Inventory and mapping of habitats and fisheries footprint off “Amanay” and “El Banquete” seamounts (Southern Fuerteventura, Canary Islands). Criteria analysis for the marine protected area establishment | Inventario y cartografía de los hábitats y de la huella pesquera de los montes submarinos “Amanay” y “El Banquete” (Sur de Fuerteventura, Islas Canarias). Análisis de criterios para la designación del área marina protegida

Sur de Fuerteventura is one of the areas chosen to be depicted in the frame of INDEMARES project. The midpoint of the study area is located at 25 km from Fuerteventura and 65 km from Gran Canaria. The main aim of the project was to end up with an inventory and mapping of habitats and fisheries footprint off the study area, information which would let the administrations to establish a new Natura 2000 area, trying to reconcile protection of biodiversity with artisanal local economic activities. Methodology approach complies with a multidisciplinary perspective, having described the area from geological, oceanographic, biological and fisheries points of view. Several surveys have taken place since 2009 to 2013 at Amanay and El Banquete waters. Data from VMS (Vessel Monitoring System) were used, combined with interviews to users (fishers), sampling at landing points and onboard observation programs, to describe the fishery uses in the area. Thirteen different types of communities have been identified as “Habitat 1170, Reefs”, following Annex 1 from Habitats Directive (Council Directive 92/43/CEE) from European Union. All of them have three dimensional structure and species with certain size turning these areas into important containers of biodiversity and hot spots for shelter. About protected species by Habitats Directive, Centrostephanus longispinus (Philippi, 1845) belongs to Annex IV. Chilomycterus reticulatus (Linnaeus, 1758) is included in the Canary Islands Catalog of Protected Species as a vulnerable species. Within the Red List of Threatened Species of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, we can find several fishes as endangered species, Squatina squatina (Linnaeus, 1758) as critically endangered, while in the area can also be found several vulnerable species, special importance have several elasmobranchs species. Subsequent studies about deep water white corals Lophelia pertusa (Linnaeus, 1758) and Madrepora oculata Linnaeus, 1758, present in the study area, could conclude with these species inclusion in the list. Fishery activities identified during this study don’t interact with the bottom (tuna fishing with pole lines and surface longlines for sworfish), or as the most frequent activity, artisanal hook and line local fisheries, has very little impact on the bottom (arose from anchoring). Ecological assessment results from values assigned to different community or species features or parameters, not always in a quantitative manner, depending on their diverse nature. To use a totally aseptic quantitative index is impossible; therefore, an often used tool is to resort to an expert panel (group of experts) which members individually assign a value to each of the assessed parameters. This solution absorbs bias produced by individual criteria. We established three value levels (low, medium and high) for each of the twelve parameters used. After all we end up with a map of an ecological assessment index (EAI) which is simple and weighs every parameter equally. Higher EAI is assigned to bathial rocky bottoms with anthipatarians, closely followed by Corallium spp deep water coral reefs and circalittoral rocky bottoms with Antipathella wollastoni (Gray, 1857). Bathial rocky bottoms with Callogorgia verticillata (Pallas, 1766) and circalittoral rocky bottoms with calcareous algae concretions and leafy algae have a mid-high EAI. We find good collective action preconditions, which explain the capacity of human communities to design, implement and enforce designed institutions to resources management and protection. Strong ishermen organizations, leadership among effective users and experience in conservation initiatives and an a priori willing attitude are present. A proper step-zero at Sur de Fuerteventura marine protected area will be provided by sharing available scientific information with users, public report and open and full consultation about the protection possibilities, giving time to assimilation, involving local stakeholders, and finding coordination among institutions and security bodies to ensure protection measures enforcement.