New article by The Telegraph

On the 20th of September 2021, the RELIONMED project was covered by “The Telegraph” in an article about invasive species of the Mediterranean Sea. The article was published under the title “Invasion of alien toxic toadfish ravages Cyprus fishing industry”. In the article, RELIONMED partners discussed also the lionfish in Cyprus waters and actions taken by the project to control them. They talked about the spreading of the species into the Mediterranean and explained that monitoring the alien invasive species can help other countries. Replicating the measures taken by the project to tackle the invasion may help them tackle the invasion in their region. In addition, the interviewees had the opportunity to promote that, in contrast to the toadfish, lionfish can be consumed after its stiff, venomous spines have been removed. Notice boards have been placed around Cyprus showing the location of these spines. The RATs have been described partaking in events to catch lionfish to support the project’s goals, while the lionfish removed were then donated to restaurants. Unfortunately, lionfish have been multiplying in big numbers and, as a result, they have minimised the numbers of native species. Therefore, amongst other things, lionfish affected the fishermen’s catch. To read the whole article, click here.