Amazigh and French. According to these results, the adoption of a unique standard, if even possible, might encounter resistance to dissemination by the fishermen and local populations. The adoption of two names lists, one for the Moroccan Mediterranean and one for the Moroccan Atlantic, may be a good compromise. Most efforts at standardisation should then be invested at fish markets in order to integrate fish identification and labelling processes prior to selling.

Journal of Biology and Earth Sciences, Apr 30, 2014

European hake (Merluccius merluccius) is an abundant and widely distributed species in the Morocc... more European hake (Merluccius merluccius) is an abundant and widely distributed species in the Moroccan Atlantic Sea. The knowledge of its dietary habits is an important factor to understand its ecological role. The aim of this study is to describe its food spectrum and explore associated sources of variability. A total of 11 0 individuals were collected during the trawl survey in the north of Moroccan Atlantic Sea during summer 201 0. Stomach contents of the individuals ranging between 7 and 59 cm total length were examined. The hake's food composition is mainly based on fish and secondary on euphausiids. The sexual maturity acquisition leads to a significant change in the diet. The immature hakes (< 1 5 cm) feed mainly on euphausiids. These compounds decrease for mature adults which feed increasingly on fish. The findings suggest that because of its abundance among demersal megafauna of the Morrocan Atlantic Sea and its diet based mainly on other fish, European hake would play an important role in the trophodynamics of the ecosystem.

Exploring fidelity of Sardines (Sardina pilchardus) to feeding grounds in the Atlantic Moroccan waters using stable isotope analyses (C, N) and otolith microchemistry

Frontiers in Marine Science, 2015

Chemical profiles in otoliths from 3 fish species along the Moroccan coast: accumulation and migration patterns

Frontiers in Marine Science, 2015

The Canary Current Large Ecosystem is characterized by a major, nutrient-rich up-welling of deep,... more The Canary Current Large Ecosystem is characterized by a major, nutrient-rich up-welling of deep, cold oceanic waters, which stimulates high biological productivity that results in an abundance of both pelagic and demersal fishery resources. In this area, the Moroccan coast is also under direct anthropogenic activities influences such as phosphates industries. Several observations indicate that variations of the upwelling activities observed in the recent years would generate the remobilization of the contaminants. Our study deals with the metallic concentrations in the otoliths of 3 fish species of economic interest ( Merlucius merlucius, Pagellus acarne, Sardina pilchardus) along the Moroccan coast. The fishes were collected in markets in june 2012 for the northern part of Morocco (during the maximum of the upwelling activity) and in November 2012 for the southern part. Concentrations were measured by ICP-MS on transects from nucleus to the edge of otoliths to characterize environmental variations or accumulations linked to ecophases and growth. For each species, 5 fishes were analyzed in 7 locations from North to south of the Moroccan Atlantic coast. First results indicate that the concentrations are highly variable in hake transects, and on the other hand, transects in seabreams seem very stable regardless of location. Transects in sardines indicate different patterns depending on the locations and, some of them, clearly show the upwelling signature.

Investigation of a subtidal fish community in a south-western Mediterranean settlement area of Morocco

Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 2014

Journal of Marine Systems, 2017

Cetaceans of the Moroccan coast: information from a reconstructed strandings database

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 2015

Progress in Oceanography, 2009

The species diversity of the four major Eastern Boundary Upwelling Ecosystems (EBUEs) is studied ... more The species diversity of the four major Eastern Boundary Upwelling Ecosystems (EBUEs) is studied and compared with the aim of better understanding their functioning. Functional groups (FGs) of organisms were defined according to their taxonomy, body size and trophic level (TL), and span from plankton to top predators. Four large sub-divisions are defined in each system: two latitudinal sub-divisions (north and south) and two zonal sub-divisions (inshore and offshore), resulting in four sub-ecosystems per EBUE. A semi-quantitative approach is used in which only the dominant species (contributing 90% of overall biomass) are considered. EBUEs are compared in regard to their species composition, dominant species richness and evenness within FGs. The data are interpreted, focusing on latitudinal, zonal and depth gradients of diversity. Trophic flows (inflow and outflow) through the small pelagic fish FG are derived from different Ecopath models. This analysis of the four ecosystems and their sub-divisions does not provide support for the expected wasp-waist food web structure and functioning, with a single or several species of small pelagic fish primarily channelling the energy flow from lower to higher TL. Instead, similar low levels of richness were observed in many FGs of intermediate TL, allowing several energy transfer pathways. The gamma diversity is high due to the geographical distance between EBUEs and the presence or absence of rivers, but not to differences in their latitudinal position. The beta diversity is also high, due to the same factors plus the variation in shelf width and the contrast between inshore and offshore subdivisions. The differences in richness and evenness among EBUEs are minor and do not explain the higher secondary and tertiary productivity of the Humboldt ecosystem.

