A citizen campaign dealing with non-indigenous fish species has been launched by the university.

The campaign, which follows the Spot the Jellyfish campaign first launched in 2010, is being run together with the International Ocean Institute, the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Friends of the Earth and the Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale of Italy.

 Prof Alan Deidun, who is in charge of the campaign in Malta, said the first step was the design and printing of a laminated A3 colour poster, which is being distributed to all local fishermen and scuba diving clubs.

The poster features photographs of 32 fish species which have entered the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal or the Straits of Gibraltar.

The ultimate aim of this campaign is to monitor in the long-term any population changes within

Maltese waters of the selected alien fish species as part of an informal trans-boundary observation network on alien marine species established between Malta, Tunisia and Sicily.

The selected 32 fish species have either been recently recorded in Maltese waters or are as yet unknown in these waters but have been recorded from contiguous regions, such as Sicily and Tunisia.

The poster gives indications on the point of entry of each fish in the Mediterranean, while identifying the toxic (unfit for consumption) and the venomous (unfit for handling) species.

Photos of caught or observed fish individuals, even if not included in the poster, should be sent to aliensmalta@gmail.com. Alternatively, contact can be made over the phone on 7960 4109 or 2292 6888.