The Blue Coast is home to iconic species, some of which are in decline. To counter this trend, these species are legally protected. Please feel free to send us your observations of protected species on our coasts by filling out our form.
Size
From 20 to 100 cm
Longevity
The posidonia leaf has a shelf life of 5 to 8 months.
Range
Endemic species found throughout the Mediterranean, except for the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, Egypt).
Identification criteria
Posidonia is a flowering perennial. Individuals are made up of brown woody rhizomes (thickness 1 to 2 cm) on which stand up rhizomes, ending in bundles of 4 to 8 green leafs with a ribbed leaf width of about 1 cm and a length of 20 to 100 cm. The rhizomes develop roots that anchor themselves in the underlying substrate.
Habitat
Sand and rock bottom. Its natural vertical distribution is 40 m maximum in the clearest waters. It does not tolerate brackish water: the salinity must be between 37 and 38 grams per litre. The Posidonia oceanica herbarium is a priority habitat and the key ecosystem of the Mediterranean coastal zone, playing an important ecological role. It has a very high ecological value and is a pole of biodiversity with 25% of the known species in the Mediterranean, and of great importance for exploited resources and artisanal fishing.
Lifestyle
The reproduction of posidonia is mainly carried out asexually by cuttings. Regarding sexual reproduction, the flowering which takes place between August and November, but not every year, is little visible, the green inflorescences being hidden among the long leaves. Four to ten hermaphrodite flowers are grouped in inflorescence at the end of a 10 to 30 cm peduncle. Fruits ("sea olives") that contain only one seed have the size and colour of olives, from dark green to brown or even black. They are green until they detach between May and July, when they float for 15 days before dropping their single seed. They run aground on the beach and brown. Depending on the currents, large amounts of fruit may be deposited on the beaches. They took 6 to 9 months to mature.
Threats
It is a protected species at the level of France, the European Union and UNESCO.
Status of protection
LC – Minor concern (IUCN code)
Corb (fish)
Size
On average 20 to 50 cm, can reach 75 cm exceptionally.
Weight
Can weigh up to 2kg
Longevity
The maximum known lifespan is 31 years (determined by otolithometrics, i.e., counting of growth streaks in otholites).
Range
Mediterranean to Black Sea; Atlantic from the Channel to Mauritania
Identification criteria
The common corb is characterized by a high body, a strongly curved back and a flat stomach. Its mouth is small, low and almost horizontal. The lower jaw (chin) without barbel never exceeds the upper jaw. Small teeth in broad bands are present on both jaws. The two yellowish dorsal fins are well developed, the first one has 10/11 rigid thorns while the second has only one followed by 23/26 soft rays. The lateral line extends to the posterior end of the tail, which is usually truncated in adults and pointed in juveniles. Juveniles have large fins relative to the body. The uniform dark brown (bronze) coloration of the body has metallic or golden reflections. The pelvic fins and anal are jet black, bordered white forward. The lower part of the caudal and the upper part of the 2nd dorsal are bordered in black.
Habitat
The corb lives in depths of 5 to 180 m, near rocky bottoms of type scree, slabs, caves or overhangs not far from a zone of posidonia herbier.
Lifestyle
Lives in small groups or pairs. This carnivorous lover of small fish, molluscs and crustaceans has a mainly nocturnal activity. The male emits growls by working on the muscles of his swim bladder to seduce the females and generally, to communicate with his congeners. The laying will be carried out in open water in May-June. It is a gonochoric species whose sexual maturity is reached around 3-4 years (25-30 cm). Spawns between May and August (FAO: March to August), with a maximum in May-June.
Threats
The species has been over-fished in the Mediterranean and the worrying decline of its populations led to a moratorium in 2014, prohibiting hook fishing and underwater hunting. This moratorium has been extended until 2023 on the French coast.
Status of protection
VU – Vulnerable (IUCN code)
Large mother of pearl (shell)
Size
It is a species that grows slowly: it takes almost 20 years for a large mother of pearl to measure the average size of 80 cm to 1 m, and only the oldest mother of pearl, about 40 years old, reaches the size of 1.20 m.
Longevity
Individuals over 45 have already been found. Lives 20 years on average.
Range
Endemic species of the Mediterranean (not present in the Black Sea).
