LARNACA, Cyprus (AP) — Photis Gaetanos’ calloused fingers casually pry the lionfish’s venomous spikes out of the net, tossing the exotic-looking creature into a rubber bin filled with ice with other fish from the day’s catch.
While a few years ago he mostly caught local staples such as sea bream, red mullet or bass, the experienced fisherman now looks for invasive species that make their way from the Red Sea to the warm waters of the Mediterranean.
Lionfish, with their red and orange-colored stripes and antennae-like barbs that alarm predators, threaten to destroy native fish stocks, wreaking havoc on the livelihoods of about 150 professional fishermen in Cyprus.
The spiny fish has even made its way to the northern Ionian Sea, where Italian authorities have urged the public to take photos and report sightings.
The Eastern Mediterranean has also seen another invasive Red Sea fish in recent decades: the silver-cheeked toadfish. Known as an eating machine whose powerful jaws cut fishing nets, destroying fishermen’s catches, it has no natural predators in Cyprus, allowing its population to explode.
That toadfish also produces a deadly toxin, rendering it inedible.
Hot water is the culprit
Gaitanos, a 60-year-old fisherman, has been fishing for years in the area, a few kilometers from the coastal city of Larnaca, once famous for its fishing bounty. Now, he says, it’s been more than two years since he caught the consumer favorite red mullet.
“I have been in this profession for 40 years. Our income, especially since the appearance of these two exotic species, has been getting worse every year. This has now become a big problem (affecting) the future of fishing,” he said. “How can this be dealt with?”
Europe’s Common Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean states that the presence of invasive species is “gradually increasing in the western basin” as sea temperatures rise about 20% faster than the global average.
Models show that warmer seas as a result of climate change could see swarms of lionfish throughout the Mediterranean by the end of the century. Warmer waters and an expanded Suez Canal have “opened the floodgates” for Indo-Pacific species in general, according to Cyprus’ fisheries department.
European Union fisheries commissioner Kostas Kadis, a Cypriot himself, told The Associated Press that more frequent and intense extreme weather, often linked to climate change, could make the Mediterranean more hospitable to invasive species.
And it is taking a heavy toll on Europe’s fishing industry as fishermen’s catches decline while their costs rise as a result of repairing fishing gear damaged by powerful intruders.
“The native marine biodiversity of a particular region, in the case of Cyprus, faces increasing competition and pressure, with dependence on local ecosystems and industries,” Kadis said.
Fishermen cry out for help
Gaitanos, who inherited his father’s boat in 1986, isn’t sure the fishermen’s complaints have been addressed in a way that would have prevented the decline of the profession.
“We want to show the European Union that there is a big problem with the amount of catch and the type of fish caught, which is affected by the arrival of these invasive species and climate change,” he said.
Some EU-funded compensation programs have been implemented to help fishermen. Implemented last year, fishermen are paid about 4.73 euros ($5.5) per kilogram (2.2 pounds) to catch toadfish to control their numbers. The toadfish are then sent to the incinerator.
Another project, RELIONMED, which began in 2017, recruits about 100 scuba divers to fish lions around wrecks, reefs and marine protected areas. Surveys by the Cyprus Department of Fisheries show that frequent culls may take time for local species to recover, but this is not a permanent solution.
Some try to eat the problem
Local fishermen are hoping to reach out to the fish-loving public with a new campaign to serve lionfish deliciously after its poisonous spines are carefully removed.
The EU fisheries commissioner, Kadis, said a social media campaign launched in 2021, #TasteTheOcean, will see top European chefs and influencers plug invasive species as a tasty alternative to more commonly consumed fish. Famous Cypriot chef Stavris Georgiou created his own lionfish recipe.
For most Cypriots, local taverns have their rich meze menus with many plates of different fish. Although eating lionfish is late, many tavernas and fish restaurants are starting to offer it as part of their menu.
A bonus is that lionfish are now competitively priced compared to popular fish like sea bass. At the fish market in the port of Larnaca, the price of lionfish is less than half that of popular fish such as sea bass.
“By including invasive species like lionfish in our diet, we can turn this challenge into an opportunity for the fisheries sector and at the same time help limit the environmental threat posed by these species,” Caddis said.
Stefanos Mentonis, who runs a popular fish restaurant in Larnaca, has included lanefish on his meze menu as a way to introduce fish to more patrons.
Mentonis, 54, says most of his customers aren’t familiar with lionfish. But its flesh is fluffy and tender, and he says it can hold its own against perennial tavern favorites like sea bream.
“When they try it, it’s no less delicious than any other fish,” he said.
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Associated Press writer Colin Barry in Milan contributed to this report.