The composition and abundance of demersal and epibenthic communities along the northern Atlantic ... more The composition and abundance of demersal and epibenthic communities along the northern Atlantic coast of Morocco were studied. Eighty two bottom trawl hauls were carried out in July 2010, at depths ranging from 20 to 800 m. One hundred forty eight species have been identified. Most of them belonged to the fish groups, followed by crustaceans, cephalopods, gastropods, echinoderms, cnidarians and bivalves. Only European hake (Merluccius merluccius) was considered frequent because this species was present in more than 75% for all depth strata. As a result of multivariate analyzes, four assemblages were defined. The group I, was located from 200 to 300 m, on the muddy-sands bottoms on the outer continental shelf and the upper slope, and characterized by high abundance and high diversity. The group II, distributed on trawlable bottoms between 100 to 200 m, limited and influenced by the rocky and coralligenous grounds. The group III, localized on the middle slope, beyond 300 m depth, on ...

Progress in Oceanography, 2009

The species diversity of the four major Eastern Boundary Upwelling Ecosystems (EBUEs) is studied ... more The species diversity of the four major Eastern Boundary Upwelling Ecosystems (EBUEs) is studied and compared with the aim of better understanding their functioning. Functional groups (FGs) of organisms were defined according to their taxonomy, body size and trophic level (TL), and span from plankton to top predators. Four large sub-divisions are defined in each system: two latitudinal sub-divisions (north and south) and two zonal sub-divisions (inshore and offshore), resulting in four sub-ecosystems per EBUE. A semi-quantitative approach is used in which only the dominant species (contributing 90% of overall biomass) are considered. EBUEs are compared in regard to their species composition, dominant species richness and evenness within FGs. The data are interpreted, focusing on latitudinal, zonal and depth gradients of diversity. Trophic flows (inflow and outflow) through the small pelagic fish FG are derived from different Ecopath models. This analysis of the four ecosystems and their sub-divisions does not provide support for the expected wasp-waist food web structure and functioning, with a single or several species of small pelagic fish primarily channelling the energy flow from lower to higher TL. Instead, similar low levels of richness were observed in many FGs of intermediate TL, allowing several energy transfer pathways. The gamma diversity is high due to the geographical distance between EBUEs and the presence or absence of rivers, but not to differences in their latitudinal position. The beta diversity is also high, due to the same factors plus the variation in shelf width and the contrast between inshore and offshore subdivisions. The differences in richness and evenness among EBUEs are minor and do not explain the higher secondary and tertiary productivity of the Humboldt ecosystem.

Certaines populations marines, de par leur capacité à réaliser des déplacements de grande envergu... more Certaines populations marines, de par leur capacité à réaliser des déplacements de grande envergure, marquent leur distribution spatiale d'une forte variabilité; Celle ci s'inscrit souvent dans un cycle saisonnier avec une reproductibilité interannuelle. Ces déplacements sont liés soit à une migration saisonnière entre plusieurs aires, soit à une concentration saisonnière succédant à une phase dispersive. Deux activités physiologiques essentielles induisent ces mouvements saisonniers: la reproduction et l'alimentation. Les zones sont définies selon des critères préférentiels propres à chaque espèce qui peuvent correspondre soit à des caractéristiques particulières du biotope soi! à la confluence de caractéristiques physico-chimiques et hydrologiques favorables.