Identification criteria
Triangular-shaped bivalve with a pointed end buried in the sediment (up to half of it) and a rounded posterior end. The outer faces of the valves are spiked with small spines in the shape of gutters that disappear in elderly individuals. They are lined with twenty ribs (small ribs, streaks) radiating. The inside of the valves is smooth, glossy, pearly, brownish in colour, the outside is brown. It is the largest bivalve mollusc in the Mediterranean (and one of the largest in the world with tropical molluscs).
Habitat
Sandy or sandy swamp, prairie of posidonia or eelgrass.
Lifestyle
The nacres are implanted in the sediment and inclined towards the current. They filter their food: living particles (plankton) or dead (organic matter). The nacres filter 6.5 litres of water per 24 hours. They have a slow metabolism compared to mussels (100 L/24h) or oysters (40 L/24h). The breeding season on our coasts runs from June to August.
Threats
Since 2016, an episode of mass mortality has affected the large Mediterranean pears. This mortality started on the Mediterranean coast of Spain where it reached 100% in some areas. A parasite – a protozoan of the genus Haplosporidium – found in the digestive gland of nacres is responsible for mortality. Little is known about the parasite except that its proliferation increases with the warming of water temperature (Source: OFB). Faced with this phenomenon, the French Agency for Biodiversity and the main actors (scientists, managers of marine protected areas, state services, public institutions...) have put in place a number of actions:
Status of protection
CR – Critically Endangered (IUCN Code)
Fin whale
Size
Its average height is 18 to 20 m for the northern hemisphere and 20 to 25 m for the southern hemisphere.
Longevity
The life span of the fin whale is approximately 80 to 90 years, but older individuals have been observed. The percentage of individuals dying each year from natural causes is about 4% in adults and 12% in young people.
Range
Fin whales are commonly found in temperate waters and all of the cold waters of the northern and southern hemispheres. It is less present in tropical areas. Fin whales are migratory species ranging from cold, foraging waters in the summer to warmer waters in the winter.
Identification criteria
The fin whale is the second largest mammal in the world after the blue whale. Its body is long and tapered, and has a hydrodynamic shape. The species is characterized by dissymmetry of coloration at the head: the lower right side is white, while the left side is dark. In some specimens, the right side of the upper jaw is light grey. The head seen from above is very slightly curved, V-shaped. It has a unique ridge that goes from the vents to the upper lip. The belly and the underside of the pectoral fins are white. Dorsal fin about 2-3% of total length, averaging 45-60 cm. Falciform or triangular, about 135° angle with the front of the back. It is located at three quarters of the back, close to the caudal. It is visible only when the whole head is submerged. The caudal fin is about 21% of the LT, or 4-5 m. Its dorsal face is dark grey, while the ventral face is whitish with a gray border on the trailing edge (rear edge of the caudal). The pectoral fins are 11 to 12% of the LT and the pectoral fins are a vertical wave motion of this fin.
Habitat
The fin whale is an oceanic species generally living in deep water, which can frequent the coasts of certain regions (such as the Azores, Corsica, the Gulf of St. Lawrence) or shallow areas to feed. It usually goes down between 100 and 200 m deep, depending on where its food is. The dive depth observed in the Mediterranean is on average 150 m, with a maximum of 470 m.
Lifestyle
Generally, whales swim alone or in pairs. They may gather in groups of a few dozen to several hundred individuals when food is abundant. The fin whale is a whale that is called “swallowtail”, because the feeding technique relies on the ability of the whale to swallow in a short time, by opening its mouth in a gaping manner, very large quantities of water (20 to 25 000 liters) and food then filter the water through its furs by closing its mouth and contracting the muscles peauciers. The diet is generally composed of krill (Euphausia superba, Meganyctiphanes norvegica) and fish such as herring, sardines, sand eel, capelin. A common whale of 22 metres and 62 tonnes must perform about 73 sealings to swallow the 2.2 tonnes of food that it needs every day. In the Mediterranean, fin whales generally feed at night. Sexual maturity is reached between 6 and 7 years in males and 8 to 9 years in females, at a height of about 18-19 m. Females are larger than males. Mating occurs year-round, but generally in the south between April and July and in the north from November to March. The gestation period is approximately 11 months. Births occur for the southern population between June and July, and for the northern population from December to January in warm waters. In the Mediterranean, the water temperature at birth is between 15 and 18°C. The baby at birth is 6.5 m tall and weighs 4 tonnes (7% of the mother’s weight). Breastfeeding lasts about 6-7 months. During this time, the baby takes in 72 litres of milk per day with 33% fat. It grows to 12 m tall and weighs about 15 tonnes. A strong social bond brings the baby closer to his mother. The time between two births is usually 2 to 3 years.
