They warn that the old canary and the fireworm are invading Catalonia

They were detected for the first time the invasion of the fireworm and the old canary along the Catalan coasttwo tropical species that are indicators of climate change, according to the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM).

What is curious about this discovery is how they were detected, two almost simultaneous discoveries thanks to citizen collaboration activated through the BioMARato.

This is a citizen science event coordinated by the ICM-CSIC, the Higher Council for Scientific Research, which mobilized more than 480 volunteers to inventory the biodiversity of the Catalan coast for six months.

Tropical species

These are two tropical marine species, the old canary (Cretan sparisoma), an Atlantic parrotfish observed in Blanes, and the fireworm (Hermodice carunculata), A marine polychaete that can measure up to 30 centimeters and who presents stinging hairs on the body, detected in the Underwater Park of the SES of Tarragona. These are two species of tropical and subtropical origin which “testify to the warming of the sea on the Catalan coast”, according to the organizers.

These are two typical species of the Canary Islands, were detected for the first time on the Catalan coastand emphasizes that this is one of the indicators of warming in the Mediterranean Sea, as reported by the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC).

BioMARató Edition

These findings were detected in the fourth edition of BioMARató, a citizen science event that seeks to identify Catalan marine and coastal biodiversity through a friendly competition between sea lovers.

This initiative, coordinated by the Institute of Marine Sciences, mobilized more than 480 volunteers to identify the biodiversity of the Catalan coast and carried out data recording with 1,731 species and 91,211 observations recorded on the MINKA platformbetween May and October 2024.

They were also recorded other indicator species of sea warming and alteration of biological cycles, such as premature ovulation of gorgonians or early flowering of posidonia.

Citizen comments

The old Canarian fish was spotted by a couple snorkeling in the Blanes Sea (Girona), and last year they also spotted a fiddler crab.

The fireworm was seen between the rocks of some breakwaters while one of the BioMARató participants was diving in the SES underwater park (Society for Underwater Explorations) of Tarragona, report the same sources.

Furthermore, evidence of typical warm water species on the Catalan coast has been recorded, such as the brazilian salpa (Cyphosus saltatrix), also in the Tarragona Underwater Parkand the purple starfish (Ophidiaster ophidian), of subtropical origin and rare in Catalonia, and which was observed in l’Ametlla de Mar (Tarragona).

Progress of Posidonia flowering

In Llafranc (Girona), it was observed that the red gorgonian (Paramuricea clavata) ovulates earlier and in l’Ametlla de Mar it has been confirmed that Posidonia oceanica begins flower almost two months earlier than usual.

Further evidence of the effects that warming water can cause is the coral bleachingobserved in a case of Mediterranean madrepore (Cladocora caespitosa) in Tossa de Mar (Girona), a phenomenon that blocks the reproduction of these organisms to the point of causing their death, reported the Institute of Marine Sciences.

Observation of mantis rays

“What has not gone unnoticed is that 2024 has been the year of the mantas, and during the BioMARató more than fifteen observations of pelagic rays (Pteroplatytrygon violacea) in Catalonia, including the Barcelona region,” they noted.

This species usually lives in the open sea, but is moving closer and closer to the coast due to the warming of the sea, looking for quiet places to relax and, although they are not dangerous, their presence has caused the closure of several beaches, also in the city of Barcelona.

false barnacle

In addition to the fireworm and the old canary, other infrequent or curious phenomena that have been reported by participants in this initiative have been the fseb lorationhas (Knotted Cymodocea) in l’Ametlla de Mar, a strange fact and very difficult to see, and examples of fake striped barnacle (Conchoderma virgatum), a rare species, on floating objects on the Costa Brava.

A BioMARató participant documented a white ascidian (Neapolitan Rhopalea), which is normally very deep, and another saw a juvenile specimen of basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus) in l’Ametlla de Mar, a sort of interest in its migratory patterns.

Four editions

Next November 9 will take place on Volunteer Festival at the Fishing Interpretation Center (CIP) of Ametlla de Maran event where the ICM-CSIC scientific team, collaborating entities and participants from all over Catalonia will meet.

With the four editions of BioMARató we have already compiled more than 2,300 different species along the coast Catalan registered in MINKA. It is the participatory observatory with the greatest density of verified data on coastal and marine biodiversity in Spain, and the most complete in the Mediterranean.

Currently, it has more than 250,000 marine observations verified on the Catalan coast and it is open access data accessible to the scientific community. BioMARató is funded by the European projects MINKE, ANERIS, ECS and GUARDEN.