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Insights on the fish assemblages of seamounts and banks in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea (western Mediterranean Sea): implications for the conservation of deep-sea environments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 February 2022

Gabriele La Mesa Open the ORCID record for Gabriele La Mesa [Opens in a new window] ,
Ivan Consalvo ,
Michela Angiolillo Open the ORCID record for Michela Angiolillo [Opens in a new window] ,
Michela Giusti  and
Leonardo Tunesi
Gabriele La Mesa*
Affiliation:
Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Rome, Italy
Ivan Consalvo
Affiliation:
Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Rome, Italy
Michela Angiolillo
Affiliation:
Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Rome, Italy
Michela Giusti
Affiliation:
Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Rome, Italy
Leonardo Tunesi
Affiliation:
Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, Via Vitaliano Brancati 60, 00144 Rome, Italy
*
Author for correspondence: Gabriele La Mesa, E-mail: gabriele.lamesa@isprambiente.it
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Abstract

Fish assemblages inhabiting a complex of south Tyrrhenian seamounts and banks were characterized using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Fish distribution was assessed through surveying 15 ROV transects. Video segments of each transect were split into two bathymetric ranges, above and below 200 m depth. In total 28 fish taxa belonging to 22 families were recorded. The number of species observed at the Marettimo Banks and the Aceste Seamount was higher compared with the Tiberio and Scuso Seamounts. The number of species recorded in the shallow part (<200 m depth) of the Marettimo Banks and the Aceste Seamount was higher than in the deeper zone (>200 m). Assemblages were numerically dominated by Anthias anthias, Callanthias ruber and Helicolenus dactylopterus. The occurrence of some elasmobranchs of conservation concern, such as Squatina aculeata, Hexanchus griseus, Squalus blainville and Galeus melastomus, was noteworthy. Differences in fish assemblage composition were observed between the Aceste Seamount and the other sites and especially between the two bathymetric ranges. The fish distribution pattern showed significant relationships with bottom slope and some substrate types. A large occurrence of lost fishing gear characterized the sites closest to the coast (the Marettimo Banks and the Scuso Seamount), providing, along with scanty observations of commercially important fishes, evidence of heavy fishing activities. The adoption of conservation and management actions in the investigated seamounts and banks, such as their inclusion in the Natura 2000 network, would be very helpful to protect some threatened elasmobranchs and restore valuable deep-sea habitats.

Keywords

Bankdemersal fish assemblageMediterranean SeaROVseamount
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 101 , Issue 7 , November 2021 , pp. 1073 - 1083
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

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