The Formigas Islets and Dollabarat Reef (known collectively as the Formigas Bank) are a remote group of shallow reefs in the southeastern part of the Azores in an area subject to strong currents and frequent large swells. This site is an inhabited offshore seamount.

No sewage disposed of.

Although no official records of the tourist activities are available we can estimate that an average number of 100 tourists per year are spear-fishing in the area. This can represent an annual catch of 1 ton. of coastal and pelagic fishes, as well as few kilos of limpets (Patella spp.) and mediterranean slipper lobster (Scyllarides latus). Recreational scuba diving is an occasional activity performed by boats navigating from the neighbouring islands. This however, can only be done when weather and sea conditions are good and all dives must be carefully prepared in order to avoid the frequently strong oceanic currents that characterize the site.

This site is an offshore seamount where atypical natural stressors are unlike to occur.

At present time there is no data to support that this site is a pristine one. However, as it was said above atypical natural stressors are unlike to occur in an offshore seamount like the Formigas Bank.

The only intertidal area is the narrow zone around the Formigas Islets, which is very exposed to wave action. Species found here include the Sally lightfoot crab (Grapsus grapsus) the rockpool blenny (Parablennius parvicornis) and the barnacle (Chthamalus stellatus).

The shallow sublittoral zone of the reefs from the surface to around 40m is predominantly an area of moderately irregular bedrock interspersed by some cracks and crevices, which may be several metres deep with overhangs providing microhabitats for a variety of species. These are colonised by bryozoans, sponges and several species of fleshy red algae (still to be identified) as well providing shelter for fish species such as the dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus). The large numbers of Anthipates from depths of around 15m are also particularly noticeable on the east side of the Dollabarat Reef.

Around the Formigas Islets the bedrock grades into an area of sand with rocky outcrops at a depth of around 50m and beyond. Sand samples collected at around this depth contain a great deal of biogenic material such as fragments of sea urchin spines and tests, shells and calcareous algae. The deepest extent of the sandy areas is not known at the present time. The rock surfaces are carpeted by a luxuriant growth of Cystoseira spp. which covers most of the horizontal bedrock until 20m deep. Vertical faces below 15m have large colonies of the black coral (Antipathes wollastoni) and laminarians (Laminaria ochroleuca) are known to occur in areas of more than 30 m deep.

The benthic fish communities recorded from the Islets include the European parrotfish (Sparisoma cretense), seachub (Kyphosus spp.), and occasional reports of common bream (Pagrus pagrus) in deeper water. There are also large numbers of Atlantic chromis (Chromis limbata).

The rocky seabed around Dollabarat is also comprised of irregular bedrock with both horizontal and vertical faces and deep crevices. The most striking difference with Formigas is the greater habitat diversity and algal cover which supports an abundance of species that use it for feeding, sheltering, or nesting like some labrids such as Centrolabrus caeruleus. It has a dense and almost complete cover of Cystoseira spp. on the upper surfaces interspersed with other algae such as Ulva lactuca and a fleshy red algae. The fronds of the Cystoseira are generally 20-30cm long (although some up to 1m long have also been recorded) and provide shelter for large numbers of fish such as juvenile ornate wrasse (Thalassoma pavo), emerald wrasse (Centrolabrus caeruleus) and juvenile dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus). The deep crevices, which are common, provide a habitat for many benthic species such as locust lobster (Scyllarides latus), conger eel (Conger conger), moray eel (Muraena spp.), and larger forkbeard (Phycis phycis), and the vertical faces are colonised by sponges, cup corals and jewel anemones. The algal beds start to thin out below 30m and are replaced by coralline crusts. Large colonies of the black coral occur on the vertical faces of the bedrock in these deeper areas. In a few cases the shallow bedrock is also covered by coralline crusts rather than Cystoseira spp. and supports a very high density of sea urchins (Paracentrotus lividus and Arbacia lixula). The extent of these areas compared to the sections which support a huge biomass of Cystoseira is apparently small but further information is needed to confirm this as well as the evolution these patches will show.

The pelagic communities are particularly rich on and around the reefs, with large numbers of jacks (Seriola rivoliana and Seriola dumerili), striped barracuda (Sphyraena viridensis), Atlantic bonito (Sarda sarda) and grey triggerfish (Balistes carolinensis), as well as smaller species that make up the basis of the food web, like boarfish (Capros aper) and snipefish (Macroramphosus scolopax). Large oceanic predators like manta rays (Manta birostris), sicklefin mobulas (Mobula tarapacana), Galapagos sharks (Carcharinus galapagensis) and the shortfin mako (Isurus oxirhyncus) are also often registered in the area. Large individuals of demersal species such as seachub (Kyphosus sp.), comb grouper (Mycteroperca fusca), black-tail comber (Serranus atricauda) also occurs frequently. Among the seachubs, it is worth mentioning the regular occurrence of xanthic individuals in the schools, an interesting indicator of intraspecific diversity.

