LARNACA, Cyprus (AP) — The rough fingers of Photis Gaitanos deftly untangle the poisonous tips of a lionfish from a net, dropping the exotic-looking creature into a rubber basket filled with ice along with other fish of the day’s catch.
Unlike a few years ago, when he would have mostly caught local staples such as bream, redfish or perch, the veteran fisherman is now hunting the invasive species that have made their way from the Red Sea to the warm waters of the Mediterranean,
Lionfish, with their red and orange stripes and antennae-like barbs that threaten enemies, threaten to decimate indigenous fish stocks, wreaking havoc on the livelihoods of Cyprus’ roughly 150 professional fishermen.
The stingray even made its way as far north as the Ionian Sea, where Italian authorities asked the public to photograph and report sightings.
The Eastern Mediterranean Sea has also seen another invasive fish from the Red Sea in the last decade: the silver-cheeked rayfish. Known as an eating machine whose powerful jaws slice through fishing nets, decimating fishermen’s catch, it has no natural predators off Cyprus, allowing its population to explode.
That frogfish also produces a lethal toxin, making it inedible.
Warmer waters are to blame
Gaitanos, the 60-year-old fisherman, has fished for years in an 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 a mullet, the consumer favorite.
“I have been doing this job for 40 years. Our income, especially since these two foreign species appeared, has gotten worse every year. Now it is a major problem (affecting) the future of the fishery,” he said. “How can it be treated?”
The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean said that with the sea warming at around 20% faster than the global average, the presence of invasive species is “progressively increasing in the western basin”.
Models show that warmer seas as a result of climate change could see lionfish swarming across the Mediterranean by the end of the century. Warmer waters and an expanded Suez Canal have “opened the floodgates” to Indo-Pacific species in general, according to the Cyprus Fisheries Department.
European Union Fisheries Commissioner Costas Kadis, himself a Cypriot, 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 this greatly affects the fishing industry in Europe, as fishermen’s catches decrease, while their costs increase as a result of repairing fishing gear damaged by powerful intruders.
“A region’s native marine biodiversity, as in the case of Cyprus, is facing increased competition and pressure, with implications for local ecosystems and the industries that depend on them,” Kadis said.
Fishermen cry for help
Gaitanos, who inherited his father’s boat in 1986, isn’t sure the fishermen’s grievances are being handled in a way that can prevent the profession from declining.
“We want to show the European Union that there is a big problem with the amount of catch, as well as the type of fish caught, affected by the arrival of these invasive species and climate change,” he said.
Some EU-funded compensation programs have been adopted to help fishermen. The most recent, implemented last year, pays fishermen about 4.73 euros ($5.55) per kilogram (2.2 pounds) to catch crayfish to control their numbers. The crayfish are then sent to incinerators.
Another project, RELIONMED, which started in 2017, is recruiting about 100 divers to cull lionfish around wrecks, reefs and marine protected areas. Cyprus’ fisheries department says studies show frequent culling could buy time for native species to recover, but is not a permanent solution.
Some try to eat the problem
What local fishermen hope to catch on with the fish-loving public is a new campaign to serve lionfish as a delicacy after their poisonous spines are carefully removed.
Kadis, the EU fisheries commissioner, said a social media campaign that started in 2021, #TasteTheOcean, had top European chefs and influencers introducing invasive species as a tasty alternative to more commonly eaten fish. The famous Cypriot chef Stavris Georgiou has developed a recipe for lionfish.
For most Cypriots, the local tavernas with their extensive meze menus featuring numerous plates of different fish is the way to go. Although the consumption of lionfish was slow to catch on, many taverns and fish restaurants began to introduce it as part of their menu.
The bonus is that lionfish are now competitively priced compared to more popular fish like sea bass. At the Larnaca harbor fish market, lionfish costs less than half that of more popular fish such as sea bass.
“By incorporating invasive species like 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 posed by these species,” Kadis said.
Stephanos Mentonis, who runs a popular fish tavern in Larnaca, has included lionfish in his meze menu as a way to introduce the fish to a larger number of customers.
Mentonis, 54, says most of his customers are unfamiliar with lionfish. But its meat is fluffy and tender, and he says it can stand up to perennial tavern favorites like sea bream.
“When they try it, it’s no less tasty than any other fish,” he said.
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Associated Press writer Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.