Primi dati del monitoraggio di Pinna nobilis nell'AMP "Isole di Ventotene e Santo Stefano"

A study on the distribution, abundance and morphometric variables of Pinna nobilis Linnaeus, 1758 (Mollusca, Bivalvia) has been carried out in the ‘Isole di Ventotene e Santo Stefano’ Marine Protected Area, in the Central Tyrrhenian Sea. A total of 39 individuals was recorded (0.7 ind./100 m2), 37 of them were dead (94.87%) and 2 were alive (5.13%), with a shell length of 57.97±12.84 cm and 40.69±4.65 cm respectively. This study represents a first investigation about the current status of the P. nobilis population around Ventotene Island

Distribution and assessment of marine debris in the deep Tyrrhenian Sea (NW Mediterranean Sea, Italy)

Marine debris is a recognized global ecological concern. Little is known about the extent of the problem in the Mediterranean Sea regarding litter distribution and its influence on deep rocky habitats. A quantitative assessment of debris present in the deep seafloor (30-300m depth) was carried out in 26 areas off the coast of three Italian regions in the Tyrrhenian Sea, using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). The dominant type of debris (89%) was represented by fishing gears, mainly lines, while plastic objects were recorded only occasionally. Abundant quantities of gears were found on rocky banks in Sicily and Campania (0.09-0.12 debris m-2), proving intense fishing activity. Fifty-four percent of the recorded debris directly impacted benthic organisms, primarily gorgonians, followed by black corals and sponges. This work provides a first insight on the impact of marine debris in Mediterranean deep ecosystems and a valuable baseline for future comparisons

Distribution and assessment of marine debrids in the deep Tyrrhenian sea

Commercially harvested since ancient times, the highly valuable red coral Corallium rubrum (Linnaeus, 1758) is an octocoral endemic to the Mediterranean Sea and adjacent Eastern Atlantic Ocean, where it occurs on rocky bottoms over a wide bathymetric range. Current knowledge is restricted to its shallow populations (15–50 m depth), with comparably little attention given to the deeper populations (50–200 m) that are nowadays the main target of exploitation. In this study, red coral distribution and population structure were assessed in three historically exploited areas (Amalfi, Ischia Island and Elba Island) in the Tyrrhenian Sea (Western Mediterranean Sea) between 50 and 130 m depth by means of ROV during a cruise carried out in the summer of 2010. Red coral populations showed a maximum patch frequency of 0.20 0.04 SD patchesm 1 and a density ranging between 28 and 204 colonies m 2, with a fairly continuous bathymetric distribution. The highest red coral densities in the investigated areas were found on cliffs and boulders mainly exposed to the east, at the greatest depth, and characterized by medium percentage sediment cover. The study populations contained a high percentage (46% on average) of harvestable colonies (>7 mm basal diameter). Moreover, some colonies with fifth-order branches were also observed, highlighting the probable older age of some components of these populations. The Ischia population showed the highest colony occupancy, density and size, suggesting a better conservation status than the populations at the other study locations. These results indicate that deep dwelling red coral populations in non-stressed or less-harvested areas may diverge from the inverse size-density relationship previously observed in red coral populations with increasing depth. Introduction In recent years the interest of marine ecologists has increasingly focused on deep sublittoral rocky bottoms (50–200 m depth), also named twilight or mesophotic zones (Cerrano et al. 2010; Kahng et al. 2010). These environments, representing a continuum with their shallower water counterparts, support several ha