There are not just human migrants arriving in the Balearics

THERE are not just human migrants arriving in the Balearics but quite a few rare and little seen fish are also appearing in the off shore waters.

An annual database that records observations of rare fish in the Balearic Islands (DAPERA) managed by the Species Protection Service of the Ministry of the Environment and Territory has received 55 new sightings from 17 different species during 2021.

By islands, most records come from Mallorca (49 per cent), followed by Ibiza (22 per cent), Formentera (18 per cent) and Menorca (11 per cent).

This year, the most cited species is the Green Parrot fish (Sparisoma cretense) with seven sightings of 11 specimens observed in different places on the coast of Mallorca.

It is a very common species in the Canary Islands that is being observed more and more in the archipelago, possibly due to the warming of the sea.

There are also six views of the spiny butterfly ray, the Mantellina (Gymnura altavela), a rare species on the Balearic coast, which seems to be expanding.

The aim is to improve the information available, mainly on non-commercial fish, some of which are under threat.

It is also intended to obtain data on new species in the Mediterranean, such as those arriving from the Red Sea due to the opening of the Suez Canal, known as the Lessepsians, or those arriving from the Atlantic for other reasons, such as increased maritime traffic or climate change.

From now on, those interested can communicate their observations directly through a form that can be found on the website of the Species Protection Service.

Contact information, observation data (species, weight, length) and location (coordinates, depth, etc.) as well as an image are requested in order to validate the data.

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