Invasion of tropical fish in the seas, Palmieri (Zarotti Spa):“Ecosystem at risk”

And consequently also the fishing and agricultural sectors

SAINT SEBASTIAN: The Mediterranean is invaded by tropical fish, and it's not good news. The phenomenon exploded during this long hot summer: the water temperature reached peaks of 29 and 31 degrees, causing the invasion of exotic species and putting native ones at risk, even in the most renowned fish farms. In short, the warming of sea waters risks creating much more serious damage than that on land:This is stated by Daniele Ingemi, meteorologist expert in extreme phenomena and dynamic meteorology.“We are recording - explains the expert - the invasion of tropical fish arriving from the Suez Canal such as the Scorpion Fish or the Puffer Fish, while on the European Atlantic coasts the presence of species coming from the warmer areas of the Atlantic is recorded. Local fishing, in fish farms on the Mediterranean coasts, is therefore at risk.In the Cantabrian Sea, for example, which is a shallow sea, the global rise in temperatures could damage existing activities."

The increase in water temperatures does not only affect the Mediterranean.Ingemi specifies that "increases have also been recorded in the Atlantic, especially on the coasts of Portugal, Spain and France.In addition to a natural fact in which there are hot cycles alternating with colder ones, there is global warming resulting from anthropogenic causes which is causing these dangerous increases in the temperature of the surface waters of the seas".But aren't there any remedies?“From a natural point of view, the arrival of La Niña is expected in the coming months which, being a cold current opposite to El Niño, should lower the temperature in the Atlantic”.

All that remains is to monitor the impact on our seas.“If on the one hand the disturbances will lead to a drop in temperatures - explains the meteorologist - on the other hand there is a high risk of recording localized extreme phenomena such as Tlc (Tropical Like Cyclone) as they were called in the past.They are small cyclones that form because the heat and humidity of the water are very high.In autumn, with the arrival of Atlantic disturbances which are at lower temperatures, they trigger the mechanism that occurs in the tropics with the formation of cyclones.Small but unfortunately still powerful cyclones that could cause damage to the coasts together with the formation of storm surges".

CLEAR CLIMATE CHANGE

Climate changes in the Mediterranean Sea and in the Atlantic that laps the European coasts, especially Spain, Portugal and France, are already evident:storm surges, storms and small cyclones increase, and the winds become more powerful.Marine biodiversity is also changing for the worse.The Azti science and technology center, based in the Spanish province of Biscay, warns of the risks of global warming on waters.“Species coming from colder waters – explain the research center – move further north and fish from colder seas move closer to the warmer Cantabrian Sea”.

The temperature of the most superficial layers of the Cantabrian Sea, in fact, is increasing by around 0.2 degrees every decade.Guillem Chust, lead author of the study, explains that the sea level they monitor is rising by 3.2 millimeters every year.“By the end of the century the increase will be between 50 and 80 centimeters.”As a consequence Flooding is expected in some areas of the coast under spring tide conditions and damage to ports, to docks and walks during storms.It is estimated, for example, that a large part of the beaches will be lost.And not only that:Azti researchers conducted a study on how the biodiversity of European seas is changing, concluding that in recent years the Atlantic Ocean has experienced a tropicalization of its communities, increasing the abundance of species typical of multiple waters.

Giovanni Palmieri, head of Zarotti Spa, a well-known company from Parma, excellent for its preserved fish products:anchovies, tuna, salmon, confirms that “the rise in temperatures will put the ecosystem and consequently the fishing sector at risk, but also the agricultural sector, will be affected.The consumer rewards the nutritional quality of our products, starting with anchovies from the Cantabrian Sea".

The sea is in the company's DNA and, therefore, the ability to choose the best products that come from there, to bring them to consumers' tables.This is the strategy that has allowed Zarotti Spa of Parma to achieve important objectives.In Parma is the logistics center of this company which, born in Cilento, chooses sea products where they stand out for their quality, in particular "for nutritional quality - explains CEO Giovanni Palmieri - the aspect that consumers most reward".

So Zarotti last year processed and marketed approximately 300 tons of fresh anchovies coming from the Cantabrian Sea area, unmistakable for being thick, robust and larger in size.“The Atlantic Ocean gives the products a nice body and the anchovies are more pulpy and more suitable for starting the processing of salted anchovies” explains CEO Palmieri.This closes a historical circle because, if today anchovies arrive in Italy from the northern coast of Spain to be processed, "we must remember that it was the Sicilians who moved to the Spanish coast and were the first to start salting them at the end of the nineteenth century. of anchovies”, explains the administrator of Zarotti, a company that currently employs two hundred workers.Anchovies first and foremost, but Zarotti also produces tuna, mackerel, salmon and seafood, processed into various product lines, which reach the consumer mainly through large-scale distribution.The company also produces for private labels, including the most important brands present in the major supermarkets.

Sustainability is "an indispensable corporate cornerstone", pervades every aspect of the company, starting from respect for the sea.“Anchovy fishing takes place from March to October, on moonless nights”, exemplifies Palmieri, and “the fish are collected with circle nets that respect the seabed”. In 2022 the company obtained the Plastic free certification, because for packaging it only uses paper, glass and tin, which are totally recyclable.In 2023 it obtained the renewal of this important certification, reaching 'grade C'.Zarotti was also the first Italian company in the food sector to have chosen Upm Raflatac labels and their Ocean action label self-adhesive material, labels made with abandoned plastic scraps and waste, found within 50 kilometers of the coasts and considered to have a high environmental impact due to the risk of ending up in the sea.