Five sponge species of high commercial value constitute the sponge stocks harvested in the Aegean Sea. These species have been recognized as a marine resource of substantial importance. Today, as a result of both the absence of an effective management plan and an epidemic disease incident in the Mediterranean, these stocks face a dramatic reduction, resulting to the decline of sponge fisheries as an economic branch. The ongoing project aims at the effective management of this biological resource in a sustainable approach, through 3 axes: a. identification and assessment of commercial sponge populations in the Greek seas b. study of the ecology of commercial sponge species c. development of novel methods for sponge culture
