gorgonians are disappearing in the Mediterranean

At Cap Roux, in Saint-Raphael, in the Var, at a depth of 25 meters, it is normally possible to witness a magnificent postcard, with a field of red gorgonians, cousins ​​of coral. But they have become, with few exceptions, skeletons. In many places in the Mediterranean, many gorgonians are dead or in danger. The water temperature is still 26 degrees in September, too hot for this speciesso marine biologists are worried.

“The living part is one centimeter per year, it takes a long time, it takes several years. Perhaps we will no longer see, for some of us, large forests of gorgonians”, confides Jean-Michel Cottalorda, marine biologist at the University of Nice Côte d’Azur Ecoseas. At Cap d’Antibes, scientists have also observed the impact of global warming on Posidonia meadows. Many bathers have noticed that the plants have turned yellow. But nothing to worry about.