Heat Driving Algae Growth In The Adriatic; Fishing Grinding To A Halt, Shellfish Suffocating
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On a number of days in July, the sea temperature along Italy’s Adriatic coastline, which stretches from Trieste in the north to Capo d’Otranto in the south, reached a record 30C, and in some areas slightly surpassed that figure. “The water feels very hot, almost like a bath,” said Daniele as the couple finished their walk. “A lot has changed in 50 years. I remember the sea was a lot wavier, now it’s mostly flat.” Alfreda added: “The quantity of the fish has changed too, and the species, some don’t even exist any more.”
Moreover, the sea’s heat and weak currents have contributed to this summer’s widespread proliferation, especially in the northern and central areas of the Adriatic, of mucillagine, or mucilage, a thick, slimy white-yellow substance formed of various microalgae that accumulates on the seabed or the surface. The mucilage is relatively unique to the Adriatic on the Italian side, and tends to amass more when the sea is not receiving enough nutrients from the Po, the country’s longest river, which stretches from the Alps before spilling into the Adriatic in the north. The last time the substance made such a significant appearance was in 1989, especially in the waters off the coastal towns in the Emilia-Romagna region, causing beachgoers to flee.
But while the mucilage is an unsightly annoyance for bathers, it is not dangerous to their health. It is, however, detrimental for fishing. Speaking at Fano port late at night after returning from two days at sea, fisher Alessandro Ciavaglia said the mucilage “is everywhere”. “It causes problems for the boat’s engine, but also blocks off fishing nets, and once this happens it is impossible to fish,” he said. While most types of fish can escape the mucilage, it can suffocate shellfish such as clams, which are also under threat from the blue crabs thriving in the warmer Adriatic, particularly in the northern parts.
Ciavaglia has been a fisher in the Adriatic for 40 years and said he has never experienced such a high sea temperature, and as a result, so much mucilage. “We’re talking 30C even out in the open sea,” he added. “The Adriatic is becoming tropical. We are starting to see species of fish that were not previously there, such as swordfish, whereas various types of white fish, such as turbot, are almost extinct. There is no doubt that the [climatic] change is happening and it’s pointless trying to deny it.”
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/04/adriatic-warming-sea-italy-fishers-mucilage-microalgae
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