CATANIA — Almost 1000 alien marine species, many dangerous and extremely invasive, are spreading quickly across the world’s fastest-warming sea, the Mediterranean.

Species such as the poisonous nomad jellyfish, the highly invasive Atlantic blue crab and the toxic silver-cheeked toadfish can now thrive in the Mediterranean, particularly in hotspots like Sicily and Greece.

These invasive species threaten to wreak havoc on local ecosystems and biodiversity, putting pressure on fisheries and the communities that depend on them.

How governments and communities deal with this problem is a litmus test, highlighting the immense challenges faced as we adapt to a warming world.

Photo: Kate Stanworth

Supported
€18,300 allocated on 28/08/2023
ID:
ENV1/2023/261
Grant:
Environmental Journalism

Themes

Publication

ONLINE

PRINT

  • If you can't beat 'em, eat them, The Observer, 09/06/2024, p.32
  • ‘Anything can be edible’: how Italians are making a meal of invasive crabs, The Guardian Weekly magazine, 14/06/2024
  • The Great Alexanders of the Seabeds Flood the Mediterranean, Efymerida ton Sindakton, pp. 30-31, 29/06/2024,

COUNTRIES

  • Greece
  • Italy
  • THE UK

Team members

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