CARATTERIZZAZIONE DELL’ITTIOFAUNA ASSOCIATA A DUE FAD (FISH AGGREGATING DEVICES) IN MAR LIGURE

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE FISH FAUNA ASSOCIATED WITH TWO FADs (FISH AGGREGATING DEVICES) IN THE LIGURIAN SEA

Abstract

The attractiveness of natural or man-made objects in the open sea to fish has long been known: these structures are generically referred to as FADs (Fish Aggregating Devices). In the Mediterranean Sea, the fish community that frequents FADs has been little studied overall. This work aims to verify the role of two buoys as FADs in the Gulf of Genoa (Ligurian Sea). A visual census of the fish species was conducted. The presence of a fish community composed of nine species was detected, already observed during a census conducted on the ODAS buoy in the same area in 1994. The results of this study suggest that the fish community associated with FADs in the Ligurian Sea, despite being an ephemeral environment, is ecologically well structured and promotes understanding of the life cycles of little-known species, representing an important piece in the management and protection of Mediterranean fish fauna.