Francesco Colloca

FRANCESCO COLLOCA (short CV)
Date and place of birth: Firenze (Italy), 10/11/1962
EDUCATION AND DEGREES:
• 1988: laurea cum laude in Biological Sciences at the University of Rome “La Sapienza” with a thesis on the trophic ecology of gurnards fish in the Mediterranean Sea
• 2001-2003: PhD in Animal Biology at the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, thesis title: “Structure and trophic resouce partitioning of the fish community on the Tyrrhenian Sea shelf-break”;

EMPLOYMENT (last 10 years):
• 2012- 2017 researcher at the National Research Council, Institute for the Coastal Marine Environment (CNR-IAMC), Mazara del Vallo unit.
• 2005 – 2011 postdoc research grant at the Department of Animal and Human Biology, University of Rome “La Sapienza”.
PUBLICATIONS AND BIBLIOMETRIC INDICATORS
Author of 55 publications in peer-reviewed (ISI) international journals, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Francesco_Colloca2
H-index (SCOPUS): 17; N. of citations 822; coauthors: 134
MAIN PROJECT GRANTS: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR (PI) AND COORDINATION RESPONSABILITIES (last 10 YEARS):
2012-ongoing. National flag project RITMARE (MIUR). Coordinator of the Action SP2_WP1_AZ4_UO07: “Tagging of demersal elasmobranchs in the Strait of Sicily”. ”SP2 “Technology for sustainable fisheries. WP1: “Identification of stock boundaries of commercial species”.
2015-2016. Scientific agreement CNR-Montenegro (CNR-MOS). Project” Development of a new methodological approach to study the recruitment dynamics of fish and crustaceans in the Kotor Bay (Montenegro)”. Italian coordinator of the project.
2015-ongoing. project MANTIS: Marine protected Areas Network Towards Sustainable fisheries in the Central Mediterranean. European Commission DG MARE (Mare/2014/41). Leader of WP4: “Designing and assessing an optimal management framework for the marine managed areas network”. PI: Dr. Fabio Fiorentino, IAMC-CNR.
2014-2017. Project MareFrame: Co-creating Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management Solutions, EU Seventh Framework Programme (FP 7). Leader of WP5 “Apply new methods in case studies”. Coordinator of a case study for the Strait of Sicily ( “Develop a decision support tool for the application of the ecosytem based approach to fisheries management”). PI: Anna Kristín Daníelsdóttir, Matis - Iceland.
2015-2017. FIMAPS project: “Fishery Management Plan System”. Guidelines for long-terms fisheries management plans in Italian waters based on scientific advice (Reg. EU n. 1380/2013)”, grant from MIPAAF. PI: Dr. G. Scarcella, ISMAR-CNR Ancona, Italy, Francesco Colloca as coordinator of the Research Unit of IAMC-CNR.
2013-2014 StockMed project. “Stock units: Identification of distinct biological units (stock units) for different fish and shellfish species and among different GFCM-GSA”. European Commission, DG-MARE. Specific Contract No 7 (SI2.642234) implementing framework contract MARE/2009/05-Lot 1 "Scientific advice and other services for the implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy in the Mediterranean”. PI: Dr. Fabio Fiorentino - IAMC-CNR, Mazara del Vallo, Italy; F. Colloca coordinator of the task 3.2: “Review and analysis of the information on the position of nursery and spawning areas of commercial species of fish and cephalopods in Mediterranean waters”.
MAIN PROJECT GRANTS – PARTICIPANT (last 10 YEARS):
2015-ongoing. MINOUW project: “Science, Technology, and Society initiative to minimize Unwanted Catches in European Fisheries”. HORIZON 2020, EU Grant Agreement n. 634495. PI: Dr. Francesc Maynou, CSIC – Spain.
2015-2017. Scientific agreement CNR - CNRS-L (National Council for Scientific Research of Lebanon). Project “Evaluation of the ecological role of some key Lessepsian fish species in marine Lebanese waters”. PI: Dr. Fabio Fiorentino, IAMC-CNR.
2010-2013. CREAM project: Coordinating REsearch in support to Application of ecosystem approach to fisheries and management advice in the Mediterranean and Black seas. EU 7° Framework Programme. Coordinating and Support Action - Grant agreement no. 265648. PI: Jordi Lleonart, CSIC-Spain.
2009-2010. EVOMED project: “Understanding size developments of exploited stocks and ecosystems in the Mediterranean by using private fishermen's "tally-books" and historical information”. DG Mare open call for tenders n° MARE/2008/11, Proposal for Lot 4; Contratto N° SI2 539097. PI: Dr. PaoloSartor, CIBM – Livorno, Italy.
2006-2010. Progetto VECTOR “VulnErabilità delle Coste e degli ecosistemi marini italiani ai cambiamenti climaTici e loro ruolO nei cicli del caRbonio mediterraneo”. Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca. PI: Prof.Cesare Corselli (University Milano-Bicocca, CONISMA).

INTERNATIONAL NETWORKS AND WORKING GROUPS (last 10 years)
• National Strategic Plan for innovation and research in agriculture, food and forestry of the MIPAAF (2014-2020). CNR member at the governance and coordination table (D.M. n. 5776, 21/02/2017, MIPAAF).
• Member of the ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) Working Group on Value of Coastal Habitats for Exploited Species [WGVHES ].
• Member of the WGHIST (Working Group on the History of Fish and Fisheries) of ICES;
• Italian focal point of the project FAO – COPEMED II (DM MIPAAF 28/04/2014, n. 0009804)
• Coordinator of the Sub-Committee of Stock Assessment of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranan Sea (GFCM) in the period 2014-2015.
• European’s Commission Scientific, Technical & Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF). Working groups on stock assessment for the Mediterranean. Participation as independent scientist in several annual WGs since 2008.

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
My researches is focused on both theoretical and applied aspects related to the nektobenthic communities of the Mediterranean Sea. The main research lines are the followings:
1) structure and functioning of fish communities with a special emphasis on the factors shaping species segregation along the trophic and habitat gradients;
2) ecology and biology of fish and crustaceans. Life-history traits (age and growth, maturity and spawning, mortality and recruitment processes). Role of the habitats and identification of essential fish habitats (nursery and spawning areas) of Mediterranean exploited populations using a suite of modelling approaches.
3) effects of the ongoing warming on the population dynamics and distribution of fish species including non-indigeous species.
4) impact of fishing exploitation on the population dynamics of fish and crustaceans. Spatio-temporal trend of vulnerable species (e.g. elasmobranchs). Assessment of commercial stocks of fish and crustaceans in Mediterranean waters using analytical and integrated models (e.g, VPA-XSA, SCA,GADGET), scientific advice for fisheries management.

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH ACTIVITIES
• Since 2017, associated professor at the Univeristy of Rome “La Sapienza”. Master degree in ecobiology ( course title “Effects of climate change on Mediterranean marine biodiversity)
• Tutor of several master and first graduation theses in biology and marine biology
• Co-tutor of PhD theses
• Training in stock assessment
• Organization of training activities for European AID projects (Turkey, Montenegro) and Italian cooperation projects (Lebanon).