Desde Ceuta hasta Saidia, movimientos de delfines mulares en el sur de Alborán

espanolDurante el ano 2014 se realizaron dos campanas en abril-mayo y septiembre-octubre en el su... more espanolDurante el ano 2014 se realizaron dos campanas en abril-mayo y septiembre-octubre en el sur del mar de Alboran en el marco del proyecto “CETASUR Cetaceos al sur del mar de Alboran”. Con 4.000 km navegados se totalizaron 178 avistamientos de cetaceos, de los cuales 51 fueron de delfin mular (Tursiops truncatus). Las tasas de encuentro e indice de abundancia para esta especie por 100 km navegados, fueron de oeste a este 1,56 y 36 en la zona de Ceuta-Marina Smir, 3,56 y 53 en la zona del Parque Nacional de Alhucemas asi como 2,88 y 26 en la zona desde Melilla a Saidia respectivamente. Analizando 18.297 fotografias de aletas dorsales se pudieron identificar 53 animales diferentes en Ceuta-Marina Smir, 139 animales en Alhucemas y 101 animales en Melilla-Saidia. Comparando estos catalogos, se detectaron movimientos entre las tres zonas. Un animal se vio en la zona de Ceuta en mayo y fue reavistado en Alhucemas en octubre (134 km en linea recta), 8 animales fueron vistos en Melilla ...

A u cœur de la machine climatique terrestre, les océans subissent de plein fouet le changement cl... more A u cœur de la machine climatique terrestre, les océans subissent de plein fouet le changement climatique. Les effets observés aujourd’hui sur le milieu océanique sont nombreux : changements de la température de l’eau et des teneurs en oxygène, acidification, élévation du niveau de la mer, etc. Ces modifications physiques et biogéochimiques, et dans une moindre mesure la sévérité des événements extrêmes, influent sur les conditions de vie dans les océans. La répartition géographique des espèces ainsi que la dynamique des écosystèmes vont subir de profondes perturbations dans les décennies à venir et affecter les pêcheries au niveau mondial. Le déplacement des espèces vers les pôles conduira en particulier à une baisse des ressources halieutiques dans les régions tropicales compromettant la sécurité alimentaire dans nombre de pays du Sud.

What do otolith microchemical signatures tell us about sardines' movements along the Atlantic coast of Morocco (NW Africa)

Marine biota is redistributing at a rapid pace in response to climate change and shifting seascap... more Marine biota is redistributing at a rapid pace in response to climate change and shifting seascapes. While changes in fish populations and community structure threaten the sustainability of fisheries, our capacity to adapt by tracking and projecting marine species remains a challenge due to data discontinuities in biological observations, lack of data availability, and mismatch between data and real species distributions. To assess the extent of this challenge, we review the global status and accessibility of ongoing scientific bottom trawl surveys. In total, we gathered metadata for 283,925 samples from 95 surveys conducted regularly from 2001 to 2019. 59% of the metadata collected are not publicly available, highlighting that the availability of data is the most important challenge to assess species redistributions under global climate change. We further found that single surveys do not cover the full range of the main commercial demersal fish species and that an average of 18 sur...

Global Ecology and Biogeography, 2020

Previous analyses of marine fish species richness based on presence-absence data have shown chang... more Previous analyses of marine fish species richness based on presence-absence data have shown changes with latitude and average species size, but little is known about the underlying processes. To elucidate these processes we use metabolic, neutral and descriptive statistical models to analyse how richness responds to maximum species length, fish abundance, temperature, primary production, depth, latitude, and longitude, while accounting for differences in species catchability, sampling effort and mesh size. Results from 53,382 bottom trawl hauls representing 50 fish assemblages. The northern Atlantic from Nova Scotia to Guinea. Methods A descriptive Generalised Additive Model was used to identify functional relationships between species richness and potential drivers, after which non-linear estimation techniques were used to parameterize: 1) a 'best' fitting model of species richness built on the functional relationships, 2) an environmental model based on latitude, longitude and depth, and mechanistic models based on 3) metabolic and 4) neutral theory. In the 'best' model the number of species observed is a lognormal function of maximum species length. It increases significantly with temperature, primary production, sampling effort and abundance, and declines with depth and, for small species, with the mesh size in the trawl. The 'best' model explains close to 90% of the deviance and the neutral, metabolic, and environmental models 89%. In all four models, maximum species length and either temperature or latitude account for more than half of the deviance explained. The two mechanistic models explain the patterns in demersal fish species richness in the northern Atlantic almost equally well. A better understanding of the underlying drivers is likely to require development of dynamic mechanistic models of richness and size evolution, fit not only to extant distributions, but also to historical environmental conditions and to past speciation and extinction rates.

