June 8, 2025
Researching the Malgrats and Toro Marine Reserve
Second day in the Balearic Islands. As I explained yesterday, we are staying in the Western part of Mallorca until the strong wind pass.
We are researching the Malgrats and Toro Marine Reserve. The Local government is planning to change the map of the marine reserve leaving outside some areas. We are surveying those sites.
It is a mix of mud, sand, detrital bottom with many biological remains and coralligenous spots. The coralligenous is impacted by the sediments.
We are finding some gorgonians (mostly Eunicella cavolini) and many sponges. We also recorded one black coral (Antipathella subpinnata). The soft bottoms are occupied by irregular sea urchins.
The southern part is a sandy bottom with sea star, sea urchins and sea pens.
In the last ROV dive we found a good place with many sponges, some of them very large ones. These massive sponges have disappeared from many places in the Mediterranean Sea.
Both, the coralligenous and the massive sponges will be left outside of the marine reserve if the proposal to modify the borders is approved. We have good arguments to fight against.
Among the protected species found today, apart from the black coral, the sponges Axinella polypoides, Sarcotragus foetidus and Spongia oifficinalis, and the sea urchin Centrostephanus longispinus.
Tomorrow, we will go back to the North of Mallorca.
Despite the strong currents in many places, our fearless and skilled ROV’s pilot could get these good pictures attached (low resolution).

