Do n’t be fooled by their good looks . When the venomous lionfish find themselves in a new ecosystem , they come , they see , they seize . They did it to the Caribbean and the Western Atlantic , and now they ’re doing it to the Mediterranean .
Researchers gathered reports of common lionfish ( Pterois nautical mile ) sightings from fishermen and diver over the course of one twelvemonth . Their finding showed that lionfish have colonized and established themselves across most of Cyprus ' south - eastern coast and their numbers game are localize to rise .
concord to a cogitation inMarine Biodiversity Records , there were 23 raw confirmed sighting of 19 individuals across the south - eastern side of Cyprus , including sighting in Larnaca , Zinovia wreck , and Protaras . Many of these sightings were of pairs of lionfish , intimate to the research worker that they were spawn couples .
Lionfish is an umbrella terminus for the genus ofPteroisthat encompasses 12 recognized species . They ’re well - known for their sensational colouration , which act as as a manikin of “ aposematism ” – an adaptation that advertize their lethality through hopeful food color to deter predators . They ’re equally infamous for their venomous spines , which can cause mankind acute nuisance , paralysis , cardiac arrest , and even death .
The specie of lionfish are aboriginal to the Indian and Pacific oceans . They have previously build a reputation after “ intrude on ” and making themselves at base in the tropic pee of the Caribbean .
However , since the 1990s , there ’s been mounting reports of these spiky beauties in Cyprus and the Med . This has issue forth more or less as a surprise to the researchers :
“ Until now , few sightings of the foreign lionfishPterois mileshave been reported in the Mediterranean ocean and it was confutable whether the coinage could infest this part like it has in the westerly Atlantic , ” Demetris Kletou , of the Marine & Environmental Research Lab in Cyprus aver in astatement .
“ But we ’ve regain that lionfish have recently increased in copiousness , and within a yr have colonized almost the intact south - easterly seashore of Cyprus , assisted by sea surface warming . ”
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But what has caused this sudden deluge of lionfish to the Mediterranean Sea ?
Egypt is undergoing a hugeexpansion of the Suez Canal , the hokey waterway in Egypt that links the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea . The investigator believe this could have allowed lionfish larvae to get through to the Mediterranean . to boot , the heating waters from mood alteration has meant the Mediterranean water has become standardised to that of their native sea .
conscientious objector - author Professor Jason Hall - Spencer , of the School of Marine Science and Engineering at Plymouth University , explain : " Groups of lionfish exhibiting snarl deportment have been note for the first time in the Mediterranean . By publishing this info , we can help stakeholder project mitigate action , such as offer inducement for underwater diver and fishermen to scat lionfish removal programs , which have work well at shallow profoundness in the Caribbean , and reinstate population of possible predators , such as the dusky grouper .
“ Given that the Suez Canal has recently been widened and intensify , bar will need to be put in place to aid prevent further intrusion . "
