title: Re-shifting the ecological baseline for the overexploited Mediterranean red coral.
abstract: Overexploitation leads to the ecological extinction of many oceanic species. The depletion of historical abundances of large animals, such as whales and sea turtles, is well known. However, the magnitude of the historical overfishing of exploited invertebrates is unclear. The lack of rigorous baseline data limits the implementation of efficient management and conservation plans in the marine realm. The precious Mediterranean red coral Corallium rubrum has been intensively exploited since antiquity for its use in jewellery. It shows dramatic signs of overexploitation, with no untouched populations known in shallow waters. Here, we report the discovery of an exceptional red coral population from a previously unexplored shallow underwater cave in Corsica (France) harbouring the largest biomass (by more than 100-fold) reported to date in the Mediterranean. Our findings challenge current assumptions on the pristine state of this emblematic species. Our results suggest that, before intense exploitation, red coral lived in relatively high-density populations with a large proportion of centuries-old colonies, even at very shallow depths. We call for the re-evaluation of the baseline for red coral and question the sustainability of the exploitation of a species that is still common but ecologically (functionally) extinct and in a trajectory of further decline.
authors.affiliation: Institut Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), 08003 Barcelona, Spain.|Institut Méditerranéen d'Océanologie (MIO), Campus de Luminy, 13288 Marseille Cedex 9, France.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garrabou
authors.affiliation: National Geographic Society, Washington DC, United States of America.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sala
authors.affiliation: Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Linares
authors.affiliation: Institut Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), 08003 Barcelona, Spain.|CIMAR/CIIMAR, Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental, Universidade do Porto, 4050-123 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Ledoux
authors.affiliation: Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Montero-Serra
authors.affiliation: Réserve Naturelle de Scandola, Parc Régional de Corse, Galeria, France.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Dominici
authors.affiliation: Division of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kipson
authors.affiliation: Institut Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC), 08003 Barcelona, Spain.|Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Teixidó
authors.affiliation: Departament de Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Ciències, Universitat de Girona, 17071, Girona, Spain.|Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes-CSIC, 17300, Blanes, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cebrian
authors.affiliation: Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Kersting
authors.affiliation: Institut Méditerranéen d'Océanologie (MIO),Station Marine d'Endoume, 13007, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Harmelin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa; D018533:Biomass; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D008522:Mediterranean Sea; D011156:Population Density