ITTIOFAUNA ASSOCIATA AD UNA BARRIERA ARTIFICIALE IN NORD ADRIATICO

Along the Veneto littoral, artificial substrata were set for various purposes (mainly hydraulic protection against storms, floods and high tides). The presence of rocky habitats on otherwise muddy-sandy bottoms produced as a result a remarkable increase in richness and abundance of benthos and fish fauna. Even in shallow water such artificial barriers host rich and diverse fish communities, characterized by both resident and migratory species, the latter spending only a certain part of their life near the barriers and using these habitats for specific reasons (nursery area, feeding ground or spawning ground). The fish fauna associated to an artificial barrier, located 2 miles away from the Sile river mouth at a depth of 14 meters, was investigated during three visual census surveys during summer 2010. Twenty five species belonging to 13 families were identified. Each species was categorized in ecological guilds based on its use of the artificial barrier. The study also provides information about the commercial value of the different fish species.