ClimateFish

The first open access database providing information on the presence in the Mediterranean Sea of 15 fish species considered to be "sentinels" of climate change

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ClimateFish is the first open access database that provides information on the presence in the Mediterranean Sea of 15 fish species considered as ‘sentinels’ of climate change. The research, published in Frontiers, was carried out by marine biologist Ernesto Azzurro of the Institute for Biological Resources and Marine Biotechnology (CNR), in collaboration with experts from the ENEA Research Center of Santa Teresa (La Spezia) and other international institutes. The database includes seven native species, selected for their wide distribution, sensitivity to temperature conditions and for easy identification, and eight exotic species from the Red Sea.
With about 700 fish species and a warming rate about three times faster than that of the ocean, the Mediterranean is a hotspot for both biodiversity and climate change. In recent decades, several species have moved towards the poles, increasing the risk of extinction, while the arrival of new exotic herbivorous species such as rabbitfish is causing the phenomenon of marine desertification. Furthermore, several species have widened their geographical distribution in the Mediterranean: it is a phenomenon, referred to as southernization, which involves several native fish species, such as the Mediterranean parrotfish and the pavonina damsel, identified towards the north with respect to their original geographical distribution. The phenomenon of tropicalization was then noted, i.e. the presence of non-native fish of tropical origin which is expected to become increasingly present in the Mediterranean due to the effect of global warming (in 2002 there were 90, of which 59 from the Red Sea, while in 2020 the exotic species reached 188 of which 106 from the Suez Canal, for a total of 76 stable species).

Referent:

Ernesto Azzurro

Director of Research

Ancona

SCOPRI DI PIÙ

Web Site: Click here

Journal: Frontiers

Contacts: ernesto.azzurro@cnr.it

Areas of Research:

TEAM

Tosca Ballerini

Associate with Collaboration Assignment

Ancona

Marina Chiappi

Associate with Collaboration Assignment

Ancona

Manuela D'Amen

Associate with Collaboration Assignment

Ancona

Research Projects

The research activities of the Institute are carried out in the context of research, development and innovation projects, both national and international, based on regional funding programs (POR FEAMPA - Regional Operational Program of the European Maritime Affairs Fisheries Fund and Aquaculture and POR FESR - Regional Operational Program of the European Regional Development Fund) or ministerial (PRIN - Projects of relevant national interest, PNRA - National Research Program in Antarctica, PO FEAMPA - National Operational Program European Maritime Affairs Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund) , programs for European Territorial Cooperation (Interreg), direct funding programs of the European Commission (Horizon2020 and Horizon Europe, Life, JPI - Joint Programming Initiatives, ERA-NET Cofund) and thematic collaboration initiatives managed by international organizations such as, for example , the FAO - GFCM (General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean). The Institute also develops funded projects in the context of collaborations with private companies in the sectors of the blue economy as well as technology transfer and research results. Research projects, mainly of a collaborative nature, are developed through a wide network of partners that include major Italian and foreign research institutions and universities.

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