Madrid.- Fishermen from Gerona and Vilanova i la Geltrú (Barcelona) have begun returning to the sea corals, gorgonians and sponges, among other organisms, rescued from their nets and recovered in aquariums installed in these Catalan brotherhoods, according to a statement from the Biodiversity Foundation.
The work of these fishermen has been carried out in the area of Blanes and Llançá, in the permanently closed areas within the framework of the LIFE ECOREST project, coordinated by the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC) and in which they participate as a partner the foundation.
Badminton Method
The organisms have returned to the sea using what is known as the Badminton method: a technique that consists of fixing them to a boulder and returning them to the water from the deck of fishing boats, so that they reach the seabed and remain in an optimal, upright position. for their survival.
For this, a bio-releaser designed to adapt this technique to great depths and be able to release a greater number of individuals each time is used “in a pioneering way.”
This methodology has been used in other oceanographic campaigns developed by the ICM-CISC and the University of Barcelona in the course of a project that has so far allowed the release of a total of 451 organisms in four closed areas at a depth of between 90 and 140 meters.
The main species returned to the sea are the gorgonians ‘Eunicella cavolini’, ‘Eunicella singularis affita’ and ‘Leptogorgia sarmentosa’, the soft coral ‘Alcyonium palmatum’ and different species of dermoesponjas.
Survival success of restored gorgonians reaches 95% one year after first return, according to images obtained through a remotely operated underwater vehicle.
LIFE ECOREST, which also has the participation of the Territorial Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds of Gerona and WWF Spain in addition to funding from the EU LIFE program, aims to restore nearly 30,000 hectares of deep marine habitats in Catalonia with the active participation of the fishing sector, promoting research and conservation actions, participatory management of fishermen, strengthening governance mechanisms and raising public awareness. EFEverde
ppm/crf
2024-05-07 03:30:39
#Corals #gorgonians #sponges #rescued #fishing #nets #returned #sea
