User talk:Dinolevi46/sandbox

DINO LEVI (born Torino, 06 giugno 1946 - disappeared Mazara del Vallo, 17 luglio 2017)

DINO LEVI studied in Rome (liceo Tasso and Università La Sapienza) where graduated in Biology with “maxima cum laude” and publication of thesis [1] on the correlation between pollution gradient and plankton species diversity according to Yamazi. He pursued plankton ecology experimental studies at the Stazione Zoologica in Napoli and later with Tim Wyatt at the M.A.F. Fisheries Laboratory in Lowestoft (U.K.) with a British Council scholarship [2]. His supervisor D.H.Cushing introduced him to fish population dynamics, which back to Italy he spread through S.I.B.M. (Società italiana di Biologia Marina) first and teaching later as visiting professor in various Italian Universities. Fish Population Dynamics was at that time almost ignored in Italy notwithstanding pioneer studies by D’Ancona and Volterra in the first half of the twentieth century on prey-predator relationship. He then spent 12 years as first researcher at the C.N.R. (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche) in Ancona, where first trawl–selectivity experiments were conducted in Italy [3]. Investigations then concentrated on fish population dynamics of small pelagics [19] [22] [37] [52] [53] in the Adriatic Sea where a long-term monitoring program was launched which is still lasting [13] and is probably the longest lasting one in the Mediterranean Sea. In 1981-82, he was appointed Director of the new C.N.R. Institute in Mazara del Vallo (Sicily), town where the biggest trawlers fleet in the Mediterranean Sea was based. In 35 years, the C.N.R. Institute in Mazara grew from foundation to a good international status; scientific growth was first encouraged trough seminars held by some outstanding teachers such as John Gulland, Emigdio Cadima, Rodney Jones, Jon Pope, and Keith Brander. Investigations on fish resources started soon with quick and rough approaches [21]. As a matter of fact, the Institute was first “put on the map” by hosting the international meeting on length based methods [24, 25]. His direction policy of the CNR institute in Mazara was based on the call to responsibility of staff members in order to grant cohesion and unity the first years, but on a good degree of scientific autonomy in order to generate more research lines and even more antennas (Castellamare del Golfo, Palermo) at a later stage.

Among Levi’s main scientific achievements: - The first F.A.O. Report on Fisheries Resources in the Mediterranean Sea [7] - Encouragement and diffusion of fish population dynamics studies in Italy [4, 12, 29, 31, 35, 38, 49, 68] - First trawl selectivity experiments in the Mediterranean [3] - First proposal and nation-wide feasibility studies of a catch-effort sampling survey and layout of a National Sampling System for Fisheries Statistics (PESTAT Program) [6, 23]. Its application at a more local scale (Southern Sicily) [66] - Set-up of a routine program for the collection of bio-statistical commercial data on the fisheries for small pelagics in the North-Adriatic Sea (still running since 1974!) [13]. -Relevant contribution to preparatory works for the first Italian National Law on Fisheries (L.41/’82) with the transfer of know-how achieved on effort control and fisheries management working for FAO (CECAF: First Report on biostatistical data, with Ansa-Emmin [9]; GFCM: help to Pierce report on effort control) and indication of main research guidelines for its first implementation. - The method of fuel consumption as an index of fishing effort [5, 10].

As a C.N.R. researcher first and as Director of the Mazara Institute later, D.L. was called to participate to various W.G., Cooperative Programs, Committees and Commissions at a regional (Sicily), national (Ministry, C.N.R., S.I.B.M. ….) and international level (E.U.-D.G. XIV [73], F.A.O.-G.F.C.M. [71] [75], ICES, ICCAT), promoted scientific cooperation programs at a Mediterranean Scale (MEDITS) [71] [78] and a still running big program of direct assessment by trawl-surveys of demersal resources all around Italian coasts (T.R.A.W.L.= Trawlable Resources Assessment Working Lines) [28, 29, 39, 43, 46, 48, 55, 56, 57, 62, 63] which started on July 1984 with a seminar held by M. Fogarty (N.E.F.C. of U.S.-NOAA).

A list of 80 scientific papers on refereed journals was abridged from a longer list of scientific contributions such as articles, technical reports etc., and the criterion for choice was significance vis-a-vis the abovesaid achievements.