Threats
Since the 1970s, the fin whale has been protected in the oceans of the southern hemisphere and the northern Pacific. Commercial hunting of fin whales has been prohibited in the North Atlantic since 1986. There are specific permits for “scientific hunting, aboriginal hunting and commercial hunting” allowing certain countries such as Japan, Iceland, Denmark or Greenland to continue to hunt under quota. In Japan, a new annual programme for the harvest of 10 fin whales began in 2005. In 2006, Iceland resumed commercial hunting of fin whales. The annual catch quota that Iceland has set for itself between 2009 and 2013 is 150 animals. Denmark practices the aboriginal hunting each year and takes 19 fin whales (quotas per year from 2008 to 2012, a total of 95 fin whales). The 62nd meeting of the International Whaling Commission was held in Agadir on 21-25 June 2010, which should allow the recognition of the hunting practiced by member countries during the next 10 years with control and reduction of catches, But for the moment no agreement could emerge from these discussions.
Status of protection
VU – Vulnerable (IUCN code)
Loggerhead Turtle
Size
This turtle has a medium-sized shell of 92 cm (from 70 to 115 cm in the West Atlantic). Some individuals can be as tall as 1.20 m and weigh 200 kg.
Weight
On average 100 kg.
Longevity
The longevity of the loggerhead turtle is poorly known, it is several decades
Range
The loggerhead turtle lives in all temperate and tropical seas between 40° S and 60° N, at a constant distance from the coast (not in the middle of the oceans). It is found in Canadian waters off Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, where it is occasionally seen. Some sources even announce it north of Murmansk, and in Argentina south. It is the most common turtle in the Mediterranean (only a few green turtles, from 500 to 1000 adults, are recorded in Turkey and Cyprus). Major spawning sites are Florida, Colombia, Brazil and Mexico, Greece, South Africa and Madagascar, the Sultanate of Oman, Myanmar and eastern Japan, eastern Australia and New Caledonia. Other secondary sites are found in Central America, West Africa, the eastern Mediterranean and China.
Identification criteria
Females are heavier than males and have thicker bodies when they reach adulthood. The body of sea turtles is enclosed in a shell with two openings (one anterior, one posterior) allowing the head, limbs and tail to pass. This shell, longer than wide, is formed of bone plates (osteoderms*) covered with corny scales, thin and contiguous. It is sometimes described as heart-shaped (cordiform). The arrangement and number of scales characterizes a turtle species. The caouanne has 5 lateral plates and 5 vertebral plates, surrounded by about 25 marginal plates (peripheral). In addition, the neck plate above the neck is adjacent to the first rib plates (or lateral plates). It has no continuous hull. The colour of its back is orange-brown: the forequarter (on top of the shell) may have light spots. It is slightly bulged. Its fringes may be orange yellow and serrated at the back. The plastron (belly) is pale yellow, orange-spotted, smooth and composed of large plaques. On each side of the body, the junction between the flap and the plastron is called a “bridge”. A small cowpea is entirely dark brown or dark grey, with sometimes lighter legs. Each vertebral plate forms a visible point on its back. The caouanne has a large, broad head (up to 25 cm) entirely covered with fine scales surrounded by pale yellow, with 4 prefrontal scales between the eyes often with a 5th small plate in their center. Its neck is stocky, partially retractable and short: this “shortening” is an adaptation to marine life. His head is armed with a mighty horned beak. In the young, this beak ends in a point, the “diamond”, which allows them to break the shell of the egg at the time of hatching. The tip disappears after two weeks. The skeleton has a spine and the ribs are welded to the carapace. The nostrils, like the orbits, have a lateral orientation. Another adaptation to marine life, the legs flattened in swim pallets. The fore legs serve as propellers, the aft legs as rudders and stabilizers: this allows him to swim in high seas. Like the Crested Turtle, its legs are each armed with two large claws. They are also covered with scales which, as on the neck, sometimes go in shreds: it is a slight moult.
