A new and previously unrecorded species of tropical fish has been filmed in Maltese waters for the first time, in a development which may be linked with global warming.
This remarkable specimen of “African Hind”, or Blue Spotted Sea Bass (Cephalopholis taenops), was filmed in late August by local diver and marine Shaun Arrigo, at a depth of around 40 metres close to the Sliema coast. It is the second time this species has been seen in the Mediterranean – the first was in Italy just six weeks ago.
The photos on this page are stills from Arrigo’s footage, which can be viewed on the Youtube link below. Despite the low resolution, the blue spots that give the fish its name can clearly seen, as can its natural ability to change colour according to its surroundings.
Arrigo forwarded his film to local diver and marine conservationist Alex Buttigieg, whose efforts to protect Mediterranean sharks have earned him the nickname “Sharkman”.
“It’s a very interesting discovery,” Buttigieg told MaltaToday, “Over the past five to six years we have noticed a number of new species, many of which would have come from the Red Sea...”
Various previously unrecorded species have found their way into the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal. However, Buttigieg believes this new species in particular most likely come via the Straits of Gibraltar. “It is probable that rising sea temperatures has a lot to do with the fact that this fish was found in Maltese waters,” Buttigieg observes. “The Mediterranean is undeniably getting warmer, and as a result the African grouper may have spread its migratory range to also include the Mediterranean.”
So while the new species will enrich our natural marine environment, its arrival may also be taken as a warning sign of things to come: the world’s oceans are expected to increase substantially over the next few decades, and the Mediterranean will most likely be affected more than tidal oceans.
However, another possibility is that specimens might simply have escaped from a fish farm.
The Blue Spotted Sea Bass is not known to be commercially farmed in the Med; but with other species now endangered, some aquaculture firms may be experimenting with new species.
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