Juan Antonio Raga

 

Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology,
Science Park, University of Valencia,
Catedrático José Beltrán 2,
E-46980 Paterna (Valencia), Spain


Department of Zoology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Valencia,
Dr. Moliner 50,  E-46100 Burjasot (Valencia), Spain

Education

Ph D in Biological Sciences cum laude, University of Valencia, Spain.

Professional
experience

Current Position

 

Professor of Zoology & Director of Science Park of the University of Valencia, Spain.

Intensive courses

 

EU course Marine mammals, seabirds and pollution of marine systems, Université de Liége, Belgium; Conferences in many spanish universities.
Director of the European Seminars on Marine Mammals: Biology and Conservation, Universidad Internacional Menendez Pelayo, Valencia, Spain, 1996-2010.
Organiser of the 13th Annual Conference of European Cetacean Society, Valencia, Spain, 1999 & the Symposium on Parasites of Marine Mammals in the X International Conference of Parasitology, Vancouver, Canada, 2002.

Awards

Doctorate extraordinary award of University of Valencia, Spain (1985-1986); University of Valencia-Society Prize awarded to the best Research & Development group of the year (2005).

Awards and Honors

Grants

2 scholarships and 7 postdoctoral grants in Spain, France, Denmark, UK, and USA

Editorial Advisor

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, Editorial Inter-Research (Germany), Foxwell & Davies Scientific Publisher (UK) and Cambridge University Press (UK).

Scientific Editor

Marine Mammals: Biology & Conservation, 2001, Kluwer Academics/Plenum Press, New York, 630 pp, ISBN 0-306-46572-8.

Proyecto mediterráneo. Zonas de especial interés para la conservación de los cetáceos en el Mediterráneo español, 2004, Ministerio de Medio Ambiente. Naturaleza y Parques Nacionales. Serie Técnica, Madrid, 217 pp

Expert Consultant

  • Réserve Internationale Maritime en Méditerranèe Occidentale: Scientific Committee

  • Spanish Ministry of Environment: Marine Species of Wild Flora and Fauna Committee and SAP BIO

  • Spanish Ministry of Agriculture: Fisheries, and Food, Interaction Fisheries-Cetaceans Committee

  • European Commission: Sustainable Marine Ecosystems

  • Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black sea, Mediterranean sea and contiguous Atlantic area: Scientific Committee

  • United Nations Environmental Programme: Regional Activity Center for Specially Protected Areas

 

Reviewer of Scientific Journals

  • Animal Biodiversity and Conservation (Spain)
  • Aquatic Mammals (USA)
  • Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (Canada)
  • Ciencias Marinas (Mexico)
  • Diseases of Aquatic Organisms (Germany)
  • European Research on Cetaceans (UK)
  • Fishery Bulletin (USA)
  • Folia Parasitologica (Czech Republic)
  • Helminthologia (Slovakia)
  • ICES Journal of Marine Science  (Denmark)
  • Invertebrate Biology (USA)
  •  Informes Técnicos, Spanish Institute of Oceanography (Spain)
  • Journal of the Helminthological Society of  Washington (USA)
  • Journal of Parasitology (USA)
  • Journal of Wildlife Diseases (USA)
  • Journal of Zoology (UK)
  • Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals (Brazil)
  • Mammalia (France)
  • Mammal Review (UK)
  • Marine Ecology Progress Series (Germany)
  • Marine Mammal Science (USA)
  • NAMMCO Scientific Publications (Norway)
  • Proceedings of the Biological Society of  Washington (USA)
  • Revista Española de Herpetología (Spain)
  • Scientia Marina (Spain)
  • The Israeli Journal of Aquaculture (Israel)
  • Scientific Reports of the International Whaling  Commission (UK)
  • Systematic Parasitology (Netherland)
  • Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases (USA)

 

Referee of Research Applications

  • General Department of Science and Technology & General Department of Hight Education of Ministery of Education and Science, Spain
  • Interministerial Commision of Science and Technology, Spain
  • CODEST committee of European Commission
  • Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer
  • Fundation Biodiversite de France
  • Agence Nationale de la Recherche,  France
  • Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación Productiva), República Argentina
  • Australian Research Council
  • Programa Iberoamericano de Ciencia y Tecnología para el Desarollo (CYTED)
  • Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
  • Framework Programmes, European Commission

Research Projects

Participation in 34 competitive research projects (31 as leader) of Spain, France, UK, Italy, Dominican Republic, Tunis, Argentina and EU

Participation in 37 research contracts (as leader) with public and private institutions and enterprises of Spain, Norway and UK

 

Research Supervisor

Ten Master and 12 Ph D students. Also provided training to a number of foreign students and researchers from Algeria, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Tunis, Uruguay and Ukraine.

 

Publications

 

208 scientific papers and book contributions. Ten selected recent publications are:

Aznar, F.J.; Perdiguero, D.; Pérez Del Olmo, A.; Repullés, A.; Agustí, C.; Raga, J.A. (2005). Changes in epizoite infections during cetacean die-offs: the mass mortality of Mediterranean striped dolphins, Stenella coeruleoalba, revisited. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 67: 239-247.

Aznar, F.J.; Fognani, P.; Balbuena, J.A.; Pietrobelli, M.; Raga, J.A. (2006). Distribution patterns of Pholeter gastrophilus (Digenea) in the stomach of four odontocete species: the role of the host digestive physiology. Parasitology, 133: 369-380.

Gomez de Segura, A.; Hammond, P.S.; Cañadas, A.; Raga, J.A. (2007). Comparing cetacean abundance estimates derived from spatial models and design-based line transect methods.  Marine Ecology Progress Series, 329: 289-299.

Raga, J.A.; Banyard, A.;  Domingo, M.;  Van Bressem, M.F.;  Fernández, M.;  Aznar, F.J.; Barrett, T. (2008). Epizootic of Dolphin Morbillivirus resurges in the Mediterranean. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 14: 471-473.

Montero, F.E.; Kostadinova, A.; Raga, J.A. (2009). Development and habitat selection of a new sanguinicolid parasite of cultured greater amberjack, Seriola dumerili, in the Mediterranean. Aquaculture, 288 (1-2): 132-139.

Van Bressem, M-F., Raga, J.A., Di Guardo, G., Jepson, P.D., Duignan, P., Siebert, U., Barrett, T., Santos Mco, Moreno, I.B., Siciliano, S., Aguilar, A. , Van Waerebeek, K. (2009). Emerging infectious diseases in cetaceans worldwide and the possible role of environmental stressors. Diseases of Aquatic Organismsn, 86: 143–157.

Raga, J.A.; Fernandez, M.; Balbuena, J.A.; Aznar, F.J. (2009). Parasites. In: W.F. Perrin, H.G.M. Thewissen & B. Würsing (Eds.). Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, 2nd Edition, Academic Press, San Diego, 821-830.

Balbuena, J.A.; Raga, J.A. (2010). Parasites. In: L. Nollet & F. Toldra  (Eds.). Handbook of Seafood and Seafood Products Analysis, Chapter 31CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton, 579-602.

Tomás J.; Godley B.J.; Castroviejo J.; Raga J.A (2010). Bioko: Critically  important nesting habitat for sea turtles of West Africa. Biodiversity and Conservation, 19: 2699-2714.

Sánchez-García, N., Padrós, F., Raga, J.A., Montero, F.E. (2011). Comparative study of the three attachment mechanisms of diplectanid monogeneans. Aquaculture, 318 (3-4): 290-299.