As part of the Interreg project ALIENA, “ALigning Efforts to control Non-indigenous species in the Adriatic Sea”, led by Dr. Slavica Matijević, the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries organised a conference entitled “Non-indigenous species in the Adriatic Sea – past, present and future” on 2 April 2025 at the Park Hotel in Split.
In interesting presentations, the speakers shared information about the achievements of the ALIENA project with the aim of raising awareness of the impact of non-native species in the Adriatic Sea.
The event was attended by numerous participants, including project partners from Italy (Puglia Region, ARPA Puglia, CMCC, ARPA FVG and Bluefarm) and Croatia (IRB CIM Rovinj), as well as representatives of the ministries of the Republic of Croatia, public institutes (Hydrographic Institute Croatia), public institutions (MORE I KRŠ; Priroda ŠKŽ), counties (SDŽ), port authorities and faculties. (The Faculty of Maritime studies in Split, University Department of Marine Studies and The Faculty of Science in Split.
The speakers were representatives of Italy, Regione Puglia (Valentina de Pinto), representatives of the host institute of the IOR (Dr. Slavica Matijević, Dr. Sanda Skejić), representatives of the Faculty of Maritime studies in Split (Dr. Merica Slišković and Dr. Helena Ukić Buljat), representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition from the Directorate for Water Management and Marine Protection in Rijeka (Sandra Trošelj. Stanišić) and from the Department for the Management of Alien Species (Petra Kutleša), as well as the IOR (Dr. Ante Žuljević and Dr. Branko Dragičević).
Interesting discussions, outstanding presentations and the interest shown by representatives of government agencies and a large number of different participants contributed significantly to the event’s purpose of exchanging experiences and improving cross-border cooperation on the topic of alien species in the Adriatic. We hope for the success of the implementation of the ALIENA project!
At the working lunch, all participants had the opportunity to eat the blue crab, an invasive species in the Adriatic (as eating it is one of the ways to control alien species!).
