France, Sept. 30 -- Warming seas are accelerating the spread of invasive species that threaten marine life and fisheries, especially in the Mediterranean, the European Union's Copernicus Marine Service warned on Tuesday.

From May 2022 to early 2023, the Mediterranean went through its longest marine heatwave in four decades, with surface temperatures up to 4.3C above normal.

Scientists examined how that extreme heat affected two invasive species - the Atlantic blue crab and the bearded fireworm - which have spread in the Po River delta in northern Italy and along the Sicilian coast.

In the Po delta, the surge in blue crabs, which feed on shellfish, caused mussel production to collapse by 75 to 100 percent in some lagoons in 2023. The fa...