International Aquatic Research, 2018

In the current study, ten elements contents (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Cr, Co, Ni, Cd, Pb and Hg) have been... more In the current study, ten elements contents (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Cr, Co, Ni, Cd, Pb and Hg) have been measured in muscle and liver of four pelagic fish species (Engraulis encrasicolus, Sardina pilchardus, Scomber japonicus and Trachurus trachurus) from the north-west African coast (South Atlantic Moroccan coast), collected during summer and autumn seasons (July and December 2013, respectively). Significant differences in metal contents were found between the different species (p \ 0.05). Metals levels were also much higher in liver than those recorded in muscle tissues. The concentrations of Fe, Zn, Cd, Co, Cu and Pb were significantly higher in mackerel liver (p \ 0.05).While, in muscle, anchovy presents a higher content of Mn, Cu, Cr, Ni and Pb. A high level of cadmium was recorded in liver of the different species which can be attributed to an anthropogenic source (phosphate industry) and to natural sources (upwelling activities). The main concentration of toxic elements (Cd, Pb and Hg) recorded in the four edible muscles of pelagic fish species, under study, were below the established values by the European Commission Regulations and show that their effect on the consumers health can be considered as negligible.

Aires marine protégées ouest-africaines

Sexual dysfunction, a common side effect of antipsychotic medications, may be partly caused by do... more Sexual dysfunction, a common side effect of antipsychotic medications, may be partly caused by dopamine antagonism and elevation of prolactin. In QUALIFY, a randomized study, aripiprazole once-monthly 400 mg (AOM 400), a dopamine D 2 receptor partial agonist, showed noninferiority and subsequent superiority versus paliperidone palmitate (PP), a dopamine D 2 receptor antagonist, on the Heinrichs-Carpenter Quality-of-Life Scale (QLS) in patients with schizophrenia aged 18-60 years. Sexual dysfunction (Arizona Sexual Experience Scale) and serum prolactin levels were also assessed. Odds for sexual dysfunction were lower with AOM 400 versus PP [week 28 adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval), 0.29 (0.14-0.61); P = 0.0012] in men [0.33 (0.13-0.86); P = 0.023], women [0.14 (0.03-0.62); P = 0.0099], and patients aged 18-35 years [0.04 (< 0.01-0.34); P = 0.003]. Among patients shifting from sexual dysfunction at baseline to none at week 28, there was a trend toward greater improvement in the QLS total score. The mean (SD) prolactin concentrations decreased with AOM 400 [ -150.6 (274.4) mIU/l] and increased with PP [464.7 (867.5) mIU/l] in both men and women. Six PP-treated patients experienced prolactin-related adverse events. In addition to greater improvement on QLS, patients had a lower risk for sexual dysfunction and prolactin elevation with AOM 400 versus PP in QUALIFY.

Journal of Ecological Anthropology, 2016

We investigated 16 fishing sites in order to gather local fish names. A total of 691 vernacular n... more We investigated 16 fishing sites in order to gather local fish names. A total of 691 vernacular names were assigned to the 138 species considered. Regarding the number of names, a great part of variability was of linguistic origin, and the patterns disclosed showed four groups of sites. Names of Spanish origin were predominant at the national level, and their proportion decreased southward for the benefit of names of Arabic, Amazigh, and French origins. Joint to geographic and cultural proximity, trade relationships of newly exploited species (after the 1950s) probably determined the emergence of such a pattern.

