More and more exotic fish species are returning to the Mediterranean. An invasion that is accelerating and worries scientists, who note a depletion of the seabed… and a potential toxicity for humans.
The temperature of the Mediterranean Sea is increasing. In recent weeks it has been three degrees above normal. A phenomenon which is not new and which promotes the migration of exotic fish, some of which are toxic to humans and threaten the survival of living organisms in general.
It is a researcher in marine ecology at the CNRS and the University of Côte d’Azur who is sounding the alarm. Benoît Derijard has just bought a scientific mission in Crete (Greece) and has noticed, during his explorations, the presence of certain exotic marine species which should not be found there. Among them, the pufferfish and the lionfish. Both are known for their toxicity and are therefore dangerous for humans.
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These species go up through the Suez Canal, attracted by the increasingly warm waters of the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, and are dangerous for ecosystems: carnivorous species eat fish, herbivorous species devour algae… Result: a real depletion of the seabed, against which the CNRS tries to fight, in particular by implanting forests of mature algae, which can thus better defend themselves against invasive species.
In recent years, more than 1,000 alien species have already migrated to the Mediterranean and the phenomenon could intensify in the decades to come.