Effects of deep-water coral banks on the abundance and size structure of the megafauna in the Mediterranean Sea

D’Onghia, Gianfranco; Maiorano, Porzia; Sión, Letizia; Giove, A.; Capezzuto, Francesca; Carlucci, Roberto; Tursi, Angelo

doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2009.08.022

Cited by 118 publications

(111 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Tursi et al,. 2004;Longo et al, 2005;Freiwald et al, 2009;D'Onghia et al, 2010D'Onghia et al, , 2011D'Onghia et al, , 2012Mastrototaro et al, 2010Mastrototaro et al, , 2013. The number of bryozoan species greater in the Bari Canyon than in the SML CWC province, is possibly derived from the different depth ranges and habitat settings investigated.…”

Section: Conservation Issues and Concluding Remarksmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1: Uniqueness or rarity; 3: Importance for threatened, endangered or declining species and/or habitats; 5: Biological productivity; 7: Naturalness) as well as the VME (Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem) criteria (1: Uniqueness or rarity; 2: functional significance of the habitat; 3: fragility; 4: life-history traits that make recovery difficult; 5: structural complexity) (FAO, 2009) could also be assigned to the Bari Canyon in planning future marine protected areas and management measures in order to preserve its high biodiversity level in relation to the presence of cold-water coral species. Freiwald et al, 2009;Bo et al, 2012;Sanfilippo et al, 2013;Angeletti et al, 2014;D'Onghia et al, 2014; present paper; B: Tursi et al, 2004;Longo et al, 2005;Schönberg & Beuck, 2007;Carlier et al, 2009;Freiwald et al, 2009;D'Onghia et al, 2010D'Onghia et al, , 2011D'Onghia et al, , 2012Mastrototaro et al, 2010Mastrototaro et al, , 2013Mastrototaro et al, , 2014.…”

Section: Conservation Issues and Concluding Remarksmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Macro- and megafauna recorded in the submarine Bari Canyon (southern Adriatic, Mediterranean Sea) using different tools

et al. 2015

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Macro- and megafauna were recorded in the submarine Bari Canyon (southern Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean Sea) during an oceanographic cruise carried out in May-June 2012 and an experimental fishing survey conducted in November 2013. During the former, a total of 20 benthic samples were taken using a Van Veen grab at depths between 268 and 770 m and 4 deployments of a baited lander, for about 43 hours of video records, were carried out at depths between 443 and 788 m. During the latter, 8 longline fishing operations were conducted from 338 down to 612 m. Eighty-five living benthic and benthopelagic species were recorded: 29 Porifera, 1 Cnidaria, 2 Mollusca, 11 Annelida, 1 Arthropoda, 19 Bryozoa, 3 Echinodermata and 19 Chordata. A total of 51 species are new records for the Bari Canyon, 29 new records for the Adriatic Sea. Among the Porifera Cerbaris curvispiculifer is a new addition for the Italian Sponge Fauna. The first certain record of living specimens for the bryozoan Crisia tenella longinodata is reported. A total of 6 Mediterranean endemic species have been identified: 4 Porifera and 2 Annelida. The bathymetric range of some species has been extended. New information acquired for deep sea species confirms their importance in the structure of cold-water coral communities. This study has updated the knowledge on the biodiversity of the Adriatic Sea, as well as of the Bari Canyon in particular, one of the sites designated as “jewels of the Mediterranean” for which urgent conservation measures are needed.

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Section: Conservation Issues and Concluding Remarksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Conservation Issues and Concluding Remarksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macro- and megafauna recorded in the submarine Bari Canyon (southern Adriatic, Mediterranean Sea) using different tools

et al. 2015

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“…In the heads of some of these canyons, well developed cold-water coral (CWC) communities have been documented to occur on the rocky bottoms of the canyon flanks (Reyss, 1964a;Orejas et al, 2009;. The high structural heterogeneity originating from the growth of CWC provides a complex mosaic of habitats, and promotes the presence of a highly diverse associated fauna (Henry and Roberts, 2007;Buhl-Mortensen et al, 2010) since CWC can act as potential areas of refuge, breeding and feeding for many deep-sea species, including commercially important fish (Husebø et al, 2002;Costello et al, 2005;Ross and Quattrini, 2007;D'Onghia et al, 2010;Baillon et al, 2012).…”

