Range expansion of the non-native oyster Crassostrea gigas in the Adriatic Sea

Abstract

      The Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas, was introduced into the Europe in the late 1960s for aquaculture purposes and has since spread extensively in Mediterranean waters. For the first time, screening of the four ecologically most suitable bays along the Eastern Adriatic coast was conducted to detect the possible presence of non-native oysters. Sequencing analysis of a fragment of mitochondrial 16S rRNA was examined to demonstrate the presence of the exotic species C. gigas in the natural environments of the northern and central coastal areas of the eastern Adriatic. The likely routes of invasion are discussed and the importance of monitoring the distribution of feral C. gigas populations emphasized, with a focus on the potential direct and indirect effects on the native European flat oyster, Ostrea edulis.