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 › Research programmes › LIFE Pinnarca

LIFE Pinnarca

Protecting and conserving the fan mussel
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Diana lagoon (Ph. M. Foulquié)
Thau lagoon (Ph. M. Foulquié)
Urbinu lagoon (Ph. M. Foulquié)

Context

The populations of fan mussels endemic in the Mediterranean, already strongly impacted by the human-generated pressure that is exerted on this bivalve and on its favoured coastal habitat, the Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds, have been severely hit by the emergence of a parasite in 2016 which decimated 99.9% of individuals at most of the known sites. A few pockets of resistance to this pandemic have however been observed in deltas and marine lagoons.

Programme

The main aim of this LIFE programme, carried out by a consortium of European participants, is to guarantee the long term protection and conservation of the fan mussel through actions focused on raising awareness, acquiring knowledge and enhanced protection of the environment (inventories, monitoring of resistant individuals, reproduction, embryology, genetics and parasitology), and the reseeding of the environment by juveniles issued from capture in order to reinforce or redevelop the existing or extinct natural populations once the parasite has disappeared.

Phase 1

Inventories and monitoring of resistant individuals

Inventories are carried out in several Mediterranean countries, in areas where resistant populations persist. This is the case notably in the areas around deltas (Ebro, Po, Rhone), and in coastal lagoons (Mar Menor on the Costa Blanca, Thau lagoon in Languedoc, the Diana and Urbinu lagoons in Corsica, and in Greece).

Phase 2

Reproduction of the species

Individuals collected at the above-mentioned sites are placed in experimental and / or public aquariums to study the reproduction and embryonic development.

Phase 3

Genetic study of populations and parasitology

The sequencing of the genome of P. nobilis represents an indispensable tool to achieve better knowledge of the biology and the physiology of the species in these particular environments that are the lagoons and coastal ponds. The possible presence of the parasite must be monitored in the water and in the sediments (via the technique of environmental DNA), and in the fan mussels.

Phase 4

Reseeding of the environment

Obtaining juveniles in the aquarium or in the natural environment might make it possible to carry out reseeding in the open sea once the pandemic caused by the parasite Haplosporidium pinnae is over and when the biological and physical-chemical conditions have once again become favourable.

Last updated on : 25 March 2022


Partnerships

Financial partners

Programmes européens LIFE

European scientific partners

FUNDACIóN UNIVERSIDAD CATóLICA DE VALENCIA SAN VICENTE MáRTIR (IMEDMAR-UCV), Espagne (coordinateur du programme)

UAEGEAN(PANEPISTIMIO AIGAIOU, UNIVERSITY OF THE AEGEAN – RESEARCH UNIT), Grèce

UNINA – DB(Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II – Dipartimento di Biologia), Italie

IRTA(Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries), Espagne

CSIC(AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DEINVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS – CSIC (IMEDEA)), Espagne

UA(UNIVERSIDAD DE ALICANTE), Espagne

EEARM(Ecologistas en Acción Región de Murcia), Espagne

Local partners 

Institut Méditerranéen d’Océanologie (MIO UMR 7294), France

GIS Posidonie, (Aix-Marseille Université).

Parc Régional de la Côte Bleue

Parc national des Calanques

Parc régional de Corse (Réserves de Scandola, des Bouches de Bonifacio, du Cap corse)

Réserve du Larvotto (Monaco),

Zone Natura 2000 (Golfe de Saint Tropez)

STARESO (Calvi-Corse)

OEC : Office de l’Environnement Corse

Office de la mer (Marseille métropole)

CPIE : La Ciotat (Provence), Ajaccio (Corse)

 

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Flyer. Institut Oceanographique Paul Ricard. 6 p.

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