Lifestyle
The loggerhead turtle is carnivorous: it feeds on crustaceans, fish, molluscs and jellyfish. However, its food varies depending on whether it migrates in open water (jellyfish, squid, flying fish) or whether it stays near the coasts (bivalves, crabs, sea urchins, fish,...). The jaws of this turtle are toothless: they are replaced by sharp horny plates. The young feed on small animals found in the thick algae where they are staying. The sexes are separated. Males have only aquatic life. They have longer tails and larger claws than females. The male uses its claws to cling to the female’s case during mating. This one usually takes place in the open sea (and not near the spawning sites as for other turtles), usually on the surface, but sometimes in the water. The turtles are oviparous, the fertilized eggs develop in the uterus. Females lay eggs only every two or three seasons and then return to the land, where they dig a deep hole (about 50 cm) in the sand to lay the eggs. Everywhere, the laying takes place between spring and summer, at dusk or a little later, at rising tide. For example, in the eastern Mediterranean, spawning takes place between April and September on sandy beaches near the edge of high tide water. In the Caribbean, it is only from May to July. Females land four to seven times per season, about two weeks apart, laying 60 to 200 eggs each. They then abandon them. The fidelity to a single spawning beach is not as clear as in other sea turtles and locations can be 300 km apart.
Incubation lasts 45-65 days, during which time eggs can be eaten by all kinds of mammals and reptiles. Shells are round, calcareous and whitish. They are flexible enough not to break when they fall to the bottom of the nest. Diameter varies from 3 to 5 cm. The “neutral” temperature for determining the sex of embryos is 28-29°C in the West Atlantic (male below, female above). Incubation temperature can vary from 26 to 32°C. Generally, the young (about 55 mm) break their shells at night and head towards the sea; they have the same morphology as adults. They are very vulnerable, victims of many predators (varan, crab, rodent, fish, bird,...). They then drift into the open sea to reach feeding areas.
Threats
The loggerhead turtle is totally protected in France (decree of 17/07/1991) and is part of the ten species of Mediterranean protected. In Cyprus, the females laying eggs are protected and a pilot hatchery was installed in 1978. The spawning areas of Libya and the island of Zakynthos (Greece) are also protected.
Since 1982 and the Washington Convention, it is completely protected at a global level because it is part of Annex 1 (endangered) of the C.I.T.E.S. (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife and Flora). All sea turtles are listed in this appendix (absolute prohibition of capture, trade and detention); their future depends on international trade control. The loggerhead turtle is also protected by the Bonn Convention for migratory species.
Status of protection
VU – Vulnerable (IUCN code)
Red coral
Size
The colonies can reach 20 cm (exceptionally 50 cm) for an average growth of 1 to 8 mm per year. For a colony of 10 cm width, the branches can reach 40 mm in diameter. Well-lit colonies are often lush.
Longevity
Long life span, can reach more than 100 years. A 20-year old colony is only a few grams.
Range
More or less endemic species of the Mediterranean, it is located mainly in the western part. It has also been reported on the Atlantic coast between Portugal and Cape Verde. This species was found in the Mediterranean in the late Miocene, about 8 million years ago.
Identification criteria
This species is found as a rigid, arborescent colony with branches oriented in several irregular planes, cylindrical, relatively short and arranged on all sides of the branches. The coenenchyme is red, deep pink and exceptionally white, formed of calcium carbonate crystallized in calcite. It covers the fully mineralized axial skeleton. Anthocodiae are white in colour. The red colour is due to the presence of carotenoid pigments in the spicules and axial skeleton. On the surface, white polyps (5 mm) are observed which are very protruding and surmounted by a buccal disc surrounded by 8 tentacles with small extensions, with bilateral symmetry, poor in urticant cells.
Polyps can completely retract in a box: the chalice. Two types of polyps are distinguished, which share different functions:
Those who provide nutrition and reproduction.
Those reduced to contractile pores, which ensure the circulation of water in endodermal channels.
The central digestive cavity and pharynx are partitioned by symmetrical vertical membranes. On the other hand, the pharynx is partitioned by a ciliated gutter: the siphonoglyph that ensures the entry of water into the gastric cavity. It has particular polyps, reduced to pores through which water exchanges between the colony and the environment take place. Some water quality with clarity, agitation and temperature parameters (average: 15°C) is required to ensure viability of this species.
Habitat
This species is sessile. It is a benthic species that lives fixed on hard substrates. It colonizes bedrock easily exposed to light, usually on the vertical walls of coral biocenosis. This coral is found at shallow depths, on the ceiling of caves, when the brightness gradually decreases under rocky overhangs, in excavations or at the edge of crevasses, on gentle slopes. It can be found at 5 m depth nowadays, but it evolves more spontaneously by 30 or 40 m of depth, up to 100 m. It can grow up to 400 m deep.
