Habitat Protection Archives

First record of two species of Echinodermata for Libyan waters

First record of the basket star Astrospartus mediterraneus (Risso, 1826) (Echinodermata: Ophiuroidea) in the Libyan waters.

First record of the non-indigenous sohal surgeonfish Acanthurus sohal (Forsskål, 1775) (Chordata: Acanthuridae) from the Lebanese waters, eastern Mediterranean Sea

Extensive use of habitat-damaging fishing gears inside habitat-protecting Marine Protected Areas

Bathyal megabenthic assemblages in the SE Iberian Peninsula (Western Mediterranean Sea)

Distributions of some poorly known Atlanto-Mediterranean deep-sea anthozoans in the Western Mediterranean

The cascade effect and trawling

We have all heard the term “cascade effect” used to refer to how a government decision, a war, a political event, or other situation impacts society, the economy, prices, and so on. This expression is also used in ecology to explain how human action, a catastrophic event, or a particular incident, for instance, can have … Read more

Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems found in a bathyal zone off the SE Iberian Peninsula (Western Mediterranean)

The Spanish Intemares LIFE IP project contemplates the creation of Special Areas of Conservation within the Natura 2000 Network. During its August 2019 cruise, a series of towed sledge transects were conducted on two seamounts(“Planazo” and “Plis Plas”) and a muddy field of pockmarks, both located in areas off the SE Iberian Peninsula (Western Mediterranean), … Read more

Habitat Suitability Models of a Critically Endangered Cold-water Coral, Isidella Elongata, in the Mallorca Channel

Abstract The bamboo coral Isidella elongata is often associated with a diverse community, including commercial fish species, playing an important role in the deep-sea Mediterranean as a biodiversity hotspot. There has been a drastic decrease of the populations of this species since the twentieth century, mainly related to impacts of fishing, leading to its inclusion in … Read more

First Record of the Emperor Angelfish Pomacanthus imperator from the Lebanese Water (Eastern Mediterranean)

Pomacanthus imperator, known as the emperor angelfish, belongs to the family Pomacanthidae, which inhabits tropical and subtropical waters worldwide [1, 2]. P. imperator occurs in many localities of the Indian and Pacific oceans [3]. In the Mediterranean Sea, P. imperator was reported from its southern Levantine Sea for the first time in 2010 [4]. Subsequently, … Read more