Marine conservation

Artisanal fishers in corals restoration

Project duration: April 2024 – July 2025

The project run by researchers from Anton Dohrn Zoological Station, in collaboration with the University of Barcelona, aims to involve artisanal fishers to restore coralligenous habitats in the Marine Protected Area(MPA) of Capo Gallo and Isola delle Femmine in Palermo. Local fishers will be trained in the assessment of damages and restoration procedures with a focus on sustainable fishing.
We will partner with Studio Forward to develop an awareness campaign to inform on the importance of the MPA and of coral-reefs populations, playing a pivotal role in marine ecosystems. We are happy to welcome Grimaldi Palermo Euro terminal, as partner and co-funder of the project. Officine Grafiche will continue to support us through their printing services.

*JUNE 2024 UPDATES*

The project ‘Artisanal Fishers in Corals Restoration’ in the Marine Protected Area (MPA) of Capo Gallo and Isola delle Femmine and has started!

The kick off meeting with researchers of Anton Dohrn Zoological Station Palermo, fishing cooperatives and local fishers, the mayor, the commander of the Port Authority MPA management body, and SEF has laid the foundation for a shared pathway for the protection of the coralligenous habitat in the area.

Collaboration between researchers and artisanal fishers will be crucial to estimate extent and health status of gorgonian forests, to recover in aquariums fragments accidentally removed by fishing activities, and to restore the habitat.

**AUGUST 2024 UPDATES**

Researchers from Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn are monitoring and assessing gorgonian forests extent and health in Capo Gallo and Isola delle Femmine Marine Protected Area.

These extraordinary organisms, among the most representative of the coralligenous habitat, provide shelter and nourishment to numerous marine species.

***DECEMBER 2024 UPDATES***

During recent monitoring activities conducted in Zone B, a general reserve area within the Capo Gallo and Isola delle Femmine Marine Protected Area, researchers recorded a significant density of white gorgonians, a positive indicator of the ecosystem’s vitality, along with the sporadic presence of yellow gorgonians. Signs of bleaching were observed in several colonies of red gorgonians in shallow waters, a phenomenon increasingly common across the Mediterranean. This underscores the urgent need to implement conservation and restoration measures to protect these valuable organisms.