Seagrass species, such as Posidonia oceanica, are particularly susceptible to ocean warming and have undergone extensive thermal stress, mortality, and range contraction over recent decades. The Mediterranean has experienced rapid warming, 2–3 times faster than the average global ocean over the past three decades. Marine heatwaves have impacted central populations of P. oceanica and studies […]
The Indo-Pacific origin lionfish Pterois miles has invaded the Mediterranean Sea in 2012 through the Suez Canal. The limited natural predators of lionfish in its newly introduced habitats, naïve prey, generalist predation and adaptability, and rapid growth rates, have led to a rapid population spread and expansion of its distribution to the entire eastern basin. […]
The first reports from Cyprus in 2012-2013 marked the beginning of the uncontrolled invasion that we have been witnessing ever since. A ferocious invader with venomous spines that protect it from predators, rapid reproduction, early maturity, rapid growth, huge appetite and generalist behaviour, the lionfish is becoming alarmingly abundant in the eastern Mediterranean; threatening […]
Chondrichthyans (sharks, rays, skates and chimaeras) play a pivotal role in the marine environment providing stability to coastal and oceanic ecosystem structures and functions. Today, about half of the Mediterranean sharks and batoids are threatened with extinction, mainly due to by-catch (unintentional catch). Nevertheless, research on chondrichthyes, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean, is limited. In […]
Approaching the “real” state of elasmobranch fisheries and trade: A case study from the Mediterranean Elasmobranchs (sharks, rays and skates) are vulnerable taxa with 50% threatened with extinction, extirpations and steep population declines in the Mediterranean Sea. One of the major threats to elasmobranchs is fisheries exploitation of targeted or bycatch with a shocking 50-60% […]
New publication of MER in the scientific journal Fisheries Management And Ecology. Identifying recreational fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea through social media and with the collaboration of scientists from six EU Mediterranean Countries. We would like to thank all our collaborators, namely iSea (Greece), University of Malta (Malta), University of Girona (Spain), Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries (Croatia), Ente […]