The shallowest areas of the reefs, with their dense and tall cover of Cystoseira spp., high abundance and diversity of pelagic species, which form large schools and have large individuals, are believed to be unique in the Azores. No similar Cystoseira stands have been recorded elsewhere in the islands and they are believed to be the marine biotope with the highest plant biomass in the Archipelago. Likewise this is the only site in the Azores where laminarians are known to occur (Neto, 1994 and A. Neto, com. pess.).

This site includes all the typical habitats of an offshore bank, plus the unique shallow water cystoseira bed and a small intertidal platform with rockpools and crevices. Obviously, some of the typical coastal habitats are missing: caves and sheltered bays.

The commercial fish species of the Formigas Bank are the best known component of the marine fauna. The benthic communities have not been studied in any detail but work is now underway to describe and map the main marine biotopes and compile more comprehensive species lists for the marine fauna and flora together with abundance estimates.

Several internal reports and publications of DOP/UAç, mainly related with assessment of inshore resources.

For at least two decades, several authors have advocated for the protection of Formigas Bank: Saldanha (1984), Martins & Santos (1991), Santos et al. (1990), Santos (1992), Gubbay (1995) and Santos et al. (1995).

Regional: A Nature Reserve was declared on the reefs in 1988 (see DLR no. 11/88/A of 4th April with DLR no. 8/90/A of 17th May), comprising an area limited by a 5 nm radius from the lighthouse on the Formigas Islets (37° 16’ 12" N; 24° 46’ 48" W) and a 5 nm radius from the shallowest point of the Dollabarat Reef (37° 14’ 00" N; 24° 43’ 50" W). The habitats encompassed by this protected area range from the emerged area of the Formigas Islets to depths of more than -1700m in places.

The justification for this designation was based on (1) the remarkable importance of the site as a breeding and nursery ground for many marine species and (2) the social and scientific interest of the area. Given these interests it was considered that the protection of the area was a necessary and urgent measure to safeguard it from the depletion that its resources had been suffering and to initiate a proper planning of the exploitative activities that envisages the rational utilization of the area.

European: Following the implementation of the Habitats Directive to the Azores, a fraction of the Reserve was designated a Site of Conservation Importance (Natura 2000 network). The SCI, which covers an area of 3628 ha, extends only to the 200m depth contour and has been put forward for its reefs. The species interests specific to the Habitats Directive are bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) although it has been recognized that there is limited information on the occurrence of these species at the present time.

National: as the Macaronesia list of SCIs is published by the EU, the Portuguese law "DL no.140/99" automatically protects the area.

Weather conditions can limit de access to the area. The summer is by far the best season to work in the site, while during the autumn and winter the site can be considered not accessible.

The neighbouring islands of Santa Maria (20 nm to SW) and São Miguel (34 nm to NW) can serve as operational bases.

European Union LIFE-Nature research project "Integrated management of coastal and marine zones in the Azores"; 276,651,277 PTE = 1,379,931 Euros.

Ricardo Serrão Santos; coordinator; 10%

Fernando Tempera; management plans for the site; 30%

Pedro Afonso, Telmo Morato, Jorge Fonte, Frederico Cardigos; fish and benthic communities.

The Formigas Islets and Dollabarat Reef (known collectively as the Formigas Bank) are a remote group of shallow reefs in the southeastern part of the Azores in an area subject to strong currents and frequent large swells. The nearest islands are Santa Maria, which lies 20 miles to the southwest, and São Miguel, which is approximately 33 miles northwest of the reefs. The Formigas Islets break the surface forming a linear group of rocky outcrops with a lighthouse on the highest point, which is at around the high water mark. The Dollabarat Reef is completely submerged but the shallowest area is only around 3m deep so oceanic waves frequently break on its top. In calm seas, it is possible to go ashore on the Formigas Islets, using low draught boats and landing the people on a small concrete wall located on the west side of Formigas just below the lighthouse. Around the Islets the seabed drops steeply to a depth of 50-70m on both sides and more gently at the northern and southern ends. The gradient is less marked around the Dollabarat Reef, which is also larger and more heterogeneous but nevertheless shows a steep profile.

The low lying and small area of exposed rock of the Formigas Islets and the submerged reefs of the Dollabarat are uninhabitable. The locality is also known to be the site of shipwrecks since the 16th century and could therefore be of archaeological importance but little is known about this aspect at the present time.

The extraordinary clarity of the mid-ocean waters characteristic of this site enhances even further the exuberance of these communities and the beauty of the seabed, rendering a splendid seascape. The Formigas Bank is a good example of the remarkable ecological importance that seamounts have in the Azores, as feeding grounds and possibly fish spawning and nursery areas for many marine species. The site seems a good example of these functions, as is suggested by the groups of small cetaceans (including bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus, common dolphins Delphinus delphis, spotted dolphins Stenella frontalis and pilot whales Globicephala sp.) and captures of turtles for tagging (mainly loggerheads Caretta caretta) that have been recorded in the area.

This area is representative of a warm temperate/sub-tropical oceanic rocky reef habitat. Globally, more than 125 species (among algae, invertebrates, fish, cetaceans and birds) were already identified for the area.