PHOTOS: Surgeonfish spotted in Croatian waters for first time

(Photo: Institute for Oceanography and Fisheries)

The Institute for Oceanography and Fisheries in Split, Croatia has announced via social media that a fish species previously unseen in these regions has appeared in the Adriatic Sea.

The fish in question is the surgeonfish (Acanthurus monroviae), which typically inhabits the eastern Atlantic Ocean, from southern Morocco to Angola.

Since 1987, it has also begun to appear in the Mediterranean Sea, and over time, the number of sightings has increased to the point where it is believed to have an established population in the southern part of the region.

It has even been recently found in Crimea in the Black Sea, according to the Institute.

This year, there have been several sightings of this fish in the Kostrena area. Of course, we cannot draw conclusions about how these fish have ended up near Rijeka; for now, we can only state that a fish previously unseen in our waters is swimming in our sea.

(Photo: Institute for Oceanography and Fisheries)

The surgeonfish primarily feeds on plant matter but sometimes consumes small invertebrates. It can grow up to 45 cm in length.

If you see this fish, please inform us, and if you happen to catch one, we kindly ask you to preserve it for further analysis, as it would be very helpful to us. We appreciate the reports received so far, the Institute stated.