Viability of the adaptation of benthonic invertebrates resulting from the “by-catch” of trawl fishing in the Catalan Mediterranean and its possible uses. VIBAM.

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Main researcher: Montserrat Demestre Alted

Institution: Institut de Ciències del Mar – CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas)

Description:
Aware of the impact on the Catalan Mediterranean seabed caused to a large extent by fishing, the most problematic being trawl fishing, this study aims to analyse the damages caused by this fishing on the communities and species of benthonic invertebrates resulting from the "by-catch", the name by which the part of non-commercial fishing that is mainly thrown back into the sea is known. This research will be conducted with the aim of preserving the indigenous marine fauna representative of the Catalan Mediterranean seabed, and publicise at both a scientific level and among the public the biodiversity of these ecosystems and the impacts to which they are exposed.

We need to highlight the great wealth and biological diversity of the benthonic ecosystems of the Catalan Mediterranean. Considering the small size of the Mediterranean in relation to other seas and oceans, it is one of the priority biodiversity conservation areas in the world. It is calculated that between 10,000 and 12,000 marine species live there, of which an estimated nearly 6,000 are benthonic invertebrates. Another marked feature of the Mediterranean is the high endemism of its species: it is calculated that 28% of the species known to date are endemic, a higher proportion than in the Atlantic Ocean. 

The basic aim of the VIBAM project is to ascertain and publicise the different adaptation mechanisms that benthonic invertebrates may have or develop to survive outside their natural environment. To achieve this, the following specific aims are proposed:

• Learn of and describe the different adaptation mechanisms used by the species in recovery processes outside their natural habitat.
• Determine the survival that these species show in the short, medium and long term, and establish the rate of damage caused by fishing.
• Establish the possible competition guidelines that may arise between these animals in captivity.
• Raise awareness of the indigenous fauna of the seabed of the Catalan coastline.
• Make progress in the various scientific methodologies in the maintenance of benthonic marine invertebrates outside their natural habitat, both for possible future research programmes and for their display to the general public.

The project will be carried out over two different phases: field work on board fishing trawlers of the Palamós Fishing Association, and experimental work at the facilities of the Sea Sciences Institute. Each phase will have specific transport, adaptation and maintenance material for the animals in aquaria.

Sponsors of Research and preservation of the Zoo: