Global warming is transforming the Mediterranean Sea as a result of the increase of the sea water temperature. Exotic tropical species, originating from the Indo-Pacific area and entering via the Suez Canal (“Lessepsian” migration) are spreading (tropicalization). Some of these “alien” species, such as those belonging to the family Tetraodontidae, or “puffer fish”, are toxic, as they are able to accumulate a potentially lethal neurotoxin. According to the available reports, 3 species of puffer fish are now present in Italian waters: Lagocephalus sceleratus, Lagocephalus lagocephalus and Sphoeroides pachygaster. The project “Climate change and food safety: molecular, microbiological and toxicological analysis on toxic fish species in the Tyrrhenian Sea” led by the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Lazio and Tuscany in partnership with FishLab, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa and the Veterinary Services and Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, Israel, is funded by the Ministry of Health. It aims to monitor the occurrence of toxic fish species along the Tyrrhenian Sea coast and to characterize them under a molecular, microbiological and toxicological profile. The first part of the project was dedicated to dissemination activities using dedicated informational brochures and posters, a report form, a Facebook page and a specific section on the FishLab site, in addition to newspaper articles, TV interviews and meetings with fishermen, divers and control authorities. All these activities were aimed at creating a network for the collection of reports and samples, to update the presence and toxicity of these species, allowing a better assessment of the associated risk.

Climate change and food safety: citizen science for monitoring the presence of toxic alien fish species in Italian waters

GUIDI, ALESSANDRA;ARMANI, ANDREA
2016-01-01

Abstract

Global warming is transforming the Mediterranean Sea as a result of the increase of the sea water temperature. Exotic tropical species, originating from the Indo-Pacific area and entering via the Suez Canal (“Lessepsian” migration) are spreading (tropicalization). Some of these “alien” species, such as those belonging to the family Tetraodontidae, or “puffer fish”, are toxic, as they are able to accumulate a potentially lethal neurotoxin. According to the available reports, 3 species of puffer fish are now present in Italian waters: Lagocephalus sceleratus, Lagocephalus lagocephalus and Sphoeroides pachygaster. The project “Climate change and food safety: molecular, microbiological and toxicological analysis on toxic fish species in the Tyrrhenian Sea” led by the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale of Lazio and Tuscany in partnership with FishLab, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Pisa and the Veterinary Services and Animal Health, Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development, Israel, is funded by the Ministry of Health. It aims to monitor the occurrence of toxic fish species along the Tyrrhenian Sea coast and to characterize them under a molecular, microbiological and toxicological profile. The first part of the project was dedicated to dissemination activities using dedicated informational brochures and posters, a report form, a Facebook page and a specific section on the FishLab site, in addition to newspaper articles, TV interviews and meetings with fishermen, divers and control authorities. All these activities were aimed at creating a network for the collection of reports and samples, to update the presence and toxicity of these species, allowing a better assessment of the associated risk.
2016
http://www.pagepressjournals.org/index.php/jbr/article/view/6432
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11568/850716
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