Citizen Science Records of Marine Alien Species in Malta

Occurrence Observation
Latest version published by Oceanography Malta Research Group, Department of Geosciences, University of Malta on May 25, 2026 Oceanography Malta Research Group, Department of Geosciences, University of Malta
Publication date:
25 May 2026
License:
CC-BY 4.0

Download the latest version of this resource data as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A) or the resource metadata as EML or RTF:

Data as a DwC-A file download 77 records in English (6 KB) - Update frequency: as needed
Metadata as an EML file download in English (9 KB)
Metadata as an RTF file download in English (6 KB)

Description

This dataset was developed by the Oceanography Malta Research Group (OMRG) to document the occurrences and distribution of Non-Indigenous Species (NIS), commonly known as 'alien species', in Maltese waters. Data is collected through citizen science initiatives, involving SCUBA divers, fishers and recreational sea users, who report sightings of alien species.OMRG coordiantes several citizen science campaigns including 'Spot the Alien', 'Spot the Alien fish' and 'Spot the Jellyfish', aimed at raising public awarness and encouraging the submission of NIS. The initiative relies on citizen-generated observational data, including species sightings, photographs and associated location information submitted by participants. All submitted reports are reviewed and validated by scientific personnel before being incorporated into the dataset, ensuring the reliability and scientific value of the data.

Data Records

The data in this occurrence resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 77 records.

This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.

Versions

The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.

How to cite

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

Deidun A, Marrone A, Prieto Gomez L (2026). Citizen Science Records of Marine Alien Species in Malta. Version 2.0. Oceanography Malta Research Group, Department of Geosciences, University of Malta. Occurrence dataset. https://doi.org/10.25607/t30dex

Rights

Researchers should respect the following rights statement:

The publisher and rights holder of this work is Oceanography Malta Research Group, Department of Geosciences, University of Malta. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY 4.0) License.

GBIF Registration

This resource has been registered with GBIF, and assigned the following GBIF UUID: c1183739-8c2e-4213-bf1c-f2c8fb83e275.  Oceanography Malta Research Group, Department of Geosciences, University of Malta publishes this resource, and is itself registered in GBIF as a data publisher endorsed by Ocean Biodiversity Information System.

Keywords

occurrence; citizen science; alien species; non-indigenous species; Mediterranean sea; Malta

Contacts

Alan Deidun
  • Originator ●
  • Point Of Contact
  • Principal Investigator
Oceanography Malta Research Group, Department of Geosciences, University of Malta
  • University of Malta, Msida MSD 2080, Malta
MSD 2080 Msida
MT
Alessio Marrone
  • Originator ●
  • Point Of Contact
  • Research Assistant
Oceanography Malta Research Group, Department of Geosciences, University of Malta
  • University of Malta, Msida MSD 2080, Malta
MSD 2080 Msida
MT
Laura Prieto Gomez
  • Metadata Provider ●
  • Point Of Contact
  • Research Assistant
Oceanography Malta Research Group, Department of Geosciences, University of Malta
  • University of Malta, Msida MSD 2080, Malta
MSD 2080 Msida
MT

Additional Metadata

Alternative Identifiers 10.25607/t30dex
c1183739-8c2e-4213-bf1c-f2c8fb83e275
https://ipt.medobis.eu/resource?r=nis-records-malta