Scouting the “Constantis” shipwreck for lionfish

On the 12th of April 2018, a coordinated lionfish survey was carried out in Limassol district by “Marine and Environmental Research (MER) Lab”, “University of Plymouth”, and the “Department of Fisheries and Marine Research”. The expedition took place at the “Constantis” shipwreck at approximately 20 m depth, which is located within the Marine Protected Areas of Dasoudi. About 5 lionfish were seen, but only 4 lionfish were captured. All lionfish specimens were used for scientific purposes, such as collection of data on body biometrics (weight and size measurements), stomach contents, macroscopic characteristics of gonads, age determination (otolith extraction) and DNA (tissue preservation and DNA extraction).