Affiliation: University of Palermo

Dr. Marco Milazzo is Professor of Ecology and Head of the Marine Ecology and Conservation Laboratory at the University of Palermo (Italy). He conducts research on fish ecology and conservation, with a focus on the effects of marine protected areas and anthropogenic activities, and a look at environmental change in shallow ecosystems. He combines underwater visual censuses, diver-operated and baited remotely operated underwater video systems, line-mounted cameras, eDNA and fishery landing techniques to achieve his research goals. In recent years, Marco and his fantastic collaborators have pioneered the study of two seasonal aggregations of sandbar sharks and common eagle rays in southern Italy, as well as contributing to achieving conservation and management gains by assessing the interactions of underwater tourism activities, small-scale and pelagic fisheries, with aggregations of endangered elasmobranchs and other megafauna in the Mediterranean region.