Demographic explosion of the brown shrimp Penaeus aztecus Ives 1891 (Decapoda: Penaeidae) in the central and northern Adriatic: implications for ecosystems and fisheries

Penaeus aztecusIves 1891 is an invasive species ofwesternAtlantic origin that hasbecomeestablished indifferent areas ofthe Mediterranean Sea. This study highlights a recent demographic explosion of this alien species in the AdriaticSea. A considerable number ofindividuals(more than 20 per fishing vesselout of a total of 36 surveyed)were captured bytrawling at San Benedetto del Trontoon 30September 2024, the first fishing day following a 30-day fishing moratorium. Additional unusually highcatches in otherareas ofthecentral and northernItalianAdriatic Seaoccurred in the same period,further confirminga clearrecentpopulation surgeof this speciesintheAdriatic.Our results suggesta rapidly growing population in this region of the Mediterranean.We discuss the possible causes of this sudden population increase, as well asthe ecologicaland socio-economic impacts that the species may have on the region in the coming years.