Climate change and the opening of Suez Canal have in recent years opened the floodgates to invasive species in the Mediterranean Sea, where they threaten biodiversity.<\/p>\n
Lionfish, with their red and orange stripes and antennae-like barbs, threaten to decimate indigenous fish stocks, wreaking havoc on the livelihoods of the roughly 150 professional fishermen in Cyprus.<\/p>\n
“It leaves nothing behind and multiplies because it has no enemies. It is very dangerous for all fish in the areas where it multiplies and stays,” says local fisherman Photis Gaitanos.<\/p>\n
The prickly fish has even made its way as far north as the Ionian Sea, where Italian authorities have asked the public to photograph and report sightings.<\/p>\n
The East Mediterranean has also seen another invasive Red Sea fish in the last decade: the silver-cheeked toadfish. Known as an eating machine whose powerful jaws cut through fishing nets, decimating fishermen\u2019s catch, it has no natural predators off Cyprus, allowing its population to explode.<\/p>\n
That toadfish also produces a lethal toxin, making it inedible.<\/p>\n
Eating the problem: Lionfish grace the menus of local restaurants<\/p>\n
Although no solution has been found for the toadfish other than subsidising fishermen for killing them, in Cyprus they have found a way to reduce lionfish populations while at the same time making a profit. <\/p>\n
Once their venomous spines have been removed, lionfish have become a delicacy<\/strong><\/a> in the country’s seafood restaurants.<\/p>\n The European Union\u2019s Fisheries Commissioner Costas Kadis, a Cypriot himself, says a social media campaign that began in 2021, #TasteTheOcean, had top European chefs and influencers plugging invasive species as a tasty alternative to the more commonly consumed fish. Renowned Cypriot chef Stavris Georgiou worked up a lionfish recipe of his own.<\/p>\n Although eating lionfish has been slow to catch on, many tavernas and fish restaurants have started to introduce it as part of their menu.<\/p>\n The bonus is that lionfish is now priced competitively compared to more popular fish like sea bass. At the Larnaca harbor fish market, lionfish cost less than half as much as more popular fish like sea bass.<\/p>\n \u201cBy incorporating invasive species such as lionfish into our diet, we can turn this challenge into an opportunity for the fisheries sector and at the same time help limit the environmental threat caused by these species,\u201d Kadis says.<\/p>\n Stephanos Mentonis, who runs a popular fish tavern in Larnaca, has included lionfish on his meze menu as a way to introduce the fish to a wider number of patrons.<\/p>\n Mentonis, 54, says most of his customers aren\u2019t familiar with lionfish. But its meat is fluffy and tender, and he says it can hold up against perennial tavern favorites like sea bream.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen they try it, it\u2019s not any less tasty than any other fish,” he says.<\/p>\n “First of all it has to be cleaned, it is very dangerous,” he adds. “You have to cut the spines off… if you get pricked, you will not die but it you be in terrible pain.”<\/p>\n What’s driving invasive species into the Mediterranean?<\/p>\n Gaitanos, the 60-year-old fisherman, has fished for years in an area a few kilometres off the coastal town of Larnaca, once famous for its bounty of local staples such as sea bream, red mullet or bass. Now, he says, it\u2019s been more than two years since he\u2019s caught a red mullet, a consumer favourite.<\/p>\n \u201cI have been practicing this profession for 40 years. Our income, especially since these two foreign species appeared, has become worse every year. It is now a major problem [affecting] the future of fishing,” he says. <\/p>\n Europe\u2019s General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean says with the sea warming<\/strong><\/a> some 20 per cent faster than the global average, the presence of invasive species \u201cis progressively increasing in the western basin\u201d.<\/p>\n Models show that warmer seas as a result of climate change could see lionfish swarm the entire Mediterranean by the century\u2019s end. Warmer waters and an expanded Suez Canal \u201chave opened the floodgates\u201d to Indo-Pacific species in general, according to Cyprus\u2019 Fisheries Department.<\/p>\n Kadis says that more frequent and intense extreme weather<\/strong><\/a>, often linked to climate change, could make the Mediterranean more hospitable to invasive species.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s taking a heavy toll on Europe\u2019s fishing industry as fishermen<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s catches diminish while their costs shoot up as a result of repairs to fishing gear damaged by the powerful intruders.<\/p>\n \u201cThe native marine biodiversity of a specific region, as in the case of Cyprus, faces heightened competition and pressure, with implications for local ecosystems and industries dependent on them,\u201d says Kadis.<\/p>\n What’s being done to curb invasive species in EU waters?<\/p>\n Gaitanos, who inherited his father\u2019s boat in 1986, is not sure the fishermen\u2019s grievances are being handled in a way that can stave off the profession\u2019s decline.<\/p>\n