Taking advantage of the last tail of summer and putting into play almost all the GMC fish UVC-team members, we concluded the 2023 sampling activities at the Secche della Meloria MPA and at Secche di Vada (Livorno, Tuscany). In addition to the underwater fish visual census to evaluate the reserve effect, we performed quadrats to assess the benthic cover and sea urchin density. Moreover, water samples have been collected to investigate fish biodiversity through the Environmental DNA, in collaboration with the University of Padua in the frame of a large-scale project (MARECO-PRIN) focused on the interaction between climate change and overfishing.
At the top left: one of the beautiful sampling site (Secche di Vada). At the top right: the whole team ready to start! At the bottom left: the PhD student from University of Padua processing water samples for the e-DNA analysis; at bottom centre: one of the GMC diver ready to start the underwater visual census; at bottom right: one of the quadrats used to assess the benthic cover and sea urchin density.