Abstract
Demersal fish assemblages on the rocky bottoms of the Aeolian Archipelago were investigated using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) within the framework of research activities aimed at drawing up the zoning proposal of a new Italian national marine protected area. Visual assessments were conducted around the seven main islands by means of a total of 36 ROV transects. Video material was divided into 3 parts belonging to 3 Archipelago sectors (Western, Central and Eastern) and into 3 depth ranges (20-50, 51-120, 121-190). Thirty taxa of teleosts (29 species and 1 genus) belonging to 16 families were recorded. The assemblages were numerically dominated by some schooling fishes, such as Anthias anthias, Callanthias ruber and Chromis chromis, which exhibited a depth related partitioning of space, and three non-gregarious species, i.e. Serranus cabrilla, Coris julis and Lappanella fasciata. In terms of species composition, the assemblages observed in the sectors of the Archipelago largely overlapped. No significant sector-related differences were detected in fish species richness, diversity and total density. Species composition and the investigated assemblage parameters were significantly affected by depth. The pattern of variation in species richness among depth ranges changed depending on the archipelago sectors. No significant interaction between the factors depth range and sector was observed for species diversity and total density. Diversity values at 20-50 and 121-190 m depth were similar and significantly higher than that at 51-120 m depth. Fish total density showed a clear decreasing trend with increasing depth, though significant differences were detected between the 20-50 and 51-120 depth layers and the deepest one. Overall, the demersal fish assemblage of the Aeolian Archipelago was poorly diversified and depleted, most likely due to overfishing. This information highlighted the importance of the adoption of specific measures aimed at the recovery of overexploited resources and the restoration of the whole marine ecosystems.