On June 2013 a workshop at the University of Siena (Italy) was organized to review current knowledge and to clarify what is known, and what remains to be investigated, concerning plastic litter in the sea. The content of the workshop was designed to contribute further to the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) following an inaugural workshop in 2012. Here we report a number of s...

feeding habits of caspian marine shad alosa braschnikowii (borodin, 1904), inhabiting in the western part of caspian sea such as prey spectrum and seasonal dynamics have been studied. as in other parts of caspian sea, throughout the year, the main hunt of caspian marine shad constituted kilkas, gobies and shrimps while other groups of zoobenthos were represented in a lesser extent. importance o...

Drugs from the sea? Darwin may not have considered this concept when he was thinking about mechanisms that drove diversification of life on earth. In recognition of his 200th year, and celebration of the publication in 1859 of his "On the origin of species", we review the global status of marine biodiscovery in medicinal fields, with a focus on the South Pacific. Furthermore, in the Darwinian s...

Marine economy plays an important role in the growth of the global economy. With its continuous development in the past years, the driving roll of marine economy in China’s economy has become remarkable. It is of strategic significance for China’s economic sustainable development to strengthen the exploration of marine resources and promote the quality and profit of the marine economy. To explo...