Marine litter in an EBSA (Ecologically or Biologically Significant Area) of the central Mediterranean Sea: Abundance, composition, impact on benthic species and basis for monitoring entanglement

Consoli, Pierpaolo; Andaloro, Franco; Altobelli, Chiara; Battaglia, Pietro; Campagnuolo, Silvana; Canese, Simonepietro; Castriota, Luca; Cillari, Tiziana; Falautano, Manuela; Pedà, Cristina; Perzia, Patrizia; Sinopoli, Mauro; Vivona, Pietro; Scotti, Gianfranco; Esposito, Valentina; Galgani, François; Romeo, Teresa

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2018.01.097

Cited by 73 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…In this review, the most impacted species resulted in those that easily remain entangled due to their mediumlarge colony size, an arborescent morphology, and a flexible skeleton (e.g., Antipathella subpinnata, Leiopathes glaberrima, Callogorgia verticillata, Dendrophyllia cornigera, Paramuricea clavata, Figures 5A-D), as observed in other studies (Asoh et al, 2004;Bo et al, 2014;Valisano et al, 2019). Numerous examples from this review illustrate marine litter impacts on vulnerable (VU) and endangered (EN) species (IUCN criteria, Table 1) and sensitive habitats, such as CWCs (Orejas et al, 2009;Madurell et al, 2012), coral gardens (Bo et al, 2014(Bo et al, , 2015Fabri et al, 2014; and coralligenous assemblages (Sbrescia et al, 2008;Valisano et al, 2019) that are more vulnerable because of slow growth rate and longevity of their coral species (MacDonald et al, 1996;Consoli et al, 2018).…”

Section: Entanglementsupporting

confidence: 73%

“…Necrosis and epibiosis linked to the impacts of marine litter on reefs were, for instance, widely reported by Giusti et al (2019) in the Ligurian and Western Mediterranean Seas. Direct damages (e.g., broken branches) to coral colonies due to entangling marine litter were also observed on Mediterranean reefs (e.g., Madurell et al, 2012;Maldonado et al, 2013;Consoli et al, 2018;Moccia et al, 2019). Fishing gear entangled on coral colonies was also shown to cause their detachment from the seafloor (Houard et al, 2012;Tsounis et al, 2012;Kipson et al, 2015;Maldonado et al, 2015; Cattaneo-Vietti et al, 2017; Consoli et al, 2019) and even their death (Maldonado et al, 2013;Deidun et al, 2015;Consoli et al, 2018;Enrichetti et al, 2019; Figure 5D).…”

Section: Entanglementmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impacts of Marine Litter on Mediterranean Reef Systems: From Shallow to Deep Waters

Angiolillo

Fortibuoni

2020

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Biogenic reefs are known worldwide to play a key role in benthic ecosystems, enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem functioning at every level, from shallow to deeper waters. Unfortunately, several stressors threaten these vulnerable systems. The widespread presence of marine litter represents one of these. The harmful effects of marine litter on several organisms are known so far. However, only in the last decade, there was increasingly scientific and public attention on the impacts on reef organisms and habitats caused by litter accumulating on the seafloor. This review aims to synthesize literature and discuss the state of current knowledge on the interactions between marine litter and reef organisms in a strongly polluted basin, the Mediterranean Sea. The multiple impacts (e.g., entanglement, ghost-fishing, coverage, etc.) of litter on reef systems, the list of species impacted, and the main litter categories were identified, and a map of the knowledge available so far on this topic was provided. Seventy-eight taxa resulted impacted by marine litter on Mediterranean reefs, and the majority belonged to the phylum Cnidaria (41%), including endangered species like the red coral (Corallium rubrum) and the madrepora coral (Madrepora oculata). Entanglement, caused mainly by abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG), was the most frequent impact, playing a detrimental effect mainly on coralligenous arborescent species and cold-water corals (CWCs). The information was spatially heterogeneous, with some areas almost uncovered by scientific studies (e.g., the Aegean-Levantine Sea and the Southern Mediterranean Sea). Although many legal and policy frameworks have been established to tackle this issue [e.g., marine strategy framework directive (MSFD) and the Barcelona Convention], several gaps still exist concerning the assessment of the impact of marine litter on marine organisms, and in particular on reefs. There is a need for harmonized and standardized monitoring protocols for the collection of quantitative data to assess the impact of litter on reefs and animal forests. At the same time, urgent management measures limiting, for instance, the impact of ALDFG and other marine litter are needed to preserve these valuable and vulnerable marine ecosystems.

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Section: Entanglementsupporting

confidence: 73%

Section: Entanglementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Marine Litter on Mediterranean Reef Systems: From Shallow to Deep Waters

Angiolillo

Fortibuoni

2020

Front. Mar. Sci.

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“…Yoshikawa and Asoh (2004) suggested that once a coral becomes entangled in a fishing line, there is a high probability of mortality of the colony. During a survey carried out in the central Mediterranean Sea, Consoli et al (2018) observed a significant positive relationship between the number of litter-fauna interactions and the mean litter density, concluding this lindicator could be considered a good tool for monitoring the impact of marine litter on benthic communities.…”

Section: Entanglement In Marine Animal Forestsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Because of their morphology, gorgonians, habitatforming sponges (e.g. hexactinellidae), hydrocorals and reef-building corals might be more susceptible to this kind of damage (Pham et al, 2013;Oliveira et al, 2015, Angiolillo et al, 2015, Consoli et al, 2018Rodríguez and Pham, 2017).…”

Section: Entanglement In Marine Animal Forestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…ALDFG can have an impact on the environment in many different ways, including the continuing catch of target species, the catching of non-target species or the entanglement of organisms in litter, and the physical impact of gear on the benthic environment (Gregory, 2009), collectively termed « ghost fishing ». In some cases, ALDFG may represent almost 100% of total debris, especially in fishing grounds (Pham et al, 2014;Consoli et al, 2018) with monofilament fishing lines perhaps as the most dangerous kind of litter, as they represent a large part of entanglement records (Consoli et al, 2018). Many studies have described entanglement of epibenthic organisms in ALDFG, reaching up to 66% of the entangled or smothered benthic organisms, in particular for habitat-builders such as corals and sponges (Van den Beld, 2017, Melli et al, 2017.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Marine animal forests as useful indicators of entanglement by marine litter

Galgani

Pham

Claro

et al. 2018

Marine Pollution Bulletin

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Entanglement of marine fauna is one of the principal impacts of marine litter, with an incidence that can vary strongly according to regions, the type and the quantity of marine litter. On the seafloor, areas dominated by sessile suspension feeders, such as tropical coral reefs or deep-sea coral and sponge aggregations, have been termed "animal forests" and have a strong potential to monitor the temporal and spatial trends of entanglement by marine litter, especially fishing gears. Several characteristics of these organisms represent advantages while avoiding constraints and bias. Biological constraints and logistical aspects, including tools, are discussed to better define a strategy for supporting long-term evaluation of accumulation and entanglement of marine litter.

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