Fish and Fisheries, 2016

Fisheries have had major negative impacts on marine ecosystems, and effective fisheries managemen... more Fisheries have had major negative impacts on marine ecosystems, and effective fisheries management and governance are needed to achieve sustainable fisheries, biodiversity conservation goals and thus good ecosystem status. To date, the IndiSeas programme (Indicators for the Seas) has focussed on assessing the ecological impacts of fishing at the ecosystem scale using ecological indicators. Here, we

Naming Moroccan fish: when diversity faces standardisation imperatives

Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 2016

Summary The Moroccan national fisheries information system aims at adopting a standard list of co... more Summary The Moroccan national fisheries information system aims at adopting a standard list of common names for fishery products. Thus, the goal of this study is to provide a means structuring vernacular names, which, although in wide use, are highly variable and do not necessarily meet trade requisites. The 138 species considered in this study have 691 vernacular names – an average of five names per species. Large disparities in the number of vernacular names were found between species and among the 16 study sites. Much of this variability is due to pronunciation and syllable adjunction, which do not affect the root name structure. Pronunciation aside, for the most part the analysed variability in vernacular names of fishes is of linguistic origin stemming from four geographic – and thus cultural – groups. The Iberian names, preponderant in the eastern Moroccan Mediterranean, decreased southward in favour of Arabic, Amazigh and French. According to these results, the adoption of a unique standard, if even possible, might encounter resistance to dissemination by the fishermen and local populations. The adoption of two names lists, one for the Moroccan Mediterranean and one for the Moroccan Atlantic, may be a good compromise. Most efforts at standardisation should then be invested at fish markets in order to integrate fish identification and labelling processes prior to selling.

Journal of Biology and Earth Sciences, Apr 30, 2014

European hake (Merluccius merluccius) is an abundant and widely distributed species in the Morocc... more European hake (Merluccius merluccius) is an abundant and widely distributed species in the Moroccan Atlantic Sea. The knowledge of its dietary habits is an important factor to understand its ecological role. The aim of this study is to describe its food spectrum and explore associated sources of variability. A total of 11 0 individuals were collected during the trawl survey in the north of Moroccan Atlantic Sea during summer 201 0. Stomach contents of the individuals ranging between 7 and 59 cm total length were examined. The hake's food composition is mainly based on fish and secondary on euphausiids. The sexual maturity acquisition leads to a significant change in the diet. The immature hakes (< 1 5 cm) feed mainly on euphausiids. These compounds decrease for mature adults which feed increasingly on fish. The findings suggest that because of its abundance among demersal megafauna of the Morrocan Atlantic Sea and its diet based mainly on other fish, European hake would play an important role in the trophodynamics of the ecosystem.

Exploring fidelity of Sardines (Sardina pilchardus) to feeding grounds in the Atlantic Moroccan waters using stable isotope analyses (C, N) and otolith microchemistry

Frontiers in Marine Science, 2015

Chemical profiles in otoliths from 3 fish species along the Moroccan coast: accumulation and migration patterns

Frontiers in Marine Science, 2015

The Canary Current Large Ecosystem is characterized by a major, nutrient-rich up-welling of deep,... more The Canary Current Large Ecosystem is characterized by a major, nutrient-rich up-welling of deep, cold oceanic waters, which stimulates high biological productivity that results in an abundance of both pelagic and demersal fishery resources. In this area, the Moroccan coast is also under direct anthropogenic activities influences such as phosphates industries. Several observations indicate that variations of the upwelling activities observed in the recent years would generate the remobilization of the contaminants. Our study deals with the metallic concentrations in the otoliths of 3 fish species of economic interest ( Merlucius merlucius, Pagellus acarne, Sardina pilchardus) along the Moroccan coast. The fishes were collected in markets in june 2012 for the northern part of Morocco (during the maximum of the upwelling activity) and in November 2012 for the southern part. Concentrations were measured by ICP-MS on transects from nucleus to the edge of otoliths to characterize environmental variations or accumulations linked to ecophases and growth. For each species, 5 fishes were analyzed in 7 locations from North to south of the Moroccan Atlantic coast. First results indicate that the concentrations are highly variable in hake transects, and on the other hand, transects in seabreams seem very stable regardless of location. Transects in sardines indicate different patterns depending on the locations and, some of them, clearly show the upwelling signature.

