The Mundus maris team in Argentina had a busy month by contributing to the 2nd Euro-Mediterranean Conference for Environmental Integration, held 10 to 13 Oct. in Susa, Tunisia, and at the VI National Congress of Biodiversity Conservation, convened from 15 to 18 Oct. at the National University of La Rioja, La Rioja capital, Argentina.

The team led by Dr. Marcelo Morales Yokobori shared papers about progress with the studies carried out under the agreement between Mundus maris and the University of Belgrano enjoying the logistical support of the Fisher's Club of Buenos Aires.

In La Rioja, Penelope Quirino presented a poster about the associations of fish species in Costanera Norte, Rio de la Plata, and the relationships between species occurrence, total fish length and environmental variables.

Carla Bonelli presented the results of her studies about the microplastic contamination in the digestive tracts of the fish. She found such microplastics were present in all 30 specimens of her initial sample.

Camila Condomiña, who studies parameters of maturity and growth of the Characin (Megaleporinus obtusidens), presented a poster with preliminary results. She will subsequently enrich her analyses with sophisticated histological techniques and the analysis of calcified structures.

We are happy to acknowledge the collaboration in these projects of Lic. Rocío Pazos of the Dr. Raúl A. Ringuelet of the Institute of Limnology (ILPLA-CONICET), Faculty of Natural Sciences and Museum, National University of La Plata, and Lic. Claudia Vargas and Dr. Alejandra Volpedo of the Research Institute in Animal Production (INPA-UBA-CONICET), Faculty of Veterinary Sciences-University of Buenos Aires.

In both Tunisia and La Rioja, Professor Morales Yokobori explained the changes in rainfall during the last decades and their possible implications in urban runoffs that carry pollution into the Río de la Plata, through the severage overflow systems. This paper will later be published in the series “Advances in Science, Technology and Innovation” (ASTI) of the Springer-Nature publisher.

Mg. Carolina Castellanos Arévalo participated in the congress of La Rioja as an accredited journalist for the Latitude 0 and Planet 2030 programmes, and reported about the conference in a broadcast by Radio Alma FM101.9 of Brussels, European Union. These radio programmes support the extension activities of the research projects carried out in collaboration with our association.