In early November, the OCEAN CITIZEN team at the University of Barcelona kicked off its first research campaign as part of the OCEAN CITIZEN project in Torredembarra, a small town near Tarragona in the Western Mediterranean Sea. This location is one of the project’s five pilot sites. The campaign was made possible through collaboration with the Natural Art Reef Association (NAR), a local organization specialising in the implementation and biological monitoring of artificial reefs in the region.
Despite some challenges due to changing weather conditions, the research began with a day dedicated to exploring natural gorgonian populations found between 40 and 50 meters deep, using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV). The ROV dives provided spectacular views of dense mesophotic coral populations and aimed at identifying natural gorgonian densities to be replicated in the restoration activity. Experienced divers from the University of Barcelona and NAR teams then dove to 45 meters and successfully collected gorgonian fragments for transplantation.
Three species of gorgonians were transplanted at the Biotop of Torredembarra (also known as “El Biotòp”), an impressive artificial underwater structure installed in 2023. Made up of 40,000 tons of calcium carbonate rocks, the biotope’s base lies at 34 meters, with its summit at 12 meters depth. At the biotope, three distinct gorgonian groups were transplanted at 30 meters, each containing 18 fragments from three different species. Future monitoring campaigns will focus on measuring environmental parameters, coral growth, and changes in community structure to assess the restoration activity’s impact on the biotope. This activity also provided a valuable opportunity to test the methodology and restoration approach that will then be used in the Smart Enhanced Reefs (SER®️) that will be installed in Tarragona.
This research campaign marks the beginning of the OCEAN CITIZEN activities in the Mediterranean Sea and shows how collaborations with local stakeholders and the use of their local ecological knowledge, are fundamental for the successful implementation of scientific projects.
