Visual Census
- Trail Conditions: Diving
The Visual census in scuba diving is an environmental monitoring technique that consists in the visual census of flora and fauna characterizing a specific study area. It is a non-destructive technique as it does not require the removal of organisms but is based only on the visual evaluation carried out by underwater operators.
In the AMP Torre del Cerrano scuba diving is allowed only to authorized personnel and to participants in the Visual Census activity organized by the AMP itself, with the help of the Eco1 boat, a fishing vessel converted into a vessel for scientific activities as part of the Ecosee project/funded by the European Commission Directorate for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries within the "Guardians of the Sea" MARE/2013/09 programme. The dives aimed at the visual census take place in correspondence with the delimitation buoys of zone C and D. The techniques used are that of the vertical transept along the chain that connects the buoy to the dead body on the bottom and that of the circular transept around the chain itself and to the jumper, located about 5 meters deep.
Each dive lasts about 30 minutes and is carried out in pairs, each participant is provided with identification cards containing the bodies that can be sighted during the activity. Experienced personnel in marine biology provides the main notions for the recognition of different species and for the evaluation of their abundance.
- Participant requirements
- Patent enabling underwater activities
- Minimum of 20 dives
Staff on board
The Visual Census activity takes place thanks to the collaboration of the Guide del Cerrano Association whose expert guides support and coordinate the dives. On board there is always a Master Scuba Diver Trainer and a guide that provides the basics for the recognition of the marine species characteristic of the AMP Torre del Cerrano
- Underwater Activities Coordinator: Roberto di Giandomenico Master Scuba Diver Trainer PADI#979463
- Diving assistance: Massimiliano Bosi de'Villalba Assistant Instructor PADI #979464
- Marine Biology Breefing: Claudia Borgatti PADI #1505EO4699 - Second Degree CMAS
For further information: www.torredelcerrano.it/-visual-census.html
