The zoo of alien species. Scorpion fish, wormfish and apple snails are common friends of Italian seas and lakes. Particularly within the warmth

It swims elegantly, with its physique streaked with white and orange, its coloured spines flaunted like flags. “I met him in Calabria whereas I used to be freediving,” writes the fisherman who photographed him and shared it on the Oddfish Fb web page, devoted to the sighting of alien species. “Is it a scorpion fish by any likelihood?”.

Scorpion fish from the Crimson Sea

Ernesto Azzurro, marine biologist from the Cnr, together with his collaborators manages the sightings by way of the Oddfish web site. Everybody confirms: sure, it’s a scorpion fish originating from the Crimson Sea, with a really painful sting.

The unfold of invasive species

“It is the start of summer season, however we have already got a number of sightings,” he says. “The unfold of invasive species reveals no indicators of slowing. It is among the most urgent impacts of local weather change.” The remainder of the Fb group, made up primarily of divers, confirms: “They’re coming, the Mare Nostrum is altering.”

“The breath of the oceans”

In its report “The breath of the oceans” – printed on the event of World Oceans Day which is widely known on Saturday – the WWF signifies the Mediterranean as some of the fragile environments of the blue fraction of the planet. Our sea, which information a temperature enhance of 0.88 levels in comparison with the 1850-1900 common, has thus turn out to be one of many important locations for alien species.

The “Watch out for these 4” marketing campaign

The lionfish is “some of the invasive species on this planet”. Even when “it’s edible, you will need to take note of the thorns which trigger very painful stings”, warns the “Watch out for these 4” marketing campaign carried out by Cnr and Ispra, Greater Institute for Environmental Safety and Analysis. The opposite three current invaders of the Mediterranean are darkish rabbitfish and striped rabbitfish, additionally with very painful spines. Probably the most harmful of all, if eaten, is the noticed puffer, which comprises a neurotoxin that’s immune to cooking.

The noticed pufferfish within the Mediterranean

“Simply final week we have been knowledgeable of the seize of a specimen in Istria” says Azzurro. “Now the noticed puffer fish has reached the roof of the Mediterranean”. As for the lionfish, nevertheless, “our biologist colleagues in Cyprus all the time carry a primary support package for stings on board throughout explorations”. Within the japanese Mediterranean, barely hotter than our half, the presence of invasive fish is much more considerable than right here.

The thousand unique species launched into the Mediterranean

In accordance with the WWF report “greater than a thousand unique marine species have been launched into the Mediterranean. Over 75% have fashioned steady populations. Their settlement fee is accelerating.”

Invasions in lakes and rivers

The ocean isn’t the one water invaded by aliens in Italy. Even in lakes and rivers, incongruous inhabitants usually emerge, such because the apple snail native to South America. Its bursting development begins from cluster eggs of a reasonably pink shade. It then continues forcefully from daily, till it reaches the dimensions of the fruit. Those who pay the worth are the seedlings of humid environments – within the case of Italy it’s usually rice – wherein the apple snail spreads. Southeast Asia – additionally invaded – has discovered to defend itself by consuming this mollusc, however it’s unlikely that the identical will occur in Italy.

The blue crab

Not like the blue crab, which has turn out to be a everlasting presence on our menus, it now has a wholesale worth of 2-3 euros per kilo and within the Padua space it’s also used to taste an area craft beer, a lot of the alien species don’t doesn’t even discover in man a predator able to maintaining with their voracity.

The marine earthworm Vermocane

For certain, wormworms won’t find yourself on our plates, a kind of lengthy marine earthworm with stinging bristles that we hadn’t heard a lot about till a few years in the past. “It’s a native species of our seas – specifies Azzurro – and technically it can’t be known as alien, however in recent times it has turn out to be very considerable and has unfold to new areas, most likely as a result of enhance in temperatures. It’s a very voracious species that devours, amongst different issues, corals and gorgonians”.

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Divers needs to be cautious of its stinging bristles. Fishermen usually get stung by pulling up their nets with their naked palms, “however swimmers will be fairly calm as a result of it’s uncommon to come across the species on the sand at shallow depths” reassures Azzurro.

Progress to the detriment of native fish

The expansion of invasive species usually occurs to the detriment of native fish (and fishermen). The lionfish, citing the WWF report for instance, “eats giant portions of small native fish and crustaceans and is able to increasing its quantity as much as 30 occasions to make room for prey. Its abdomen contents reveal that 95% of the meals consists of native fish of ecological and financial significance.”

Jellyfish bloom

Gorgonians and corals having been devoured, the seabed as soon as filled with posidonia meadows desertified as a result of warmth, with the Pinna nobilis bivalves victims of mass deaths, the ocean of ​​the long run will turn out to be a looking floor not just for invasive species, but additionally for omnipresent jellyfish.

They too, explains the WWF, have a lot to realize from habitat change. “Rising temperatures” and “overfishing which has led to the disappearance of their pure predators” trigger “a rise in jellyfish blooms, which persist for more and more longer durations”. Recognizing species of tropical origin is not troublesome in our latitudes. “Within the Gulf of Gabes, fishermen now discover extra jellyfish than fish of their nets.”