Montenegrin, Croatian fishermen warned about new species of fish 10/04/2008 Marine biology institutions in Croatia and Montenegro are attempting to educate local fishermen about new -- and sometimes dangerous -- species of fish turning up in the Adriatic. By Ivo Scepanovic for Southeast European Times -- 10/04/08 This was the first documented blunthead puffer in the Adriatic. [Ivo Scepanovic] Marine biologists in Montenegro and Croatia are warning local fishermen about new species of fish, some poisonous, that have appeared in the Adriatic's increasingly warm waters. The Institute of Oceanography and Fishing in Split, Croatia, and the Institute of Marine Biology in Kotor, Montenegro, collaborated on a brochure about 28 species that have been discovered recently in the Adriatic. Institute of Marine Biology Director Aleksandar Joksimovic said the two organisations decided to develop the brochure after a fisherman named Ilija Rafailovic caught a blunthead puffer. ''We thought it would be useful to warn fishermen about new species. The Croatian institute had more information because more of the new species were caught and researched there, so we asked it for help," said Joksimovic. He added that while the blunthead puffer was the first to be documented in the Adriatic, it is likely not the only one, explaining that "it was a female and we believe it would have spawned soon". ''The blunthead puffer's internal organs are poisonous, especially its liver," Joksimovic said. He added, "Fishermen used to catch it in the Mediterranean, mostly around Sardinia and in the western Mediterranean." His institute plans to search for more new species in the Adriatic, as global warming is expected to influence sea life further in the next ten years. ''Sea temperatures in the Adriatic last summer reached up to 30 degrees Celsius. ... The appearance of fish such as blunthead puffer that prefer warmer seas confirms the impact of global warming,'' he said. Through the FAO AdriaMed project, the Institute of Marine Biology in Kotor plans to collaborate with similar institutions in Italy, Croatia, Albania, and Slovenia to help develop sustainable fishing. This content was commissioned for SETimes.com

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