Bacci T., Rende F.S., Nonnis O., Maggi C., Izzi A., Gabellini M., Massara F., Di Tullio L., 2013. Effects of laying power cables on a Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile prairie: the study case of Fiume Santo (NW Sardinia, Italy). Coastal areas are complex systems where both marine ecosystems and human activity interrelate, often raising several conflicts. The economic activities may, sometimes, disturb the functioning and stability of coastal ecosystems, particularly of the seagrass meadows, and menace their future existence. In the Mediterranean Sea the most important seagrass is Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile, an endemic species, which meadows have been defined priority habitats following the 92/43/CEE Directive. Therefore, all technical solutions for cables or pipelines installation across a P. oceanica prairie should be adapted in order to protect these ecosystems and to prevent their degradation allowing the maintenance of a satisfactory state of conservation. In this work we present the results...

Nonnis, O.; Maggi, C., Lanera, P.; Proietti, R.; Izzi, A.; Antonelli, P. and Gabellini, M., 2016. The management of information to identify the submarine cable route: the case study of Campania island. In: Vila-Concejo, A.; Bruce, E.; Kennedy, D.M., and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 1002 - 1006. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Offshore pipelines and cables are infrastructures frequently located in the midst of delicate marine ecosystems. The route definition is one of the more complex and strategic aspect for the operation of laying a submarine cable or pipeline. In the designing phase different cable's routes are selected analyzing in detail the natural and/or anthropogenic constraints of the areas to be crossed, to identify the optimal alternative with less environmental impact. A multidisciplinary approach is needed to group all the area's and infrastructure's...

In this study, we aimed to investigate the presence of an alteration in the feeding ecology of fish after the deployment of anti-trawling reefs at the Punta Tramontana site (Sardinia, Italy). To achieve this aim, we examined prey in the stomach contents of two target species of fish: Diplodus annularis and Mullus surmuletus. The samples were obtained from fishing activities carried out over one year from June 2017 to October 2018 at two impact sites, selected by the presence of artificial reefs, and two control sites. The results showed that installing these artificial devices increased the food spectrum availability of the target species and induced two different ecological feeding behaviors, probably derived from their different ecologies. D. annularis changed its alimentary strategy from generalist at control sites to specialist at impact sites, focusing its diet on the crustacean Gnathia maxillaris. Mullus surmuletus was not affected by the presence of the barriers, which constitute an additional site where the fish feed during their foraging activities. In conclusion, these anti-trawling reefs, in addition to the purpose for which they are designed (in this case, avoiding illegal trawling), did not produce any negative environmental impact on surrounding marine biota.

This work is part of an environmental monitoring project conducted by Ispra since 2008, with the installation of two marine cables between the Lazio coast and Sardinia. Following the deployment of anti-trawl tripods, since 2017, a new Ispra monitoring plan was established to assess the integrity of the marine environment. The anti-trawl tripods have been periodically analyzed to examine various aspects of the marine area where they have been installed, including any changes in faunal and algal biodiversity resulting from the introduction of artificial structures. This study involves observing recruitment on the anti-trawl barriers to assess the colonization of artificial substrates introduced into the marine environment.