Encrusting gorgonian

Photo: Erica Callegaro · © all rights reserved

The yellow gorgonian Eunicella cavolini is one of the first colonisers of hard artificial substrate in the Mediterranean, and the Secchia's century of immersion has allowed mature colonies to establish across almost every surface. These fan-shaped colonies filter zooplankton and serve as nursery habitat for juvenile fish and invertebrates. The sheer density of gorgonians on the Secchia makes it one of the best examples in Sicily of how a shipwreck can function as an artificial reef, increasing local biomass beyond what the surrounding sandy plain would otherwise support.