Lifestyle
It is a passive filter. Food is taken by the tentacles of the current-fed polyps that filter water. The polyps of the colonies can capture planktonic prey through their crown of tentacles equipped with specialized cells: the cnidocytes, giving this species a status of carnivore. However, they can also feed on substances dissolved in seawater.
Reproduction is both sexual and asexual. Although we cannot differentiate them with the naked eye (we can only in the period of production of gametes, dissection), the sexes are separated: a colony is thus either female or male. The colony matures at around 2 years of age, when it is only a few centimetres tall. During the summer period, between June and August, male polyps in the colonies emit sperm in open water that will swim to meet female colony polyps, which are the place of fertilization and maturation of the larvae then formed. Each larva is expelled into the sea water between mid-July and early October depending on the depth. It will fall to come to attach itself to the substrate and metamorphose after about fifteen days. Each new colony will develop through asexual reproduction, through budding. The growth of a colony varies from 1 to 8 mm per year.
Threats
Red coral, like gorgonians, is one of the organisms most affected by environmental changes, including temperature changes. The life cycle characteristics of this key coralligen habitat species make it a highly vulnerable species. Red coral is not a protected species of the Mediterranean, which is very few in number, but a species whose fishing is regulated. It is listed in Annex III of the Berne Convention and in Annex III of the Barcelona Convention.
Status of protection
EN – Endangered (IUCN Code)
Brown Grouper
Size
Average 120 cm.
Weight
Up to 50 kg.
Longevity
The largest individuals can reach 50 years.
Range
Mediterranean, Atlantic, Indian Ocean.
Identification criteria
The shell-shaped silhouette is massive. Its colour varies widely from reddish brown to grey with lighter spots. The «human» character of which they are affixed also has to do with its large mouth hemmed in by big lips. The thorns of its unique dorsal fin are clearly visible. Dark, the fins of the grouper are underlined by a white border, as for the caudal part whose terminal is very rounded.
Habitat
This sedentary species lives near the coast on rocky bottoms with shelters, cavities, caves. It can be encountered up to 80 m deep in open water as well as on the bottom. Juveniles, on the other hand, meet near the coast.
Lifestyle
Sometimes solitary, it is also observed in groups of several individuals, especially in protected areas where its natural, curious and decent takes over. This carnivorous fish and crustacean lover also loves cephalopods such as octopus, cuttlefish and squid. At sunrise and sunset, it hunts on the lookout, surprising its prey. This species is hermaphrodite protogyne, that is to say female during the first years of its life (sexual maturity towards 4-5 years), the grouper becomes male when it reaches a size of about 60 cm. The reproduction takes place in summer, Period during which divers may observe gatherings. The males, dressed in a sublime silver livery, then engage in long nuptial parades. Fertilization takes place in open water at nightfall. The larvae are pelagic for 2 months and then the juveniles develop near the surface. As is often the case in fish, larvae and juveniles grow rapidly at first, then more slowly.
Threats
This beautiful, plump fish has almost disappeared from the Mediterranean (combined sampling and pollution). Now protected by a moratorium valid until 2023, this emblematic species is prohibited from any form of fishing except for professional fishermen’s nets. In addition, the grouper is located at the highest level of the food chain, which makes it an indicator of the ecological status of the environment and the resource.
Status of protection
EN – Endangered (IUCN code)
Great cicada
Size
Average 25 to 30 cm. Can reach 50 cm.
Longevity
From 3 to 4 years.
Range
From Portugal to the Gulf of Guinea, Mediterranean.
Identification criteria
The great cicada looks like a lobster from far, but the body is more stocky, flattened dorso-ventrally and the antennae are in the form of flat and segmented pallets. The shell is reddish brown, rough, grainy, bordered by violet at the antennae. The paws are without claws, except for the 5th pair in the female which uses it for the maintenance of the eggs that she carries under the abdomen.
Habitat
It lives from 3 to more than 100 m deep and loves caves, faults and the bottom of the isolated rock slabs in the posidonia. It is often found hanging under overhangs and the ceiling of cavities where it merges with the color of the substrate. Older adults, who only rarely shed their skin, may sometimes carry small algae or invertebrates (hydryres, bryozoans) attached to their shells, which further improves the quality of their camouflage. She’s more likely to go out at night.
