We informed you about the appearance of the brown alga Stypopodium schimperii back in 2022. At the time we were concerned, but today the situation is catastrophic.
The rocky seabed between 3 and 25 meters deep around Komiža, and even beyond the bay itself, has become a literal monoculture of this alga. It can now be found around the entire island of Vis, with the densest populations currently near Komiža. We have also found it around Biševo and Brusnik, where it already significantly covers the seabed.
Stypopodium schimperii is a brown alga native to the Red Sea, first recorded in the Mediterranean around 1973 near Israel, recognized as an invasive species in the southeastern Mediterranean during the 1990s and early 2000s, and first observed in the Adriatic Sea in 2020 near Vis, where it has, in just three years, formed a continuous population that supports almost no native algal or invertebrate species.
We believe that the alga will spread further via sea currents, likely reaching the area between Šolta and the Kornati islands. Please let us know if you encounter it.
It closely resembles the native alga Padina pavonica, but the difference is clear: Padina pavonica always has white parts, while Stypopodium schimperii never has white areas on its thallus and may show a bluish hue in shaded areas. If you suspect you’ve found it, take a photo and send it to us.
The species Stypopodium schimperii is currently being researched within the project “Non-indigenous Benthic Species (NIBS)”, funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021–2026.
