A voracious, venomous species of fish that has invaded the Mediterranean from the Red Sea may be about to meet its match as conservationists urge people to start eating them.
The exotic-looking lionfish has taken advantage of the widening of the Suez Canal and warming waters, caused by global climate change, to colonise the sea off Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Turkey and Lebanon.
An aggressive species, it preys on native fish and can reproduce at an alarming rate.
Over-fishing in the Mediterranean means that there is an acute lack of bigger fish which might have been expected to prey on the lionfish.
Now environmental groups in Greece and Cyprus are encouraging divers to catch them and sell or give them to restaurants.
There is a hitch – the lionfish’s dorsal fins are highly venomous, but experts insist that fishermen and chefs, equipped with gloves and knives, can be trained to safely remove them.
Once the fins are dispensed with, there is no danger in eating lionfish meat.
The Cyclades Preservation Fund is working on an e-book of lionfish recipes, in which the alien species will be matched with typically Greek ingredients.
In Cyprus, contests are organised in which divers compete to catch lionfish and scientists are raising the possibility of the species’ sharp spines being used to make jewellery.
Via The Telegraph
