Nikos Doumpas

Marine invasive alien species (IAS) are spreading in the Mediterranean Sea, altering species composition and reshaping marine ecosystems. The study explores consumer attitudes towards the consumption of marine invasive alien species (IAS), particularly lionfish and Atlantic blue crab, in the Greek seafood market. These species are considered a thre...

Short description of the project Pick The Alien, implemented by iSea. The poster contains the main pillars of the project, how the events are implemented and its' results from 2019 to 2023.

Trace elements have the potential to bioaccumulate in marine organisms and to biomagnify towards the upper levels of marine trophic webs, resulting in a range of negative effects on organisms. Elasmobranchs are highly susceptible to bioaccumulation of trace metals, while their consumption by humans is increasing worldwide. Therefore, it is importan...

Non-indigenous fish species (NIFS) are spreading in the Mediterranean Sea, altering species assemblages and reshaping the marine ecosystems. Market-based approach has been promoted as a measure to limit the spread and damages by the NIFS and provide economic revenues to fishers. Understanding drivers of NIFS consumption and documenting consumers' h...

Alongside climate change, the introduction of non-native species (NNS) is widely recognized as one of the main threats to aquatic biodiversity and human well-being. Non-native species and biodiversity are generally low priority issues on the political agendas of many countries, particularly in European countries outside the European Union (EU). The...

The RiskMan Project was built with the main aim to strengthen the Educational Capacity for Risk Management of Non Native Aquatic Species in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro by promoting the education of stakeholders and higher education students and stimulate cooperation among the target countries. To achieve this aim, a specific working...

Accurate checklists of species are essential for evaluating their conservation status and for understanding more about their distribution, biology and ecology and, therefore, the first step in order to effectively protect them. According to the existing literature, the Greek seas are rich in chondrichthyan biodiversity and herein, we update the mos...

Raising knowledge of the dispersal of non-indigenous species (NIS) in new geographic areas is a matter of major concern, as alien species may outcompete the native biota through competition, predation, and hybridization. In the Mediterranean Sea, where biological invasions constitute a serious threat, the combined use of citizen science and social...

The occurrence of two ribbonfish species, Zu cristatus (Bonelli, 1819) and Trachipterus trachypterus (Gmelin, 1789), in the Greek seas was examined through contributions made to the citizen-science project «Is it Alien to you…. Share it!!!». In total, 8 sightings, 2 for Z. cristatus and 6 for T. trachypterus were reported in various locations throu...

Alongside climate change, the introduction of non-native species (NNS) is widely recognized as one of the main threats to aquatic biodiversity and human well‐being. Non-native species and biodiversity are generally low priority issues on the political agendas of many countries, particularly in European countries outside the European Union (EU). The...

The silver-cheeked toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus, from the pufferfish family Tetraodontidae) and the Pacific red lionfish (Pterois miles, family Scorpaenidae) have recently invaded the Mediterranean Sea. Lagocephalus sceleratus has spread throughout this entire sea with the highest concentrations in the eastern basin, while more recently, Ptero...

Elasmobranchs are sensitive marine species due to their K-strategic life characteristics in combination with the intensification of fisheries. Despite the regulations and conventions protecting several species, elasmobranchs are still caught as bycatch and landed throughout the Mediterranean, a location where the pressure on shark populations is we...

In the Mediterranean Sea, where biological invasions constitute a serious threat, the combination of citizen science and social networks amplified the power of proper field studies, recording species that would have otherwise presumably passed unnoticed. Based on data collected on several Facebook groups, we hereby first report the presence of five...

Biological invasions constitute a major threat to native ecosystems and to global biodiversity [...]

Pomadasys incisus is a thermophilous coastal subtropical fish species belonging to the family Haemulidae. Originally described from Gambia, this species is widely distributed in the Eastern Atlantic from Galicia to South Africa. It has also been recorded in the Mediterranean Sea since 1840, presumably expanding its distribution in the next decades,...

In the Mediterranean Sea, Lobotes surinamensis (Bloch, 1790) is considered as a rare species, albeit an increasing number of individual-based sightings published in the literature. In this study, we present 32 additional records of this thermophilic species from the Greek and Cypriot waters; reinforcing the evidence that the species is becoming mor...

One of the biggest threats facing vulnerable marine megafauna is their interaction withfisheries. Numerous studies have typically been confined to single taxa, however, therisk applies mutually to the majority of vulnerable marine megafauna. Using a bottom-upapproach to utilize fishers and fisheries stakeholders’ knowledge and perceptions ofinciden...

Good datasets of geo-referenced records of alien species are a prerequisite for assessing the spatio-temporal dynamics of biological invasions, their invasive potential, and the magnitude of their impacts. However, with the exception of first records on a country level or wider regions, observations of species presence tend to remain unpublished, b...

The Atlantic spadefish Chaetodipterus faber (Broussonet, 1782) belongs to the family Ephippidae Bleeker, 1859 and is a widely distributed species in the Western Atlantic. In this work we present the record of a single specimen of C. faber captured by a professional fisher in Argosaronikos Gulf, Greece. The present sighting, reported through the cit...