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confidence: 99%

Bathymetrical distribution and size structure of cold-water coral populations in the Cap de Creus and Lacaze-Duthiers canyons (northwestern Mediterranean)

et al. 2013

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Abstract. Submarine canyons are known as one of the seafloor morphological features where living cold-water coral (CWC) communities develop in the Mediterranean Sea. We investigated the CWC community of the two westernmost submarine canyons of the Gulf of Lions canyon system: the Cap de Creus Canyon (CCC) and Lacaze-Duthiers Canyon (LDC). Coral associations have been studied through video material recorded by means of a manned submersible and a remotely operated vehicle. Video transects have been conducted and analyzed in order to obtain information on (1) coral bathymetric distribution and density patterns, (2) size structure of coral populations, and (3) coral colony position with respect to the substrate. Madrepora oculata was the most abundant CWC in both canyons, while Lophelia pertusa and Dendrophyllia cornigera mostly occurred as isolated colonies or in small patches. An important exception was detected in a vertical cliff in LDC where a large L. pertusa framework was documented. This is the first record of such an extended L. pertusa framework in the Mediterranean Sea. In both canyons coral populations were dominated by medium and large colonies, but the frequent presence of small-sized colonies also indicate active recruitment. The predominant coral orientation (90° and 135°) is probably driven by the current regime as well as by the sediment load transported by the current flows. In general, no clear differences were observed in the abundance and in the size structure of the CWC populations between CCC and LDC, despite large differences in particulate matter between canyons.

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“…The SML CWC represents a rare example of living Madrepora-dominated coral communities distributed over an area of about 2,000 km 2 between about 120 and 1,400 m in depth (D'Onghia et al, 2010(D'Onghia et al, , 2012(D'Onghia et al, , 2016Vassallo et al, 2017). Fishing activities using mostly trawl nets and longlines are carried out around the SML CWC (D'Onghia et al, 2012(D'Onghia et al, , 2016.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

A Holistic Approach to Fishery Management: Evidence and Insights from a Central Mediterranean Case Study (Western Ionian Sea)

et al. 2017

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The new Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is designed to represent an appropriate response to the uncertainties and challenges facing the fisheries sector. It also adopts a holistic approach to fisheries management, considering all factors driving fishers' behavior, and ultimately, the long-term maintenance of living resources. The most reliable way to pursue these aims could be represented by a change in the exploitation pattern, in order to guarantee the sustainability of fisheries without compromising their socioeconomic viability. In this paper, the demersal fisheries of the Ionian Sea [Geographic Sub-area (GSA) 19] were analyzed with respect to their spatial, temporal, economic, and biological characteristics in terms of four key species for fisheries, namely European hake, red mullet, giant red shrimp, and deep-water rose shrimp. Specifically, (1) a quantitative procedure was applied to break down the whole system (including small-scale fleet components) into a series of fishing grounds using input data about fishing efforts; (2) the different fleet segments were defined as a combination of main gear and fishing grounds; (3) the effort and production by fleet segment were derived according to biological samplings of commercial data (Data Collection Framework for the collection and management of fisheries data, DCF), information on localization of nursery and spawning grounds, and expert knowledge; and (4) all this information was used to feed a bioeconomic modeling tool (BEMTOOL), and to explore alternative exploitation patterns. A series of scenarios including the status quo were defined, starting from the actual management approach based on temporal fishing closure. The results showed that significant improvements in the exploitation pattern could be achieved by setting up spatial and/or temporal gear-specific bans of the fishing activity. More specifically, scenarios based on a 3-month fishing ban for trawlers are expected to provide high rebuilding of the spawning stock biomass (SSB) for all target stocks, and at the same time, result in a remarkable reduction of discards. When combined with a seasonal fishing ban for small-scale fleets equipped with nets and longlines, this approach could lead to a significant improvement in all indicators, but especially the SSB of the exploited species.

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Effects of deep-water coral banks on the abundance and size structure of the megafauna in the Mediterranean Sea

Cited by 118 publications

References 40 publications

Macro- and megafauna recorded in the submarine Bari Canyon (southern Adriatic, Mediterranean Sea) using different tools

Macro- and megafauna recorded in the submarine Bari Canyon (southern Adriatic, Mediterranean Sea) using different tools

Bathymetrical distribution and size structure of cold-water coral populations in the Cap de Creus and Lacaze-Duthiers canyons (northwestern Mediterranean)

A Holistic Approach to Fishery Management: Evidence and Insights from a Central Mediterranean Case Study (Western Ionian Sea)

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