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The Mediterranean Sea contains many endemic species and is biologically distinct from the nearby Atlantic Ocean. Swim in the Mediterranean Sea and you’ll discover a rich diversity of plants and animals, as well as a variety of habitats. Closely examine a rocky reef, and you’ll find all sorts of plants and animals attached to the rocks and many animals swimming among them. Glide among the grass blades in a sea grass meadow to glimpse species that depend on this unique habitat. And brave the cold in upwelling zones, areas where cold, deep water rises to the surface, bringing with it nutrients that help plants grow and thereby support a wide array of animals.
Sea grass meadows provide rich habitat—especially as breeding, feeding, and nesting areas for fish, crustaceans, and marine turtles. These meadows produce more than 80 percent of the annual yield of fish in the Mediterranean, stabilize shores, and provide oxygen to the water. The Ligurian Sea is one of the upwelling areas that bring nutrient-rich water to the surface and shores of the Mediterranean. Endangered Mediterranean monk seals swim among the rocky reef ecosystems here and clamber onto shore to rest and breed. The waters are rich with Mediterranean mussels and fish such as mullet, gilthead sea bream, and sea bass. Fin whales, harbor porpoises, and several species of dolphin move swiftly through the sea, followed more slowly by leatherback, loggerhead, and green turtles. Great flamingoes color the sky and feed in marshy areas.
Coastal development, intensive tourism, and land reclamation for agriculture place pressures on key wildlife habitats in the Mediterranean. Local and regional pollution problems related to oil transportation, refineries, and agricultural runoff are beginning to have an impact on wildlife, and the pollution threatens human populations as well as fisheries. The dumping of untreated sewage increases the risk of disease and is a major public health issue. Overfishing is an additional problem.
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