ITALY: Rare giant mussels rescued around the Costa Concordia wreck

Record ID: 625747

  • Title: ITALY: Rare giant mussels rescued around the Costa Concordia wreck
  • Date: 31st October 2012
  • Summary: ROME, ITALY (OCTOBER 31, 2012) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) ANDREA BELLUSCIO, MARINE BIOLOGIST IN CHARGE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING OF COSTA CONCORDIA REMOVAL WORKS, SAYING: "First we monitored them, we counted them, checked their population and measured them. Then we took them one by one, delicately removing them from the seabed, as delicately as possible since the tip is their most vulnerable part, then, never taking them out of the water, we moved to a safe place nearby, somewhere that no works are expected to take place but which is protected and not accessible to everyone, and there they have been parked in a field. We'll leave them there until the ship is removed. Our idea, once the ship is removed, is to place them back in their original habitat."
  • Embargoed: 15th November 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: Disasters,Environment / Natural World
  • Reuters ID: LVAEIA4KFA5SDSH1I7R9UYUCC6RJ
  • Story Text: On the surface, salvage workers are still extracting the cruise Costa Concordia, which ran aground off Italy in January.
    Below the surface, scientists working at the site say the ship recently unveiled something unexpected.
    Rare giant mussels were discovered after plants lying in the shade of the capsized ship died.
    Scientists are now working to remove more than 200 specimens to protect them from planned removal works.
    The giant mussels, of the Pinna Nobilis species, used to be common in the Mediterranean but their population has shrunk in the last decade due to over-hunting and environmental changes.
    A team monitoring the environmental impact of the Concordia wreck removal process found the mussels by chance.
    "We found the Pinna Nobilis around the ship totally by chance. We were mapping out a stretch of Neptune Grass, assessing the extent of the damage caused by the Concordia accident, and in an area where Neptune Grass has died due to the shade cast by the wreck a large number of these animals, about two hundred of them, came to light," said marine biologist Andrea Belluscio, who is in charge of the team monitoring the environmental impact of the wreck removal process.
    "They were found in an area where they are at risk, since this area will be involved in the works to remove the wreck. So had we left them there, they would have been destroyed," Belluscio said.
    The removal of the ship will take over one year and will require an underwater platform to be built so the hulk of the ship can be lifted out of the water.
    By moving the mussels will put them out of the path of construction.
    As part of the Costa Concordia salvage project, the seabed will be cleaned of debris and measures will be taken to allow marine life to flourish again after the ship has been towed away, the companies carrying out the work have said.
    "First we monitored them, we counted them, checked their population and measured them. Then we took them one by one, delicately removing them from the seabed, as delicately as possible since the tip is their most vulnerable part, then, never taking them out of the water, we moved to a safe place nearby, somewhere that no works are expected to take to place but which is protected and not accessible to everyone, and there they have been parked in a field. We'll leave them there until the ship is removed. Our idea, once the ship is removed, is to place them back in their original habitat," Belluscio said.
    The Pinna Nobilis tend to live at the depth of 20 metres (65 feet) and can grow nearly a metre (three feet) long.
    According to Belluscio's estimations some of the mussels found by his team, from Rome's La Sapienza University, were up to 15-20 years old.
    "They were in very good health. This tells us that the marine environment is in a good condition. Monitoring them in time, and monitoring the ones that have remained nearer the ship we will also be able to keep monitoring the shipwreck's impact on the environment," Belluscio said.
    The Giglio island is a renowned diving site and the surrounding archipelago is home to more than 700 botanical and animal species, including turtles, dolphins and seals.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Audio restrictions: This clip's Audio includes copyrighted material. User is responsible for obtaining additional clearances before publishing the audio contained in this clip.
Register