Abstract
There is growing awareness of the impact of fishery activities on fragile and vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems, stimulating actions devoted to their protection and best management by national and international organizations. The Bari Canyon in the Adriatic Sea represents a good case study of this, since it hosts vulnerable ecosystems, threatened species, as well as valuable commercial species, but virtually lacks substantial management plans for the sustainable use of resources. This study documents the high level of biodiversity of the Bari Canyon and the impact of human activities by analyzing remotely operated vehicle surveys and benthic lander deployments. An integrated socio-economic study provides information on fishing pressure in the Bari Canyon and in the surrounding areas. Finally, measures of conservation, protection, and management are discussed and suggested for this remarkable site in the context of the deep Mediterranean Sea.
Highlights
Steep slopes and vertical canyon flanks are inhabited by cold-water corals (CWC), by far dominated by Madrepora oculata
Other relevant polychaetes are Vermiliopsis monodiscus and Hyalopomatus madreporae, which are Mediterranean endemics and represent new records for the Bari Canyon (BC) [36]. Porifera is another important group that contributes to the high grade of biodiversity in the BC and nearby area
The most important teleost fishes in terms of biomass and commercial interest recorded in the BC are Merluccius merluccius (European hake), Conger conger (European conger), Helicolenus dactylopterus, Phycis blennoides, Pagellus bogaraveo, Micromesistius poutassou, Chelidonichthys lucerna, and Polyprion americanus (Atlantic wreckfish)
Summary
Among maritime human activities, fishing is one of the most impactful on the seafloor and on benthic communities, e.g., [1,2,3]. Biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of resources have potential direct economic benefits [16]. This is true for deep-sea ecosystems (>200 m) often represented by fragile organisms such as sponges and corals, which are strongly impacted by fishing operations. There is growing attention on the conservation and management of deep-sea vulnerable marine ecosystems (VME) with respect to the threats represented by fishery activities [17,18,19]. Existing protection measures and/or current management programs for marine habitats and vulnerable ecosystems have so far failed to defend them from human pressure and overfishing [20,21]
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