In situ rare long term observations of the dogtooth grouper Epinephelus Caninus in artificial reefs recently immersed in the National Park of the Calanques (north-western Mediterranean sea, France) Matthieu Lapinski SEABOOST, France Martin Perrot SEABOOST, France Julien Dalle SEABOOST, France Antonin Guilbert Andromède Océanologie, France Florian Holon Andromède Océanologie, France Pierre Boissery Agence de l'eau Rhône Méditerranée Corse, France Etienne Clamagirand Philippe Thievent Nicolas Chardin Marc Bouchoucha LERPAC, France This is a section of Ninth International Symposium “Monitoring of Mediterranean Coastal Areas: Problems and Measurement Techniques”(DOI: 10.36253/979-12-215-0030-1) by Laura Bonora, Donatella Carboni, Matteo De Vincenzi, Giorgio Matteucci Firenze University Press Firenze 2022 https://doi.org/10.36253/979-12-215-0030-1.65

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On 2017, artificial reefs (ARs) targeting apex rocky species such as groupers were immersed in the National Park of the Calanques as part of an experimental ecological restoration project (REXCOR). The objective of the project is to evaluate the capacity of innovative designs of ARs to restore altered ecological functions impacted by the sewage outflow of the city of Marseilles. In 2018, one specimen of the dogtooth grouper, Epinephelus caninus, was observed during 7 months inside the ARs. Such a long-term site fidelity suggets that this urban area can shelter again high trophic level species.

 Ecological restoration Epinephelus caninus Artificial reef

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