The hot weather of these days (on the surface and also underwater) did not prevent the GMC scientific staff from completing the 2023 field activities at the Portofino MPA (Ligurian Sea). In addition to the underwater fish visual census to assess the reserve effect within the MPA, water samples have been collected to investigate fish biodiversity through Environmental DNA analyses. This study is done in collaboration with the University of Padova in the frame of a large-scale project (MARECO-PRIN) aimed at understanding rocky-reef ecosystem changes due to the interaction between climate change and overfishing.
At the top: the whole team ready to start! At the bottom left: the PhD student from University of Padova processing the water samples for the environmental DNA analysis; at bottom right: one of the sampling location, with the two buoys of the GMC divers working underwater.