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
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