Ph. D. Student
Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
Sicily Marine Centre
Dipartimento Ecologia Marina Integrata (EMI)
Villa Pace - C.da Porticatello 29, 98167 Messina – Italia
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e del Mare, Università degli Studi di Palermo
Tel.: +39 3468261579
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Contatto Skype: live:emanuele.asciutto
Ph.D. Coordinator: dott. Gianluca Sarà
Internal Supervisor: dott. Pietro Battaglia
External Supervisor: dott. Emanuela Fanella
Program: National Biodiversity Future Center - Università di Palermo, Dottorato di Interesse Nazionale (DIN) in Biodiversity, XXXIX ciclo
Research interests
My research interests are mainly focused on the taxonomy of fish species, their biology and ecology, ranging from the neritic to the mesopelagic domain. During my activities, I have been exposed to different realities by analysing stranded deep-sea fauna samples and specimens from MEDITS (Mediterranean International Trawl Survey) and 3Golfi project campaigns, collaborating in species identification, morphometric and weight measurements, autopsy analysis of gonads and collection of stomachs and otoliths.
In addition, my scientific interests include the study of fisheries resources, fishing activities, and, in particular, recreational fishing. Although this is one of the most popular activities on the coasts of several countries, it is still under-researched compared to its commercial counterpart. Studying the impact (but also the potential) of recreational fishing is of great interest in a dynamic and complex system such as the marine system.
As part of my research, I am currently conducting a PhD project that aims to investigate the role of seamounts in maintaining mesopelagic biodiversity and the associated trophic network.
These underwater structures can be attractive to various fish species, including commercially important pelagic top predators (tuna and swordfish) that use these areas as feeding grounds. The research therefore also focuses on the implications for fisheries and the assessment of management plans and conservation issues.
Selected Publications
• Asciutto, E., Maioli, F., Manfredi, C., Anibaldi, A., Cimini, J., Isailović, I., et al. (2024). Spatio-temporal patterns of whiting (Merlangius merlangus) in the Adriatic Sea under environmental forcing. PloS one 19, e0289999. (DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289999)
• Grech, D., Asciutto, E., Bakiu, R., Battaglia, P., Ben-Grira, C., Yazilan Camlik, O., et al. (2023). New records of rarely reported species in the Mediterranean Sea (July 2023). Mediterranean Marine Science 24, 392–418. (DOI: 10.12681/mms.30401)
• Longo, F., Malara, D., Asciutto, E., and Battaglia, P. (2023). Growth of the Mesopelagic Fish Vinciguerria attenuata (Cocco, 1838) in the Strait of Messina (Central Mediterranean Sea). Journal of Marine Science and Engineering 11, 1055.(DOI: 10.3390/jmse11051055)