Lifestyle
Cicadas feed on small invertebrates, usually molluscs: patellas, abalone, crepidules and crustaceans. They are occasionally necrophagous, and often get caught in the traps and nets where they have entered to devour bait and fish. The great cicadas breed from late spring. Sometimes there are congregations of several dozen individuals, which return each year in specific locations, sometimes at shallow depth, in caves, sheltered faults or in cavities of the coralligene. The female carries her eggs hanging under the abdominal segments until they hatch. The larvae then have a planktonic life whose duration is not well known. During this, they undergo several metamorphoses until the sub-adult stage where they will fall on the bottom.
Threats
The great cicada is now totally protected in France (order of 26 November 1992) and is subject to protection measures in Europe and most other Mediterranean countries (shown in Annex 3 of the Berne Convention and the Barcelona Convention).
Status of protection
SD - Lack of data (IUCN code)
Gannet
Size
Average wingspan of 1.70 m.
Longevity
His life expectancy is 21 years.
Range
Central and North America, Europe and North Africa.
Identification criteria
This bird is the largest that can ordinarily be observed in the waters of metropolitan France. Its yellow head, tapered body and long white wings with black tips give it a characteristic air that cannot be confused with another species. The male is slightly smaller than the female, but the difference is not noticeable to the eye. The young of the year have uniform dark brown plumage. The adult livery is acquired gradually over a four-year period.
Habitat
The sea-bird, the gannet meets in colonies on the islets or cliffs to ensure its reproduction.
Lifestyle
Living in sometimes highly developed colonies, each pair of gannets knows the location of the nest perfectly. They communicate by cries, in a vocal ensemble that appears to us as a true cacophony. This flock bird usually hunts in groups, so as to increase its chances. With a certain opportunism, it sometimes recovers the fish-boat rejects.
It is off the coast, in the waters of the continental shelf, that the Gannet Mad goes to feed. Thanks to its powerful musculature, this excellent sailboat is capable of long trips. Its piscivorous diet consists mainly of small fish, such as sardines, sand eels, capelin, mackerel or herring and cephalopods. To capture its prey in the shallow waters, it leans forward, folds its wings and dives in a dive, legs folded under the tail, from sometimes considerable heights. This mode of operation allows it to reach depths close to twenty meters, at a speed between 60 and 90 kilometers hour. Air pockets system cushioning the impact on contact with water. It is during the ascent to the surface, carried out with the help of its powerful palmate paws, that he catches his meal. It is also able to shave off the waves, marrying the ripples of the water and taking in the passage the prey spotted.
The breeding range of this oceanic bird is essentially limited to the North Atlantic and the North Sea. Although there are no more than six colonies in North America, the Gaspé Peninsula has the largest number of settlements. In 2008, 32,000 couples were registered on the island of Bonaventure (approximately 120,000 fools). For some years, a couple of Morus bassanus has settled on the Côte Bleue, in Carry-le-Rouet and breeds regularly there. This is the only example officially recorded for the Mediterranean. This case is in stark contrast with the species' breeding habits, which are usually confined to colonies. There is no other colony in the Mediterranean, but some couples try vainly (except Carry) to settle in various ports: Sausset, Bandol, Pointe Rouge, Mandelieu... The large nest consists of driftwood as well as the most diverse debris floating on the sea surface, associated with guano (if chicks or adults die in the ropes, this type of mortality remains quite limited). The clutch is spread between late February and late June while the brood mobilizes parental energy for six weeks. Except in special cases, a single egg, a single chick. It is at the age of three months that we can witness the flight of juveniles. Mortality is high due to their inexperience. In October, the colonies are deserted until the next mating season, which begins with a courtship parade. The couple returns to the same nest several years in a row. These birds become sexually mature at age four.
Threats
The Gannet population has been decimated by excessive harvesting of eggs and hunting. The widespread deterioration of their habitat, which is a neighbour to major shipping routes in Europe, has also contributed to its disappearance, not to mention the losses caused by oil spills and wild degassing. The small number of colonies makes the species fragile. Fortunately, measures have allowed its preservation and even allow the densification of some colonies. At present, the number of employees is relatively stable. However, the pressure on natural resources from overfishing does not bode well for the future. Morus bassanus is now listed as a protected species in Annex III of the Berne Convention. French regulations, since 1962, prohibit any destruction or collection of eggs, the destruction of nests, capture, mutilation and naturalization of this bird, living or dead. Sale, purchase, trading, transport are also strictly prohibited.
