ISRA FACTSHEETS
ISRA FACTSHEETS
MEDITERRANEAN AND BLACK SEAS REGION
Marina Alta
Summary
Marina Alta is a coastal area located on the southeastern Iberian Peninsula in the western Mediterranean Sea. It is characterised by diverse habitats including large seagrass meadows surrounded by sandy substrates. It overlaps with the North-western Mediterranean Benthic Ecosystems Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Area, three Marine Protected Areas, a Key Biodiversity Area, a Natura 2000 site, and is classified as Site of Community Importance and/or Special Protection Area. Within this area there are: threatened species (e.g., Rough Skate Raja radula); range-restricted species (e.g., Starry Skate Raja asterias); reproductive areas (Spiny Butterfly Ray Gymnura altavela); feeding areas (Spiny Butterfly Ray); and resting areas (Spiny Butterfly Ray).
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Marina Alta
DESCRIPTION OF HABITAT
Marina Alta is a coastal area located on the southeastern Iberian Peninsula in Spain. It is characterised by its karstic geography with diverse habitats including large seagrass meadows surrounded by sandy substrates. The coastal topography, comprised of mountainous terrains and towering cliffs, provides protection against the wind, creating small-sized sheltered bays. The area experiences a diurnal tide with a maximum tidal range of 1 m. The inshore seabed consists of extensive rocky platforms, covered by muddy and fine sediment mainly composed of limestone and loam debris. Offshore, sandy sediment becomes coarser along a gentle slope. The river inflow is scarce and water supply occurs mostly through freshwater submarine emergences from aquifers originating inland and emanating from the seabed. Sea surface temperature ranges from 13ºC in the cold months to 30ºC in the warm months.
The area overlaps with the North-western Mediterranean Benthic Ecosystems Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Area (CBD 2023), three Marine Protected Areas, the Plataforma-talud Marinos del Cabo de la Nao Key Biodiversity Area (KBA 2023), a Natura 2000 site, and is classified as Site of Community Importance and/or Special Protection Area.
This Important Shark and Ray Area is benthopelagic and delineated from surface and inshore waters (0 m) to a depth of 50 m based on the bathymetry of the area.
CRITERION A
VULNERABILITY
Two Qualifying Species considered threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ regularly occur in the area. These are the Critically Endangered Spiny Butterfly Ray (Dulvy et al. 2021), and the Endangered Rough Skate (Mancusi et al. 2016).
CRITERION B
RANGE RESTRICTED
This area holds the regular presence of Starry Skate, Speckled Skate, and Rough Skate as resident range-restricted species. These species occur year-round and are regularly encountered and captured in local fisheries, as confirmed in interviews conducted with fishers to collect local ecological knowledge and catch data records (Navarro et al. 2016; Ruiz-García et al. 2023; Monterde et al. in prep.). Rough Skates have also been observed in the area during diving surveys. All three species occur primarily in the Mediterranean Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (LME). Starry Skate also occurs marginally in the Canary Current LME and Iberian Coastal LME.
CRITERION C
SUB-CRITERION C1 – REPRODUCTIVE AREAS
Marina Alta is an important reproductive area for one ray species.
Spiny Butterfly Rays occur in particularly high abundances in comparison to the adjacent areas from Delta del Ebro to Alboran Sea (Monterde et al. in prep.), and the presence of young-of-the-year and pregnant females have been reported as regular and predictable. The area was monitored monthly during 2018 and 2019, by scuba diving surveys (19 surveys) recording a total of 36 specimens and 136 body print marks on the sand bed (Penadés et al. in prep.). Young-of-the-year, determined by disc width (DW) of 32–60 cm (size-at-birth DW = 20.47 ± 3.86 cm [Parsons et al. 2018; Gajic et al. 2023]), were observed only during spring and summer (n = 12; 4 specimens and 8 marks). Three pregnant females, determined by their extended abdomens (45–160 cm DW), were found in the boreal winter and spring.
CRITERION C
SUB-CRITERION C2 – FEEDING AREAS
Marina Alta is an important feeding area for one ray species.
This is an important feeding area for Spiny Butterfly Ray. This species mainly feeds on fish (such as clupeids and gobies) and cephalopods (Neifar et al. 2002; Psomadakis et al. 2008; Yemışken et al. 2018), which are abundant in the area (Plá Masià 2000; García-Rodiguez et al. 2011). The high productivity of this area, associated with the seagrass meadows, guarantees the supply of these prey items for the species all year-long and for all its life-history stages (Valle et al. 2001). At night they can be observed actively feeding in sandy areas ambushing their prey with striking fin movements (Henningsen 1996; Penadés et al. unpubl. data 2023).
CRITERION C
SUB-CRITERION C3 – RESTING AREAS
Marina Alta is used as a resting area for one ray species.
Butterfly rays burrow into the substrate, covering their body with sand to camouflage themselves either to ambush prey, or to rest in the seabed, leaving a characteristic mark or ‘body print’ in the sediment after leaving (Smale et al. 2001; Jacobsen & Bennett 2013). The Spiny Butterfly Ray found in this area spend most of the daytime resting, buried in the sediment within the seagrass extensions and use the nighttime to feed (Penadés et al. unpubl. data 2023). Adults are predominantly found buried next to the Neptune Grass Posidonia oceanica meadows, particularly, in the area swept by the leaves, which eliminates the regular ripple marks, allowing Spiny Butterfly Ray to better camouflage. On the other hand, young-of-the-year and juveniles are more frequently found buried in the sandy sediment within the Little Nepture Grass Cymodecea nodosa meadows, where adults cannot camouflage themselves due to their larger size (Penadés et al. unpubl. data 2023).
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