From 20 May to 29 June 2026, the Ifremer ATLASea team joined Ifremer’s MEDITS survey in the Mediterranean to collect new marine specimens.
A survey dedicated to demersal resources
Every year, the MEDITS (MEDITerranean Trawl Survey) campaign surveys the Mediterranean Sea to assess the status of demersal fish stocks, i.e. species that live on or near the seafloor. This scientific survey, whose data are notably used to monitor fisheries resources, relies on standardized trawling operations.
In France, the survey is conducted by Ifremer aboard the oceanographic vessel L’Europe. Measuring 30 meters in length, this coastal vessel that belongs to the French Oceanographic Fleet (FOF) hosts a crew of 16 people for the survey: 10 seafarers and 6 scientists, including the chief scientist.
The survey covers eastern Corsica at the beginning of the mission, followed by the Gulf of Lion. Due to L’Europe’s coastal vessel status, the ship must spend at least one day ashore after every five days at sea. The MEDITS survey is therefore usually organized into six five-day legs.
This year, ATLASea joined the MEDITS survey to take advantage of this sampling platform. An additional leg was therefore added to meet the needs of both programmes. This joint survey was named MEDITS-DIVESea.
The objective was to collect specimens and tissue samples from around 30 of the 150 species targeted by ATLASea’s DIVE-Sea project within bentho-demersal communities. Sampling focused in particular on ichthyological and megabenthic groups.
After each trawling operation, the catch was sorted on board. The DIVE-Sea protocol implies the selection and identification by taxonomists of two individuals per species.
A total of 81 species were sampled during MEDITS-DIVESea:
- 60 fish, including 6 elasmobranchs and 54 teleosts;
- 8 crustaceans;
- 8 molluscs;
- 5 parasites, including 1 external parasite.
The species were sampled at depths ranging from 30 meters to more than 800 meters.
Mission participants:
- Angélique Jadaud and Grégoire Certain, Ifremer (LHM) chief scientists.
- Emmy Stephan (Ifremer LEGPM)
- Luisa Métral (Ifremer LHM)
- Bruno Ernande (Ifremer LEGPM)
