Status of non-indigenous fish species in the eastern Adriatic Sea: A short review

During the past few decades, various factors, such as climate change, anthropogenic activity and Lessepsian migration have altered the composition of Adriatic ichthyofauna. Extensive investigations carried out in recent decades have found many species, previously not recorded or reported for the Adriatic Sea. Among these, there is a significant number of non-indigenous species, the presence of which may be attrubuted to the processes of bioinvasion and tropicalisation. The majority of the fish species introduced by humans (by the mariculture, shipping activities, aquarium releases, etc.) are represented by single findings, and for many of them there is no evidence of established populations. Three of the totally 14 Lessepsian migrants documented for the Adriatic Sea, namely the fish speices: Fistularia commersonii, Siganus luridus, and Lagocephalus sceleratus appear to be successful invaders, especially in the southern part of the sea. The impact of successful colonizators on the native communities is unknown yet. However, the relatively fast pace of the invasions make us believe that their effects may become relevant in the near future.