The LIFE Ecorest project aims to restore marine benthic communities through the recovery of organisms that are accidentally captured during fishing activities, focusing its efforts on conserving several structural species that are essential for the health and functioning of ecosystems. Which are these target species?
Corals
These marine invertebrates belong to the phylum Cnidaria, like jellyfish. These organisms play a crucial role in creating complex habitats that support a wide biodiversity. There are both hard corals, those capable of producing a rigid calcium carbonate skeleton and forming reefs, and soft corals, which neither produce a skeleton nor form reefs.
Among the species recovered and returned to the sea by fishermen are hard corals, such as Dendrophyllia cornigera; black corals, such as Antipathella subpinnata; or soft corals such as Alcynium palmatum, commonly known as red dead man’s fingers, gorgonians or sea pens.
Gorgonians, known as sea fans, belong to the class Anthozoa and subclass Octocorallia. They are particularly important in the deep-sea habitats of the Mediterranean, where they form complex three-dimensional structures that provide shelter and substrate for a wide variety of organisms. Gorgonians have flexible skeletons made of gorgonin, a protein substance. Their branches are covered with polyps that feed by passive filtration. They are usually found at depths from a few metres to more than 1000 m and prefer areas exposed to currents that facilitate the capture of particles. One of the species being rescued and recovered for later release in the LIFE Ecorest project action area is the Eunicella cavolini.
Sea pens, whose name derives from their appearance resembling an antique quill pen, belong to the order Pennatulacea and to the same subclass Octocorallia as the gorgonians. Each feather consists of numerous interconnected polyps. They are passive filter feeders and can form extensive meadows on the seabed where they live, increasing the complexity of the ecosystem and the availability of space for other organisms to use. They colonise different sea depths, from intertidal zones to depths of more than 6000 m. One of the species often rescued and recovered in the project is the Pennatula rubra.
Bryozoans
Bryozoans are a group of small invertebrates that form colonies composed of numerous individuals called zooids. Bryozoans play a crucial role in marine ecosystems, contributing to habitat structure, water filtration, and overall biodiversity.
Within the LIFE Ecorest project, we find species from the genus Reteporella and Myriapora truncata.
Sponges
Sponges, belonging to the phylum Porifera, are among the oldest organisms on the planet. Their active filtration capability and unique structure contribute to, for example, the flows of matter and energy, biogeochemical cycles, and the general functioning of the ecosystem in which they live. Sponges have porous bodies composed of a system of channels and chambers that allow them to filter large volumes of water. In the Mediterranean Sea, they are common in rocky bottoms and areas where they can adhere to hard surfaces.
Organisms that are usually recovered in the aquariums set up in the fishermen’s associations participating in the project are those belonging to the genus Axinella.
Ascidians
Ascidians are animals belonging to the phylum Chordata, but they differ from vertebrates in that they do not have a backbone. They are classified within the subphylum Urochordata or Tunicates, as their bodies have a tunic for support. They can be found in all the seas of the planet. Unlike other tunicates that swim freely as part of the plankton, ascidians are sessile and attach themselves to rocks or shells. These organisms are also active filter feeders, as they feed by filtering particles present in the water that passes through their pharynx and then expelling it through a siphon. Some of the species that are rescued and recovered within the framework of the LIFE Ecorest project include Halocynthia papillosa and Phallusia mammillata.