Nursery survey of Nursehound, Scyliorhinus stellaris (Linnaeus, 1758), around Monte Argentario peninsula (Tuscany, Italy) with new tools Poseidon R.O.V. (Remote Operative Vehicule)

The Nursehound, Scyliorhinus stellaris (Linnaeus, 1758), is a benthonic catshark present inshore and offshore in the northeast and eastern central Atlantic, over the continental shelf between southern Scandinavia and Senegal, and is also distributed throughout the Mediterranean. This species is fished by bottom trawls, gill nets, bottom set long lines, handlines and fixed bottom nets, and occasionally by pelagic trawls. Although limited data are available on the exploitation and trends in abundance, declines have been indicated in the Mediterranean Sea, particularly around the Balearic Islands and in the northwest Mediterranean. The capacity for resilience of this species is affected by a low level of interconnectivity between isolated populations around islands far from the continental coast. Few informations are available on its biology; however, it is a large bodied species and is likely more vulnerable to population depletion than the Smallspotted Catshark (S. canicula), which also occurs in the region. Given its large size, patchy distribution and evidence of decline in the Mediterranean Sea, an assessment of at least Near Threatened is warranted (IUCN Red List. 2009). In 2018 Sharks Studies Centre activated a new project aimed at locating, around Monte Argentario Pensinsula in Tuscany (Ita), the presence of Nursehound Nursery using Poseidon R.O.V.(Remote operative vehicule), an underwater drone that can operate up to 120 meters deep with 5 hours of autonomy. The project, partially funded by the Tuscany Region (Go Green 2018), will allow to identify eggs spawning areas. The first 2 years of observations, 2018 and 2019, are presented and discussed.