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
- Originator ●
- Point Of Contact
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6919-5374
- Originator ●
- Point Of Contact
- Metadata Provider ●
- Point Of Contact
Additional Metadata
| Alternative Identifiers | 10.25607/t30dex |
|---|---|
| c1183739-8c2e-4213-bf1c-f2c8fb83e275 | |
| https://ipt.medobis.eu/resource?r=nis-records-malta |