As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, due to the terrible outbreak of a deadly infection that has negatively affected the population of noble pen shells (Pinna nobilis) throughout the Mediterranean, including the Croatian Adriatic sea, the Institute for Environmental Protection and Nature of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development through the action “Did you see them?/Jeste li ih vidjeli?” is calling upon members of society to report locations where they’ve spotted the shells.
The Croatian Economy Ministry’s praiseworthy action related to the noble pen shell (Pinna nobilis) in the Adriatic sea will remain current throughout the entire year, but its importance will be the most pronounced in the summer months when the possibility of observing marine organisms in their natural habitat is increased due to more swimming taking place.
There is a decreasing number of living pen shell individuals in the sea, so it is crucial for the survival of the species to find potentially resistant individuals that could further reproduce and create natural “immunity” against the disease which is ravaging their population.
Since the first outbreak and mass death in the Croatian part of the Adriatic sea, seventeen living individuals of noble pen shell existing in nature have been confirmed in various locations along the Adriatic.
When identifying living individuals out in nature, it is necessary to check whether the individual reacts by closing its shell to an external stimulus, or to the movement of the sea water in its immediate vicinity. Namely, just seeing upright part of the shell in the sediment doesn’t necessarily imply that it is in fact a living individual, and one must see if there is a reaction to its surroundings.
The Croatian Economy Ministry has stated that the pen shell is a strictly protected species, so it must not be touched, and any intentional extraction of living or dead individuals (empty shells) of is prohibited under Croatian law, writes N1.
All information about live individuals, the locations where you observed them and photos of them can be reported to the website of the Institute for Environmental Protection and Nature of the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development by contacting [email protected].
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