The ALIENA project (ALIgning Efforts to control Non-indigenous species in the Adriatic Sea) has created a detailed database on alien species in the Adriatic.
The database contains records from the pilot areas included in the project as well as data on the invasiveness of the species, the dates and locations of the first records and their main entry routes. No less than 1189 alien species have been reported in the Mediterranean, 216 of them in the Adriatic!
Among them were 13 species found in several pilot areas of the project, including: Ostreopsis cfr. ovata, Caulerpa cylindracea, Codium fragile, Paraleucilla magna, Mnemiopsis leidyi, Arcuatula senhousia, Magallana gigas, Ficopomatus enigmaticus, Amphibalanus eburneus, Balanus trigonus, Callinectes sapidus, Amathia verticillata and Styela plicata.
The ALIENA databases are valuable resources for the identification of target species for future project activities. In addition, they are an important basis for the further monitoring and implementation of strategies aimed at achieving and maintaining good ecological status in accordance with regional and international frameworks.
Further information can be found at the following link: https://www.italy-croatia.eu/web/aliena/library
