Demography of deep-dwelling red coral populations: Age and reproductive structure of a highly valued marine species

Priori, Cristina; Mastascusa, Vincenza; Erra, Fabrizio; Angiolillo, Michela; Canese, Simonepietro; Santangelo, Giovanni

doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2012.12.011

Cited by 53 publications

(79 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…In particular, the Calafuria population has been extensively studied in terms of demography, recruitment, early growth rates and genetics Santangelo & Abbiati 2001;Santangelo et al 2007Santangelo et al , 2012. Similarly, the distribution, size/age ratio, and sexual structure of a population living between 60 and 90 m NW off Elba Island, subject to historical and recent harvesting, have been also analysed (Priori et al 2013. Overall, this population appears to be recovering, after past and recent exploitation .…”

Section: Tuscany and Tuscany Archipelagomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fishing grounds, even in shallow waters between 30 and 55 m depth, were historically reported in Elba Island, from Fonza Cape, to Calamita Cape and Mezzo Canale Shoal as well as in the Formiche di Grosseto shoals, and generally all around the whole Tuscany Archipelago (Giannutri, Montecristo, Pianosa and Giglio islands) (Canestrini & Canestrini 1883;Issel 1884;Mazzarelli 1915aMazzarelli ,b, 1931Barletta et al 1968;Abbiati et al 1993;Errico & Montanelli 2008;Priori et al 2013;Angiolillo et al 2015).…”

Section: Tuscany and Tuscany Archipelagomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to a recommendation of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean Sea (GFCM 2011), these populations (up to 50 m depth) should be fully protected from exploitation, allowing their extremely slow recovery (Priori et al 2013;Bavestrello et al 2014a,b). GFCM estabilished a minimum harvest colony size (7 mm of colony basal diameter) corresponding to an age of 30-35 years (Priori et al 2013), but each region can issue local regulations, quotas and fishing periods .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Available data from 1978 to present, as reported by several authors Liverino 1998;Santangelo & Abbiati 2001;Bruckner 2009;Cau et al 2013;Tsounis et al 2013), have been extracted from Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) reports that were, in turn, provided by the red coral wholesalers and manufacturers . Information regarding the bank distribution along the Italian coasts was obtained from Gaetani (1867), Panceri (1871), Targioni-Tozzetti (1880), Colombo (1887), Parona (1898), Lo Bianco (1909, Mazzarelli (1915aMazzarelli ( ,b, 1931, Mazzarelli and Mazzarelli (1918), Peruzy (1923), Scatizzi (1935), Errico and Montanelli (2008), Cattaneo-Vietti and Bavestrello (2010), Gangemi (2011Gangemi ( , 2014, Santangelo et al (2007Santangelo et al ( , 2012, Priori et al (2013), Bramanti et al (2014) and Bavestrello et al (2014b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…GFCM estabilished a minimum harvest colony size (7 mm of colony basal diameter) corresponding to an age of 30-35 years (Priori et al 2013), but each region can issue local regulations, quotas and fishing periods . Nowadays, the fishing effort in Italy is limited to the deep banks off the Sardinia coast and in Sicily Channel.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An overexploited Italian treasure: past and present distribution and exploitation of the precious red coral Corallium rubrum (L., 1758) (Cnidaria: Anthozoa)

Cattaneo‐Vietti

Cannas

et al. 2016

Italian Journal of Zoology

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The aim of this paper is to supply an overview of all historical and recent knowledge on landings, fishing and geographic distribution of the red coral banks along the Italian coasts in order to make a contribution to the conservation and future management of this resource. Along the Italian coasts, the banks have been exploited for millennia, using non-selective trawling gear that was banned in Europe in 1994. Today, harvesting is allowed only by scuba divers and regulated by specific laws. We examined 153 years of history of coral fishing in Italy, from Unification (1861) to 2014. Data about the coralline fleets and the amount of coral landings were recorded for the considered span of time. From a quantitative point of view, the coral fishing in Italy in the last 150 years has been dominated by the sub-fossil coral reservoirs from the Sciacca Banks (Sicily Channel), where an extraordinary amount of 18,000 tons was collected in 34 years (1875-1888 and 1893-1914). This amount represents about 90% of all red coral harvested along the Italian coast in the last 150 years. Excluding this period, the average annual yield was initially around 100 tons, decreasing to 28 tons 100 years later, therefore demonstrating a severe overexploitation of the resource. The great part of the deep red coral banks was abandoned because harvesting was no longer profitable. Nevertheless, quantitative data suggest that red coral banks, even though overexploited, are still widespread along Italian coasts, mainly in shallow waters. These banks show a remarkable persistence although with a generalised shift towards smaller colony sizes and higher density. The time span necessary in recovering the pristine structure, following the end of the fishing activities, appears very long and the populations of several areas might be unable to re-colonise the old and overexploited banks.

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Section: Tuscany and Tuscany Archipelagomentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Tuscany and Tuscany Archipelagomentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An overexploited Italian treasure: past and present distribution and exploitation of the precious red coral Corallium rubrum (L., 1758) (Cnidaria: Anthozoa)

Cattaneo‐Vietti

Cannas

et al. 2016

Italian Journal of Zoology

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Illegal ingegno fishery and conservation of deep red coral banks in the Sicily Channel (Mediterranean Sea)

Cattaneo‐Vietti

Bavestrello

et al. 2017

Aquatic Conservation

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1. Recent ROV surveys conducted on the Ragusa bank in the Sicily Channel (Mediterranean Sea) documented illegal and continuous use of the 'ingegno' gear for red coral fishing. 2. Three lost gears were recorded showing different levels of epibiosis thus supporting multiannual exploitation of the bank. 3. The red coral population of the Ragusa bank showed a typical 'forest-like' configuration with upright, medium-sized colonies similar to those of other commercially exploited deep Mediterranean banks.4. The direct negative effect of this trawling gear was evident from numerous rocky boulders completely enveloped by lost nets and occasionally turned over. Red coral fragments as well as fragments of 'ingegno' nets were observed in high abundance on the sea floor. This evidence suggests that this gear is highly destructive even on rough sea floors, contrary to the traditional view, which is that it has a more random impact on rough rocky bottoms. 5. The estimated coral uptake of 'ingegno' is 45% of the total coral biomass, while the estimated coral loss, in terms of fragments, is 9%, demonstrating the high impact of this gear.6. The study highlighted the infringement of the red coral fishing ban by trawling gears as well as a lack of effective policing. The strengthening of controls on landings at nearby harbours, and education programmes for the local maritime communities are among the management actions proposed to protect these surviving red coral populations from the ongoing illegal fishing activity.

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Stochastic Mechanisms of Growth and Branching in Mediterranean Coral Colonies

Kahramanoğulları

Bramanti

Benedetti

2019

Theory and Practice of Natural Computing

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Demography of deep-dwelling red coral populations: Age and reproductive structure of a highly valued marine species

Cited by 53 publications

References 33 publications

An overexploited Italian treasure: past and present distribution and exploitation of the precious red coral Corallium rubrum (L., 1758) (Cnidaria: Anthozoa)

An overexploited Italian treasure: past and present distribution and exploitation of the precious red coral Corallium rubrum (L., 1758) (Cnidaria: Anthozoa)

Illegal ingegno fishery and conservation of deep red coral banks in the Sicily Channel (Mediterranean Sea)

Stochastic Mechanisms of Growth and Branching in Mediterranean Coral Colonies

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