This report was produced within the framework of the Black Sea Basin funded project "Eco-Conscious Minds to Stop Pollution in the Valuable Wetlands of Black Sea Basin (BioLearn)

The first occurrence of a single specimen of the Lessepsian Nemipterus randalli Russell, 1986 is reported for the first time off Greek waters from south-eastern Aegean Sea, Rhodes Island (36°05’28.9"N-28°05’38.4"E). The current record fills an important gap at the species’ distribution in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Furthermore, the present stud...

The distribution of marine life has been alarmingly reshaped lately and the number of non-indigenous species and their impacts are rapidly escalating globally. Timely and accurate information about the occurrence of non-indigenous species are of major importance for the mitigation of the issue. However, still large gaps in knowledge about marine bi...

The Indo-Pacific mangrove red snapper Lutjanus argentimaculatus (Forsskål, 1775) (Chordata: Actinopterygii: Perciformes: Lutjanidae) is an alien fish that has recently invaded the eastern Mediterranean Sea, with records from Israel, Lebanon, and Turkey. We here first report the presence of this species in Greece based on three specimens spearfished...

Elasmobranchs, extremely charismatic and threatened animals, still are an important economic source for fshers in many parts of the world, providing signifcant income through trade. Even though Greek seas host at least 67 elasmobranch species, our knowledge about their biology and ecology is to a large extent unknown. In the present study the integ...

A single specimen of a Pelagiidae jellyfish (Scyphozoa) referable to the genus Chrysaora Péron and Lesueur, 1810 is reported from the port of Elefsina (Saronikos Gulf, Greece) on the basis of photographic evidence. Despite the absence of a voucher and the impossibility to check fine morphological features of diagnostic value, its recognizable featu...

The spiny butterfly ray, Gymnura altavela (Linnaeus, 1758), is a species of ray, native to the Atlantic Ocean (including the Mediterranean), exhibiting a patchy distribution in tropical and subtropical areas in continental brackish waters in a depth range of 5 - 150 m(Weigmann, 2016). The Mediterranean population has been listed as Critically endan...

The Collective Article on “New Mediterranean Biodiversity Records” offers the means to publish biodiversity records in the Mediterranean Sea. The current article presents new biodiversity data information on 18 taxa (14 alien, 3 native and 1 cryptogenic species) belonging to 5 Phyla that are reported for 11 different countries listed according to t...

1. All three species of angel sharks (genus Squatina) inhabiting the Mediterranean Sea are listed as Critically Endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species due to overexploitation. 2. New records from Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Libya were collected from citizenscientists and integrated with local k...

Citizen science has been proven a valuable tool in monitoring marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea contributing to the early detection and the monitoring of non-indigenous species (NIS) often by combining the use of social media and smartphone technology in data collection. In May 2016, iSea launched a relative project aiming to record info...

Microplastic pollution, formerly overlooked, is nowadays considered a great threat for marine ecosystems and humans. Public opinion and knowledge is a key factor for addressing environmental problems by preparing custom-tailored actions and create pro-environmental attitudes. In this work, we present the results of a survey that took place in Greec...

The aim of the project is to study and mitigate the impacts of bycatch and ghostfishing on the sea turtle and shark populations in Greece, through awareness, capacity building and cooperation with stakeholders in the fisheries sector. It is the first known project launched in Greece with a multi-taxa approach regarding sea turtles and sharks and fu...

On 5th November 2017, a puffer fish specimen was caught in the Aegean Sea. Morphological and molecular analysis identified it as Lagocephalus guentheri. This first record from Greek waters represents the westernmost observation of the species in the Mediterranean Sea. The expansion and establishment of puffer fish species in the basin are discussed...

Mediterranean Sea is the most heavily invaded ecoregion of the world. Among the 22 coastal countries in the Mediterranean Sea, Greece is one of the most highly impacted, accounting 613 marine alien species. To our knowledge, six species of the Tetraodontidae family (commonly known as puffefish) are present in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Accordin...

New records of the alien species, Penaeus aztecus Ives, 1891, commonly known as the Northern brown shrimp, are reported from the Mediterranean Sea: first records from waters of Albania and Sicilian Ionian Sea, and new records from the southern coast of Sicily (from Mazara del Vallo to Pozzallo). The species appears well established in the southern...

iSea launched in 2016 a citizen science project aiming at improving our knowledge on marine Non-Indigenous species in Greece

Guitarfishes characterized by special life history traits and comprised a very fragile resource, whereas the insufficient scientific information makes them a group for major conservation concern of the world oceans. The present study aims to present new records on guitarfishes based on unconventional data collection comprised by citizen scientists’...

The ferocious image of sharks as fearsome predators of the sea has been shaped during human history through the predatory ecology of the animal inspiring various classical myths and contemporary movies. Greece hosts a high diversity of shark species with some been critically endangered. Thus is important to evaluate the perception and the awareness...