Records of Invasive European Catfish Silurus Glanis (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Neretva River Delta (Croatia): Social Media as Information Source

Abstract

Records of European catfish Silurus glanis in the Neretva River delta (Adriatic Sea basin) in Croatia are reported. The first occurrence of this non-native species was reported via social network which led to its timely detection by researchers. Origin of introduction is unknown but it is most likely the case of human-mediated introduction. The importance of social networks as a useful tool for the timely detection of non-native fish species, as well as the importance of raising awareness about the impacts of biological invasions, is discussed in this paper.

Unusual records of marine organisms in the Neretva River (Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina)

“…However, the new reports and persistence of freshwater-dependent species in Neretva River delta (DULČIĆ et al, 2017, TUTMAN et al, 2021 suggests that there may be a time lag in the response of freshwater-dependent species to increasing salinities. Salinization is a widespread phenomenon in the environment, which threatens many taxa (CALVACHE & PULIDO-BOSCH, 2017, ABDUL-RAZAK & INTISAR, 2019.…”

“…Due to lack of monitoring programmes in the area which could provide data collected in situ and in such a way shed more light on the extent of penetration of marine species in the area, data on these occurrences were collected mostly through direct contacts with local citizens and by searching social networking sites and internet news portals for reports on unusual occurrences. Such way of data collection has already proven to be valuable in the early detection of alien species in the area (DULČIĆ et al, 2018, TUTMAN et al, 2021.…”