The Disappearing Giant: Saving Pinna nobilis

This episode takes us beneath the Mediterranean surface — into a
broader field of science, where the tools and thinking we know
from biotech meet ecology, disease research, and conservation
biology.


Pinna nobilis, the fan mussel, is the largest bivalve mollusc in
the Mediterranean Sea. It has been known since antiquity: ancient
Greek and Roman authors already described pinnae, and its fine
anchoring threads — the byssus — were once associated with the
legendary “sea silk.” For centuries, this quiet giant shaped
coastal ecosystems by filtering seawater, stabilising sediments,
and providing habitat for many other organisms.


That long history came to an abrupt halt around
2016, when a catastrophic mass mortality event
swept through the Mediterranean. Within a few years, Pinna
nobilis had disappeared from most open‑sea habitats. Today, only
a few remaining populations survive — mainly in coastal lagoons
and deltas.


In this episode, we speak with two researchers who have been
closely involved in documenting and responding to this crisis:



José Rafael García‑March, Institute for
Environmental and Marine Science Research (IMEDMAR),Catholic
University of Valencia, Spain


Željko Pavlinec, Laboratory for Microbiology
and Molecular Biology, Aquarium Pula, Croatia



Together, they discuss how scientists first realised that
something was going terribly wrong, which pathogens are involved,
why the collapse unfolded so rapidly, and what makes the
remaining populations so crucial for the species’ survival. The
conversation also sheds light on the practical realities of
conservation research: field monitoring, working with endangered
species, international coordination — and the limits of
intervention when extinction is already underway.





LIFE PINNACARE


Pinna nobilis conservation and restoration


Reference: LIFE24-NAT-ES-PINNACARE/101216239
 Acronym: LIFE24-NAT-ES-PINNACARE
 Start Date: 01/10/2025
 End Date: 30/11/2029
 Total Eligible Budget: 3,926,002 €
 EU Contribution: 2,355,601 €


Official LIFE database entry:
https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/life/publicWebsite/project/LIFE24-NAT-ES-PINNACARE-101216239/pinna-nobilis-conservation-and-restoration


Coordinating beneficiary: Catholic University of
Valencia San Vicente Mártir (Spain)


Partners include: Aquarium Pula d.o.o.
(Croatia),University of Zadar
(Croatia),Ludwig‑Maximilians‑Universität München
(Germany),Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries –
IRTA (Spain),Universidad de Alicante (Spain),Universidad de
Murcia (Spain),Agencia Estatal CSIC (Spain),Institut
Océanographique Paul Ricard (France),University of the Aegean
(Greece),Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II (Italy).


The project focuses mainly on the reservoirs and in the
maintenance of individuals for indoor reproduction, since open
water populations are missing. In open waters, continuing the
protection and monitoring of resistant and hybrid individuals
found is also important to safeguard their diversity for future
crossbreeding. If no actions are taken, the few resistant
individuals found so far will perish after a while without
leaving any offspring, and populations in reservoirs will decay,
being unable to repopulate if any natural and anthropic factors
or the disease kills them. 


More Links:


Chasing Pinna nobilis Survivors: Current Status in Spanish Open
Coastal Waters


Life Pinnarca | HomeEpidemic and pathogens | Aquarium Pula


⁠Neues EU-Projekt zum Schutz seltener Mittelmeer-Muschel - LMU
München


Hope for the Noble Pen Shell: The Scientists in Croatia Trying to
Save an Endangered Giant | Earth Journalism Network


pinna_nobilis_restoration_strategy.pdf