Another scientific publication in the context of the project Is it Alien to You?…Share it!!!

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Many times in the context of Is it Alien to You?…Share it!!! citizen scientists send us their observations of species that are not alien but rare. Yesterday we published a paper that contributes 25 new records of five data-limited species in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. More specifically the species are:

Alectis alexandrina
Ranzania laevis
Dalatias licha
Lophotus lacepede
Sudis hyalina

This study reveals that the contribution of citizen-science accounts for 58.5% of the total number of published records of the species during the last decade in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. This signifies the importance of citizen-science both for scientific and public awareness. We warmly thank all the citizen scientists for sending us their reports!

Find the publication here.

 

MARINE ECOMED #3 Project Meeting

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In the context of MARINE ECOMED Project, the 3rd meeting was conducted on 27 January in IUAV.

The content and details on the upcoming Long Distance Courses and the Intensive Study Course that will be held in Thessaloniki (Greece) were discussed by the partners of the project.

The MARINE_ECOMED Project is framed to promote research and cooperation within the Mediterranean region in the field of sustainable management of marine and coastal areas, innovative communication and education strategies to support its implementation.

The Project enhances the integration of professional experiences and approaches in sustainable management of marine and coastal areas from non-governmental organizations and academic institutions with the goal to improve the quality of research and education in this multidisciplinary subject.

Find out more about the project here.

 

New alien species with Atlantic origins recorded for the first time in the Mediterranean

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New alien species, native to the western Atlantic, captured by a professional fisherman in Isthmia, Argosaronic Gulf. A friend of the fisher contacted the Is it Alien to you…. Share it!!! team. The individual identified as Chaetodipterus faber (Atlantic spadefish) and the specimen sent to iSea for further study. Today the scientific publication published, which confirms the first record of the species in the Mediterranean and thus in the Greek waters.

Given the absence Atlantic spadefish records across the Atlantic countries near the Strait of Gibraltar, but also in the Western and Central Mediterranean, we suspect the specimen was released or escaped from an aquarium, as the species is popular in the ornamental fish industry. In fact, we have recently received additional recordings of the species from nearby areas, indicating that more individuals of the species may have been released in the area.

The last years, there is an increase in the number of reported alien species that are suspected to be introduced by an aquarium release. Such a trend must recall the attention of national authorities and relevant stakeholders for advancing their efforts for the implementation of the Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 “on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species” that applies to all EU countries.

Find the full publication here.