Campaign: Habitat Protection

Abstract Marine litter has become a worldwide environmental problem, tainting all ocean habitats. The abundance, distribution and composition of litter and its interactions with fauna were evaluated in the upper S. Vicente canyon using video images from 3 remote operated vehicle exploratory dives. Litter was present in all dives and the abundance was as high … Read more

Abstract Fish-habitat association is of paramount importance in ecosystem-based approaches to fisheries management. “Essential Fish Habitats” (EFH) include areas that are either spawning and nursery grounds, provide specific feeding resources, shelter from predators and form part of a mitigation route (Benaka, 1999). The term was incited by the illegal requirement in the US to consider … Read more

Abstract This chapter reviews the major known monospecific and multispecific sponge aggregations in the world’s oceans. They are shown to occur from the intertidal to abyssal depths, in tropical, temperate, and high latitudes and sometimes to create spectacular formations, such as glass sponge reefs, lithistid reef-like fields, and carnivorous sponge grounds. Sponge aggregations are recognized … Read more

Abstract The sea star Coronaster briareus (Verrill Am J Sci (Ser III), 1882) is reported for the first time from the Mediterranean Sea. A total of 26 individuals were sighted in Maltese waters during ROV surveys made in July 2015 and June–July 2016. The identity of the species was confirmed through morphological examination of a … Read more

Abstract We collected and compared 261 geographical Neopycnodonte zibrowii records, retrieved from cruises, non-shipbased submersible expeditions and terrestrial field trips, carried out between June 1882 and January 2016. Hosted in a database, records further contain valuable site-specific metadata, including standardised describers for the variety of observed deep-sea oyster biotopes.

Abstract Apart from natural factors such as climatic variation, which can drive species and habitats to extinction over the long term, and devastating sporadic episodes, like volcanic eruptions, animal forests (e.g., coral reefs, gorgonian gardens, and sponge fields, among others) are mainly threatened by human activities. Coastal destruction, dredging, mining, offshore infrastructure, oil and gas … Read more

Abstract This report presents the conservation status of the anthozoans occuring in the Mediterranean Sea, based on the assessment of 136 species using the IUCN Red List methodology. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the regional level to guide appropriate conservation actions in order to improve their status.

Abstract Many fish species are well-known obligatory inhabitants of shallow-water tropical coral reefs but such associations are difficult to study in deep-water environments. We address the association between two deep-sea fish with low mobility and large sessile invertebrates using a compilation of 20 years of unpublished in situ observations. Data were collected on Northeast Atlantic … Read more

Abstract Habitat Type 1110 ‘Sandbanks which are slightly covered by sea water all the time’, listed in Annex I of the EU’s Habitats Directive, is defined in the EU ‘Habitat Interpretation Manual’ as “elevated, elongated, rounded or irregular topographic features, permanently submerged and predominantly surrounded by deeper water”, which “consist mainly of sandy sediments”, and … Read more