The YCM’s pontoon of honour hosted the first synchronized scientific census and standardized of marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea.
This Thursday, June 27, the BioDivMed mission was launched in the presence of Prince Albert II. For the second consecutive year, this oceanographic campaign left from the Yacht Club de Monaco before continuing its route to Carnon, in Hérault. The objective of the mission? Collect data on fish, crustacean and mammal species to improve understanding of underwater life.
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Participants in this study include the Marbec Joint Research Unit – University of Montpellier in collaboration with the Center for Functional & Evolutionary Ecology, the companies Spygen and Andromède Océanologie, as well as the philanthropic associations We are Méditerranée and OceanoScientific.
A unique map
Under the scientific direction of Professor David Mouillot, the OceanoScientific team will collect DNA samples in around twenty sentinel sites in order to map the Mediterranean seabed. And this, thanks to new technology which has the power to spot an animal species up to 30 minutes after its passage and then to locate it in space.
« DNA betrays the presence of the rarest species which are in rather limited numbers with elusive and stealthy behaviors ” explains David Mouillot to Monaco Info before discussing the case of angel sharks, which have disappeared from the French Mediterranean coast: ” If in 1 year, in 2 years, in 3 years, in 10 years, if your children find it, we will have a trajectory, we will have positive signs of restoration of populations of endangered species. ».
During its first phase carried out in 2023, the BioDivMed mission identified 267 species of fish on more than 2,000 kilometers of coastline and it does not intend to stop there.
