The effects of recurrent industrial fishing are widespread in the Mediterranean Sea. In the Catalan margin (NW Mediterranean Sea), over 90% of benthic habitats between depths of 50 to 800 m have been impacted by bottom trawling. This has led to reduction in the structural complexity and biodiversity of benthic ecosystems, with negative effects on ecosystem function and services. To address this situation, scientists partnered with local Fishery Associations established 14 permanent no-take fishing reserves (total surface of 29,022 ha) between 100 to 400 m depth along the northern and central Catalan margin. Monitoring surveys have revealed that these communities’ ability to recover from human impacts, is extremely slow as they are formed by long-lived, slow-growing species, with limited recruitment. As such, it is suspected that full ecosystem recovery of benthic communities and commercial stocks will take decades to centuries (especially for those in deep-sea realms) unless active efforts are made to accelerate ecosystem recovery. While most active restoration interventions in the deep-sea to date have been too limited in scale to adequately offset ecosystem damage, the Life ECOREST project will rapidly upscale, while reducing the costs of, the restoration efforts in the Catalan margin by partnering with fishers and relevant stakeholders. For the next 4 years, 8 Catalan Fisheries Associations (FAs) (controlling 320 vessels) will recover habitat forming sessile organisms (mainly anthozoans and sponges) accidentally caught in their fishing gear. Recovered organisms will be held in FAs aquaria before being transplanted to the no-take reserves using adaptations of the ‘badminton’ method. Simultaneously, restoration interventions are being monitored by stationary landers every 6 months and using mobile platforms (ROVs and AUVs) that can sample larger spatial areas. Our preliminary results on restored sessile species density and associated megafauna are promising and indicate the effectiveness of this restoration initiative

8th International Symposium on Deep-Sea Corals (ISDSC8), 29th May - Friday 2nd June 2023, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Peer reviewed