Med most invaded sea in world, 200 fish in 130 years

(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 2 - The Mediterranean is the most invaded sea in the world with 200 newcomer fish species having encroached into its waters in the last 130 years, the National Research Council-Marine Biology Institute (CNR_IRBIM) says in a new paper published in Global Change Biology.
    The causes are both climate change and the introduction by man, both accidental and deliberate, the study says.
    "The study shows that the phenomenon has had a major acceleration starting in the 1990s, and how the most recent invasions have been capable of the most rapid and spectacular geographical expansions," said team leader Ernesto Azzurro.
    The biggest entryway for this colonization has been the Suez Canal, which has brought in species from the Red Sea, among the most represented and problematic.
    But there are other important vectors including naval transport, release from aquariums, and the Strait of Gibraltar, the study said.
    "Some of these species constitute new resources for fishing, well adapted to tropical climates and already utilized in the easternmost parts of the Mediterranean," said Abruzzo.
    "At the same time, many invaders cause the deterioration of natural habitats, drastically reducing local biodiversity and coming into competition with native and more vulnerable species.
    "The pace of colonization is so great that it has already changed the fauna identity of our sea, and so reconstructing the history of the phenomenon enables us to better understand the change that is happening". (ANSA).