Demographic explosion of the brown shrimp Penaeus aztecus Ives 1891 (Decapoda: Penaeidae) in the central and northern Adriatic: implications for ecosystems and fisheries
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4081/nhs.2025.841Keywords:
Biological invasions, invasive alien species, mediterranean sea, shrimps, range-expanding speciesAbstract
Penaeus aztecus Ives 1891 is an invasive species of western Atlantic origin that has become established in different areas of the Mediterranean Sea. This study highlights a recent demographic explosion of this alien species in the Adriatic Sea. A considerable number of individuals (more than 20 per fishing vessel out of a total of 36 surveyed) were captured by trawling at San Benedetto del Tronto on 30 September 2024, the first fishing day following a 30-day fishing moratorium. Additional unusually high catches in other areas of the central and northern Italian Adriatic Sea occurred in the same period, further confirming a clear recent population surge of this species in the Adriatic. Our results suggest a rapidly growing population in this region of the Mediterranean. We discuss the possible causes of this sudden population increase, as well as the ecological and socio-economic impacts that the species may have on the region in the coming years.
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