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September 20, 2023

Surveying trawled and non-trawled areas

BY: Ricardo Aguilar

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© OCEANA Enrique Talledo. Group of flying fish (Exocoetus sp.). Alboran Sea, Spain.

 

With the engines ready again, we moved eastwards, between Cartagena and Cape Palos. On the way to our chosen spot, we saw a small group of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and more schools of flying fish.

When we reached the area we wanted to survey, we used the ROV. The seabed was covered completely by trawling marks. Scavengers are commonly found feeding on the animals that have been damaged by trawlers. We also saw the Mediterranean kelp (Laminaria rodriguezii), a threatened species that was scarce in the area.

Later, we moved to another spot in shallower waters outside the trawling area to examine the seabed and observe any differences.

Unfortunately, the wind and waves picked up and we couldn’t go much further. We headed to Cartagena to spend our last night and prepare the Ranger for the trip back to Sagunto.