Investigation of a subtidal fish community in a south-western Mediterranean settlement area of Morocco

Journal of Applied Ichthyology, 2014

Journal of Marine Systems, 2017

Cetaceans of the Moroccan coast: information from a reconstructed strandings database

Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 2015

Progress in Oceanography, 2009

The species diversity of the four major Eastern Boundary Upwelling Ecosystems (EBUEs) is studied ... more The species diversity of the four major Eastern Boundary Upwelling Ecosystems (EBUEs) is studied and compared with the aim of better understanding their functioning. Functional groups (FGs) of organisms were defined according to their taxonomy, body size and trophic level (TL), and span from plankton to top predators. Four large sub-divisions are defined in each system: two latitudinal sub-divisions (north and south) and two zonal sub-divisions (inshore and offshore), resulting in four sub-ecosystems per EBUE. A semi-quantitative approach is used in which only the dominant species (contributing 90% of overall biomass) are considered. EBUEs are compared in regard to their species composition, dominant species richness and evenness within FGs. The data are interpreted, focusing on latitudinal, zonal and depth gradients of diversity. Trophic flows (inflow and outflow) through the small pelagic fish FG are derived from different Ecopath models. This analysis of the four ecosystems and their sub-divisions does not provide support for the expected wasp-waist food web structure and functioning, with a single or several species of small pelagic fish primarily channelling the energy flow from lower to higher TL. Instead, similar low levels of richness were observed in many FGs of intermediate TL, allowing several energy transfer pathways. The gamma diversity is high due to the geographical distance between EBUEs and the presence or absence of rivers, but not to differences in their latitudinal position. The beta diversity is also high, due to the same factors plus the variation in shelf width and the contrast between inshore and offshore subdivisions. The differences in richness and evenness among EBUEs are minor and do not explain the higher secondary and tertiary productivity of the Humboldt ecosystem.

The composition and abundance of demersal and epibenthic communities along the northern Atlantic ... more The composition and abundance of demersal and epibenthic communities along the northern Atlantic coast of Morocco were studied. Eighty two bottom trawl hauls were carried out in July 2010, at depths ranging from 20 to 800 m. One hundred forty eight species have been identified. Most of them belonged to the fish groups, followed by crustaceans, cephalopods, gastropods, echinoderms, cnidarians and bivalves. Only European hake (Merluccius merluccius) was considered frequent because this species was present in more than 75% for all depth strata. As a result of multivariate analyzes, four assemblages were defined. The group I, was located from 200 to 300 m, on the muddy-sands bottoms on the outer continental shelf and the upper slope, and characterized by high abundance and high diversity. The group II, distributed on trawlable bottoms between 100 to 200 m, limited and influenced by the rocky and coralligenous grounds. The group III, localized on the middle slope, beyond 300 m depth, on ...

Progress in Oceanography, 2009

The species diversity of the four major Eastern Boundary Upwelling Ecosystems (EBUEs) is studied ... more The species diversity of the four major Eastern Boundary Upwelling Ecosystems (EBUEs) is studied and compared with the aim of better understanding their functioning. Functional groups (FGs) of organisms were defined according to their taxonomy, body size and trophic level (TL), and span from plankton to top predators. Four large sub-divisions are defined in each system: two latitudinal sub-divisions (north and south) and two zonal sub-divisions (inshore and offshore), resulting in four sub-ecosystems per EBUE. A semi-quantitative approach is used in which only the dominant species (contributing 90% of overall biomass) are considered. EBUEs are compared in regard to their species composition, dominant species richness and evenness within FGs. The data are interpreted, focusing on latitudinal, zonal and depth gradients of diversity. Trophic flows (inflow and outflow) through the small pelagic fish FG are derived from different Ecopath models. This analysis of the four ecosystems and their sub-divisions does not provide support for the expected wasp-waist food web structure and functioning, with a single or several species of small pelagic fish primarily channelling the energy flow from lower to higher TL. Instead, similar low levels of richness were observed in many FGs of intermediate TL, allowing several energy transfer pathways. The gamma diversity is high due to the geographical distance between EBUEs and the presence or absence of rivers, but not to differences in their latitudinal position. The beta diversity is also high, due to the same factors plus the variation in shelf width and the contrast between inshore and offshore subdivisions. The differences in richness and evenness among EBUEs are minor and do not explain the higher secondary and tertiary productivity of the Humboldt ecosystem.