EU grant to fight lionfish

The University of Cyprus (UCy) has received a €630,000 EU grant to prevent lionfish from ‘invading’ the Mediterranean and to protect marine life, it announced on Tuesday.

The four-year project is set to begin in September and aims to protect waters surrounding Cyprus and the Mediterranean – particularly areas that are part of Natura 2000 such as Cape Greco – from the “invasive Pterois miles” also known as lionfish or devil firefish.

According to the university, lionfish feed off other fish and marine organisms. Combined with the fact that they lays eggs every four days, this adds up to a total of two million eggs per year, which quickly spread across the ocean.

Additionally, lionfish’s 18 spines are venomous and although they are not fatal to humans when stung, they can cause pain, UCy said.

“Apart from the obvious danger towards humans, the lionfish is a strong predator and can greatly reduce other species in the Mediterranean, including commercially important fish species, bearing significant ecological and socioeconomic consequences,” the university said.

To reduce the risks caused by lionfish, the project aims to raise public awareness, create a digital system that can monitor how the species is spread, offer training on how lionfish can be removed from coastal areas and cooperate with fishermen on how to safely handle the species.

The project will be headed by UCy associate professor Spyros Sfendourakis and codenamed RELIONMED (preventing a lionfish invasion in the Mediterranean through early response and targeted removal).

It will include the active participation of fishermen, tourist divers and the general public.

The total budget for the project is €1,676,077.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.