Spatial database model of ichthyofauna bioindicators of coastal environmental quality

In the past decades the Catalonian coastal area (Mediterranean Sea) has been subject to an intense human pressure due to the high concentration of activities and settlements. Although some of the impacts are evident others are not, or have not been studied in detail in this region. In the present study we evaluate the environmental quality of the coastal/marine area through the coastal ichthyofauna diversity and distribution. We attempt to assess the potential influence of such activities on fish species identified as state indicators. This was done by identifying a number of land-originated indicators of pressure and relating them with their impact on fish. Special interest was paid to rare and special concern species that occur on Catalonian littoral waters. We developed a spatial system that is based on a georelational database model and implemented on a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. The GIS final application provides database maintenance, analysis and visualization capabilities to the information system. The data model has three areas: biodiversity, physico-chemical environment and pressure/impact descriptors. The biodiversity area is based on species presence/absence occurrences and related to their ecological and conservation attributes. The physico-chemical area is based on marin