Context
The fish species in the Mediterranean’s shallow coastal waters play a key role in local economies and in maintaining biodiversity. They are under increasing pressure from human activity and global trends. For optimal management of these fish stocks, we need to assess the current population and its capacity to adapt to a changing environment.
Programme
The Ich.T.O. project is an inventory of fish in the waters of west Toulon (Var). This sector lies between the Port-Cros and Calanques National Parks and has an important role to play in natural heritage conservation.
The study will help us learn more about fundamental ecology and evaluate the fish resources in the area. Results will:
– provide essential information for managers of fisheries resources and of the area,
– constitute a baseline for monitoring the effects of global trends on the marine environment: climate change, biodiversity modification, the presence of southern or exotic fish species, pollution, etc.
This programme is one of the actions in the second Toulon bay contract (2013-2018).
Phase 1
Two initial counting campaigns were run in 2012 at seven sites between cap Sicié and Les Embiez islands. The different species present were identified and counted and scientific divers estimated their size. The 2012 campaigns form the baseline. The main species found were rainbow wrasse, Coris julis, salema, Sarpa salpa and combers, Serranus cabrila.
The Toulon bay contract provides for annual counting campaigns to estimate population changes, for two reasons: to manage the resource and detect population changes linked to global trends. Counting continued until the end of 2017.
Phase 2
In the programme’s final year (2018), all the data from six years of counting and observing the species present were analysed.
Last updated on : 23 December 2019
Partnerships
Financial
– Métropole Toulon Provence Méditerranée
– Conseil départemental du Var
– Agence de l’Eau Rhône Méditerranée Corse
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Couvray S., P. Lelong, T. Miard, D. Kirchhofer, D. Rebillard, J.L. Bonnefont, 2016 – Inventaire de la faune ichtyologique des fonds marins de l’ouest toulonnais – Rapport annuel 2015. Contrat TPM – CG83 – Institut océanographique Paul Ricard. 28 pp.
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Lelong P., S. Couvray, T. Miard, D. Rebillard, J.L. Bonnefont, 2014 – Inventaire de la faune ichtyologique des fonds marins de l’ouest toulonnais – Rapport annuel 2013. Contrat TPM – CG83 – Institut océanographique Paul Ricard. 23 pp.
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Lelong P., S. Couvray, T. Miard, D. Rebillard, J.L. Bonnefont, 2012 – Inventaire de la faune ichtyologique des fonds marins de l’ouest toulonnais – État initial. Contrat TPM – CG83 – Institut océanographique Paul Ricard. 25 pp.
Lelong P., J.L. Bonnefont, S. Couvray, Y. Martin, T. Miard, 2011 – Inventaire de la faune ichtyologique des fonds marins de l’ouest toulonnais – Rapport préliminaire, décembre 2011. Contrat Conseil Général du Var – Institut océanographique Paul Ricard. 18 pp.
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