1. Seamounts host some of the most important deep‐sea ecosystems. The unique environmental characteristics of seamounts sustain rich biological hot spots, which, in recent times, have suffered the effects of intense fishing pressure.
2. Biodiversity and vulnerability data are extremely scarce for Mediterranean seamounts, and this, in addition to the complex socio‐economic and juridical status of offshore sites, results in difficulty in identifying the best management strategies.
3. An extensive remotely operated vehicle (ROV) survey was used to characterize the megabenthic assemblages of the summits of two upper bathyal seamounts, Ulisse and Penelope (Ligurian Sea, north‐west Mediterranean Sea). The biogeographic implications of these findings and the possible environmental factors favouring the occurrence of these communities are discussed.
4. High densities of abandoned, lost, or otherwise discarded fishing gear (mainly longlines) and a reduction in the average size of the fragile and slow‐growing habitat‐forming gorgonian Callogorgia verticillata indicate the occurrence of high levels of anthropogenic impacts on the summit regions, which are fishing grounds for artisanal and recreational fishers.
5. The recovery of fishing data describing the first catches in the 1970s proved to be useful in inferring the short‐ and long‐term effects of fishing practices in these previously unexploited offshore areas. In particular, the local extinction of demersal top predators, subjected to exceptional catches nearly 50 years ago, highlights the slow recovery rate of such species.
6. Criteria defining vulnerability are discussed for the two study areas, and specific conservation actions, including the creation of regulated protected areas, are proposed.

中文翻译：

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两个地中海深海海山的高度生物多样性和脆弱性支持建立离岸保护区的需要

1. 海山拥有一些最重要的深海生态系统。海山的独特环境特征维持着丰富的生物热点，近来，这些热点遭受了巨大的捕鱼压力的影响。
2. 地中海海山的生物多样性和脆弱性数据极为匮乏，除了海上工地的复杂社会经济和司法地位外，这还导致难以确定最佳管理策略。
3. 一项广泛的遥控车辆（ROV）调查被用来描述两个上层海底海山峰乌里塞和佩内洛普（利古里亚海，西北地中海）的巨型底栖动物组合的特征。讨论了这些发现的生物地理意义以及有利于这些社区发生的可能的环境因素。
4. 高密度的遗弃，丢失或以其他方式丢弃的渔具（主要是延绳钓）以及脆弱且生长缓慢的栖息地形成的古龙虾（Callogorgia verticillata）的平均大小减小，表明在顶峰地区发生了高水平的人为影响，这是手工和休闲渔民的钓鱼场。
5. 事实证明，恢复描述1970年代第一批渔获量的捕鱼数据有助于推断这些以前未开发的近海地区捕鱼活动的短期和长期影响。特别是，近50年前，遭受沉重捕捞的海底捕食者在当地的灭绝，突显了这类物种的恢复速度缓慢。
6. 讨论了确定两个研究区脆弱性的标准，并提出了具体的保护措施，包括建立受监管的保护区。