The unusual heat wave and
climate change
bring some surprises.
Such was the case of the appearance of
a reticulated moray eel
, a species of
fish found in tropical waters
, off the coast of Mar del Plata.
As reported in a statement from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, this weekend sport fishermen from that city caught a specimen of a moray eel from the Muraenidae family.
"In order to identify which species the specimen corresponded to, the fishermen contacted different media specialized in sport fishing, who referred the query to personnel from the
National Institute for Fisheries Research and Development
(INIDEP) and the Fish Biology group of the
National University of Mar del Plata
(UNMDP)", reported on the actions of the group of fishermen.
As indicated, it was identified as
a reticulated moray eel
, whose scientific name is "Gymnothorax ocellatus".
"This species is
common in tropical and subtropical waters
of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean, but not in latitudes near Mar del Plata," they detailed.
And they explained that, in recent years, due to forces associated with global climate change, "the registration of tropical or subtropical fish species is frequent, but they are
infrequent or never registered
for our region."
The first time a reticulated moray eel was seen in Mar del Plata and where to contact for unusual finds
INIDEP researchers and Research Programs address a wide range of topics in which the collaboration of the community and fishermen (recreational, artisanal and industrial) in particular, contributes and forms a fundamental part of their activity.
This collaboration, for example, has made it possible
to validate the presence of
rare species in the region.
In this sense,
in 2016 , based on the contribution of a sport fisherman,
the first record
of reticulated moray eel on the coasts of Mar del Plata
was obtained .
That unusual finding was published in a research journal.
Photo: Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries / InfoPesca / Maximiliano Calvo.
"INIDEP addresses other investigations that are nourished by
citizen science
, based on the contribution of fishermen and the general public. Examples of this are the Marking Programs, the implementation of
good fishing and return practices
, the registration and collection of samples for measurements of physical-chemical and biological parameters during the immersions of local divers from the Escualo Underwater Activities Center (CASE)," they reported in the statement.
As they emphasized, these contributions represent a key aspect "to expand and improve knowledge of aquatic species in our region and the processes associated with global climate change, as well as to strengthen the link between INIDEP and the community."
INIDEP recently created
a specific working group called Climate Change
, which is beginning to assess changes in fish assemblages in the Argentine Sea.
When in doubt in the identification of species, it is recommended
to review the identification cards prepared
by INIDEP, contact the personnel of the different Research Programs or the institutional email comunicacion@inidep.edu.ar.
DS
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