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Seamounts are prominent volcanic seafloor features whose morphology affects many ocean processes, sustaining deep-sea communities and providing many ecosystem functions and services. Their study contributes to the understanding of many geological, oceanographic, biological, and ecological processes. Despite their acknowledged vulnerability to human activities and climate change, the recovery time and ecological implications need to be properly understood. Moreover, only recently conservation measures have been considered. In this study, a bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature related to seamounts and their conservation was conducted. The analysis allowed for the generation of network maps displaying the relationships among keywords and countries. A total of 8019 articles were found regarding seamounts, 332 of which were related to their conservation. The results show that the main research fields concerned with seamounts are geology, seismology, geochemistry, oceanography, and biodiversity, whereas those regarding their conservation are corals, marine protected areas, benthos, community structure, fisheries, and management measures. Scientific papers about seamounts were published by 191 authors across 50 countries, while 19 authors across 25 countries published about their conservation. This study highlights the necessity to expand scientific knowledge on seamounts, especially regarding their ecological processes, to provide useful data for the successful management and conservation of these still mostly unexplored habitats.

Coralligenous structuring species (CSS) form a group of marine megabenthic species with an engineering capacity. Since they are highly vulnerable to anthropogenic activities, they have been selected for the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) monitoring programs. The pressure and impact of fishing gear and marine litter on these species were evaluated through the image analysis of 54 remotely operated vehicle (ROV) routes along the Campania coasts (Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy). CSS density was calculated as the number of colonies/100 m2. Anthropogenic pressure was estimated as the frequency of frames showing longline, nets, other gear, plastic objects, metal objects, and other litter; while the impact was expressed as the frequency showing necrosis/epibiosis, broken/upturned and covered/entangled colonies. Cnidaria dominate in the Napoli, Campanella and Capri areas, while Bryozoa dominate in Cilento N and Cilento S areas. Campanella and Capri appeared to be the least heterogeneous despite their higher CSS densities, which was possibly related to the dominance of a few species. These areas were the most affected by showing the highest numbers of fishing gear (longlines) and marine litter (metal objects) recorded, amongst which longlines are the most abundant. In addition, these fishing areas are either close to a large urban center or located along popular touristic routes. In all the areas, colonies with necrosis/epibiosis (CNE) impact are present with low-moderate values, while the category gears covering/entangling (GCE) impact prevails in the Campanella and Capri areas, and this is strictly connected to the high presence of fishing gear.