Report | January 26, 2011

Distribution of Deep-Sea Laminarians around three spanish Marine Protected Areas

Most marine protected areas (MPAs) have been declared marine extensions of protected terrestrial ecosystems. Therefore, these protected sites are around or beside coastal or island marine reserves, natural parks, etc. That means that most of the protected seabeds are normally shallow coastal areas usually no deeper than the infralittoral zone. Deep-sea laminarians extend down to circalittoral seabeds that are not always included inside protected areas. We are presenting data on deep-sea laminarians’ distribution in places surrounding three marine protected areas in Spain (Columbretes Islands Marine Reserve, Alboran Island Marine Reserve and Cabrera Archipelago National Park) that lie outside the protected zone because they are on deeper floors. Therefore, they remain unprotected.