The LIFE Pinna project, devised by Triton Research and ARPAL, during the “Terrazza incontra” programme broadcast on Primocanale. The episode dedicated to “The future of the sea” gave Monica Montefalcone and Alice Oprandi of the project staff the opportunity to explain the initiative.

But what exactly do we know about this species? Researchers at the University of Genoa, who have been studying Pinna nobilis for many years, can shed some light on the subject:

Very widespread before an epidemic in 2016 decimated its population, Pinna nobilis was present in virtually all Posidonia-covered seabed, as this is the preferred habitat of the small molluscs. These glades hide the shells well from predators, have a large amount of organic material in suspension that therefore provides abundant food for the species, and finally have numerous anchoring points that protect the shells from tidal movements that could disturb them. These bivalves often provide shelter or food for many other species, such as nudibranchs or Blennius ocellaris. For this reason, the LIFESeposso project also focused on improving the governance of Posidonia oceanica transplants by searching for and analysing other so-called ‘sentinel’ bivalve organisms that may alarm researchers in the event of conditions adverse to the proliferation of Pinna nobilis, such as the presence of dangerous pathogens. After collection and freezing some of these bivalves by biologists from the University of Genoa, the bivalves are sent to the University of Sassari for biological tests to confirm the absence of the above-mentioned pathogens.

Once the genetic analyses have been carried out and the absence of the pathogens has been confirmed, it will be possible to proceed with transplanting the small laboratory-grown Pinna nobilis specimens in Capo Mortola area and other areas.