Assessment of coastal fish assemblages before the establishment of a new marine protected area in central Mediterranean: its role in formulating zoning proposal

Abstract

The fish assemblages of the coastal area of the promontory of Cape Milazzo (Italy, Central Mediterranean), which has been recently designated by Italian Law to become a national marine protected area (MPA), were characterized by visual censuses carried out over different habitats (rocky algal reef, Posidonia oceanica meadow and soft bottom) and depth ranges (0-3, 4-7, 12-16 and 24-30 m) to identify areas of major concern for the MPA zoning. The study area was divided into 6 sectors to assess spatialrelated differences in the assemblage parameters, such as species composition and richness, and the size structure of species of recreational (e.g. SCUBA diving) interest. A total of fifty-eight taxa (56 species and 2 genera) and 20 families of fishes were recorded. Species composition was significantly affected by habitat and depth, whereas no significant changes were detected among sectors. Conversely, species richness and total density of fish showed no significant differences among sectors, habitat types and depth ranges. The majority of species of recreational value was recorded only off the north-western part of the promontory. The implementation of a fishing ban in such an area, characterized by the presence of a rocky bank, would contribute to the recovery of the populations of certain emblematic species (e.g. groupers and other large predators) and to the enhancement of environmentally sustainable activities such as scuba diving. Throughout the investigated area and, especially, along the eastern and south-western coasts of the promontory, several species were almost exclusively represented by small and medium-sized individuals, a likely consequence of intense fishing pressure.

Fish assemblages along the coasts of Tunisia: a baseline study to assess the effectiveness of future Marine Protected Areas

“…Mean values of total fish density assessed in this study are far lower than those assessed in many well-protected MPAs and are, on the other hand, comparable with the values reported from unprotected rocky reefs, open to fishing in the Mediterranean (e.g. Harmelin-Vivien et al, 2008;Guidetti et al, 2014;La Mesa et al, 2017). Concerning the total fish biomass, the values observed in the present study range between ~11 and 50 gr/m 2 , with an overall average around 40 gr/m 2 .…”

Diversity of Fucales (Ochrophyta, Phaeophyceae) along the Coasts of Lipari and Vulcano (Aeolian Archipelago), Tyrrhenian Sea (Central Mediterranean Sea)

“…A visual census activity was performed through random courses [28]. This technique was selected because it makes it possible to explore different environments and depths [29,30]. The scuba dives were carried out perpendicular to the coastline, following the seabed geomorphology from the surface to about 40 m, depending on the site.…”

Marine molluscs from Cape Milazzo (Sicily, Italy): a baseline

“…Current knowledge about the just declared marine protected area mainly regards coastal fishes assemblages, whose assessment in some priority habitats, as rocky algal reefs and Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile meadows (UNEP-MAP-RAC/ SPA, 2006), has been recently carried out in support of zoning proposal (La Mesa et al, 2017). Benthic fish assemblages are also known from near-shore vermetid reefs (Consoli et al, 2008).…”