A guide to Italian marine life: 10,000+ species in the Mediterranean, posidonia, groupers, octopus, moray eels. Italian marine reserves, snorkeling
The Mediterranean Sea, the Italian sea, covers 0.7% of the world's ocean surface but hosts about 7-9% of all known marine species: over 10,000 documented species in a basin of 2.5 million km². This extraordinary biodiversity density depends on the geological history of the Mediterranean (isolation from the Atlantic, drying and reconnection events over millions of years), on the variety of habitats (posidonia meadows, coralligenous, sands, caves, rocky bottoms) and on the mixing of African, European, and Asian waters.
The posidonia oceanica (Posidonia oceanica) isn't an alga, it's a plant with roots, stem, leaves, flowers, and fruits. It forms underwater meadows between 0 and 40 m deep along all the Italian coasts, the "tropical forest" of the Mediterranean. It produces 60-70% of the Mediterranean's oxygen through photosynthesis. It hosts over 400 species of algae and 1,000 animal species. The ball of posidonia fibers you find on the beach (the "trivial" grey sphere) is actually an indicator of a healthy beach, it means the posidonia is present and healthy on the nearby seabed.
The dusky grouper is the most representative reef fish of the Mediterranean, and one of the biggest beneficiaries of the Italian marine reserves. Before the protection, it had almost disappeared from the 1960s to the 1980s from spearfishing. In the Italian marine reserves (Ustica, Portofino, Capo Caccia) they have recovered extraordinarily: at Ustica, the groupers approach snorkelers and divers spontaneously, accustomed to their presence, without fear. Outside the reserves, they're still rare and wary, the contrast is visible in a few minutes of swimming at the edges of a marine reserve.
The common octopus is omnipresent on the rocky Italian coasts, one of the most intelligent cephalopod mollusks in the world. It recognizes the individual divers who frequent the same area regularly, solves complex problems (opening jars, using coconut shells as protection), has chromatic coloring that changes in milliseconds, possesses three hearts and blue blood (hemocyanin instead of hemoglobin). It's easily seen snorkeling on the rocky Italian coasts between May and October, look for the "dens" with small boulders and mollusk shells at the entrance.
The striped red mullet is the fish that made southern Italian cooking, introduced to the Romans by the Greeks as a supreme luxury fish. The emperor Domitian had breeding tanks built for the mullets in the 1st century AD. The price reached that of gold by weight in the Roman market. Today it's still the most prized fish of Italian coastal cooking: "fried anchovies and baked mullet" is the Friday dish in almost every seaside trattoria from Genoa to Brindisi. The mullets are seen snorkeling on shallow sandy bottoms, recognizable by the white barbels under the jaw with which they explore the bottom in search of food.
| Reserve | Where | Year | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ustica | PA | 1987 (the first in Italy) | Posidonia meadows, groupers, barracuda |
| Portofino | GE | 1999 | Gorgonians, groupers, coralligenous |
| Punta Campanella | NA | 2000 | Posidonia, groupers, turtles |
| Capo Caccia-Isola Piana | SS | 2002 | Neptune's Grotto, barracuda |
| Torre Guaceto | BR | 2000 | Posidonia, sea trout |
| Isole Ciclopi | CT | 1989 | Volcanic seabeds, octopus |
| Pelagie (Lampedusa) | AG | 2002 | Nesting sea turtles |
The Mediterranean has about 47 species of sharks, but almost none is dangerous to humans. The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) exists in the Mediterranean, mainly in the Sicily Channel and around Sardinia, with an estimated population of fewer than 500 individuals. Confirmed attacks in modern Italy: extremely rare, fewer than 10 in the last 50 years, almost all without serious injuries. The smooth-hound (Mustelus mustelus), the starry smooth-hound (Mustelus asterias) and the spurdog (Squalus acanthias) are common sharks in the Italian Mediterranean, harmless to humans, in serious decline from overfishing.
The most frequent jellyfish in the Italian Mediterranean: Pelagia noctiluca (the luminescent jellyfish, violet, stinging, the most common, massive arrivals in August); Rhizostoma pulmo (the barrel jellyfish, large and white, mildly stinging); Cotylorhiza tuberculata (the fried egg jellyfish, harmless). The jellyfish arrive in large quantities in August-September from currents that carry them ashore and from the decrease of predators (tuna, turtles). There are no reliable forecasts for jellyfish invasions, check the local reports. In case of a stinging contact: rinse with seawater (not fresh, fresh worsens it), remove the tentacles with a plastic card (not with the fingers), apply antihistamine cream or diluted ammonia.
Yes. The fish sold in Italian markets and restaurants is subject to the controls of the Ministry of Health and the NAS (the Carabinieri's Anti-Adulteration Unit). The main risk is traceability: the "Mediterranean sea bass" on the menu isn't always really Italian, Greek, Turkish, or Egyptian farmed fish is often sold as "Italian". How to recognize fresh fish: a convex, bright eye (not opaque or sunken), bright red gills, a sea smell (not ammonia), flesh firm to the touch. The summer biological stop (June-July in the Adriatic) temporarily reduces the availability of some species, but it's a necessary measure for sustainability.
The bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is the most precious fish in the Mediterranean, and one of the most dramatic cases of overfishing in Italian fishing history. In the 1970s-80s, the adult bluefin tuna (up to 450 kg) were common in the Sicily Channel and the Tyrrhenian. Industrial fishing reduced the Mediterranean population by 80% between 1960 and 2010. Since 2007, ICCAT (the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) has imposed strict quotas. The response has been positive: the Mediterranean population has partly recovered from 2012 onward, one of the rare success stories of international fishery management.
The tonnara of Carloforte (the Island of San Pietro, CA) is the last active tonnara in Italy, the traditional fishing with fixed nets ("cala") takes place in May-June, with the final "mattanza" that has become a cultural rite documented by UNESCO. It's no longer a mass fishery (the quota is very small, fewer than 100 tuna a year), but it's one of the last living links with the traditional fishing of the Mediterranean. The Carloforte Tuna Festival (early June) celebrates the event, tuna tartare, seared tuna, sweet-and-sour tuna prepared following Genoese-Sardinian recipes of the 18th century.
The anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) and the sardine (Sardina pilchardus), the two "pesce azzurro" (oily fish) par excellence, are the most abundant species by total biomass in the Italian Mediterranean. Both are planktivorous, reproduce rapidly, have life cycles of 2-4 years. The Adriatic Sea fleet centers its historic activity precisely on these two species. The anchovies of Cetara (SA) and Sciacca (AG) are the Italian fish products with the longest documented gastronomic history, the Roman "garum" (fermented sauce of anchovy innards) was the ketchup of antiquity, produced in industrial quantities at Cetara and in other Roman colonies of the Tyrrhenian.
The system of marine caves of the Italian coast is one of the richest in the Mediterranean, and the least visited for the difficulties of access (only by sea, often only by diving). The caves are critical habitats for species that don't survive direct light: the yellow coral (Leptopsammia pruvoti), the red gorgonian (Paramuricea clavata), the rock crab (Grapsus grapsus), the cave shrimp (Palaemon elegans). The Neptune's Grotto at Alghero (the most-visited cave complex in Italy) hosts marine cave fauna in its innermost part inaccessible to the public, studies by the University of Sassari have documented unique Sardinian endemic species in these dark cavities.
Italy compresses into 300,000 km² a variety that in the USA would require crossing several states. The most important difference: in Italy every natural or cultural phenomenon is surrounded by 2,000 years of human history, there's no total wilderness (even the most remote national parks have ruins, medieval trails, hermitages). This adds layers of meaning the American parks don't have, but it also means less "true" wilderness in the North American sense of the term.
No. In the big cities and the main attractions, English is spoken fairly well by almost all the tourist staff. In rural Italy and the small villages, the level is much lower, but a smile, a "grazie" and "per favore" in Italian open many doors. The translation apps (Google Translate with the camera for the menus) solve most situations. The traveler who knows three words of Italian is treated better than the one who speaks only English at high volume.
April-June and September-October are the recommended periods for almost everything: less crowding than summer, pleasant temperatures, slightly lower prices, extraordinary photographic light in the golden hours. July-August is the tourist peak, intense heat (35-40°C in the cities), lines, peak prices. December-February has minimum prices and few people, but some coastal or high-altitude attractions close for the season.
For those who want to know more before leaving: the site of ENIT (the Italian National Tourism Board, www.italia.it) has official information in English on all the destinations. The Visit Italy portal of the Ministry of Culture (www.museiitaliani.it) has up-to-date information on museums and cultural sites. For the nature parks: the portal of the MASE (Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, www.mase.gov.it) has the up-to-date pages of all the Italian National Parks. For the wildlife: the site of ISPRA (www.isprambiente.gov.it) publishes annually the reports on the state of wildlife in Italy, downloadable for free.
The fish in Italian coastal restaurants has very different supply chains. In the traditional fish markets (the Fish Market of Catania, the Porta Nolana Market in Naples, the Fish Market of Genoa), the local fish arrives in the morning at 5:00-6:00 directly from the fishing boats. In mid-range restaurants in the tourist cities, the fish is often farmed (sea bream, sea bass, clams) coming from Greece, Turkey, or Spain, not necessarily declared as such. How to tell the difference: the local fish has seasonal variability (you won't find fresh local sea bass in August in the Adriatic, it's out of season); the farmed fish has regular sizes and a stable price all year. A "wild" sea bream costs €18-25/kg wholesale; a "farmed" one €6-9/kg. The restaurant that offers you "wild Tyrrhenian sea bass" at €18 for a first course is probably selling you Greek farmed fish at wild price.
The paranza, the mixed fry of small fish (mullet, anchovies, squid, prawns), is the freshness test in an Italian seafood restaurant. A good paranza fry doesn't taste of oil (fresh oil, the right temperature), the fish are intact (not mush), the crust is crispy but not hard. If it tastes of old oil or rancid frying, the fish was kept too long or fried in exhausted oil. Ordering the paranza is the most honest order you can make in an Italian seaside trattoria, it's hard to fake and requires fresh fish.