Acronym: TPCC-Fish UVC
Keywords: #ReserveEffect; #FishFauna; #VisualCensus
Left: A UVC operator at work; Right: Two individuals of dusky grouper, Epinephelus marginatus. Photo credit: Egidio Trainito
Coordinator/Lead Partner: Genoa Marine Centre, SZN, Italy
SZN Principal Investigator(s): Paolo Guidetti
Partnership: NA
Funding body and amount: Area Marina Protetta Tavolara-Punta Coda Cavallo, Italy
Overall funding: 42,000 €
Funding to GMC-SZN: 42,000 €
Grant period: January 1st 2021 – December 31st 2023
Project in a nutshell:
The goal of the project is to investigate the distribution patterns, in space and time, of fish assemblages along a gradient of protection (i.e., in fully and partially protected areas, and in areas open to fishing outside the MPAs’ boundaries) at the Marine Protected Area of Tavolara Punta Coda Cavallo (TPCC MPA; NE Sardinia, Italy). Similar studies allow to assess the effectiveness of protection with MPAs, i.e. the so-called ‘reserve effect’. To do that, we collect in situ fish data (i.e., species richness, abundance, size distribution, biomass) using non-destructive underwater visual census on rocky reefs, according to an ad-hoc sampling design. Results of this study are crucial to i) know the conservation status of the marine environment within the TPCC MPA, ii) provide suggestions to refine management measures and, iii) get new evidence to support conservation policies at national and EU levels.
Contacts: paolo.guidetti@szn.it