US EditionPublished • loading... • Updated
Cypriot fishermen battle invasive lionfish and turn them into a tavern delicacy
Cypriot fishermen have promoted lionfish as an affordable tavern delicacy since 2021 to reduce invasive populations and support local fishing incomes.
- On Dec. 20, 2025, Photis Gaitanos and other fishermen at Larnaca harbour removed venomous spines from lionfish and iced them while tavern owner Stephanos Mentonis added the fish to meze menus.
- The Cyprus Fisheries Department says the Suez Canal expansion and warmer seas allowed Indo-Pacific species into the Mediterranean Sea, while Costas Kadis links extreme weather to climate change.
- RELIONMED recruits about 100 scuba divers since 2017 to cull lionfish, while EU-funded compensation programs paid $5.5 per 2.2 pounds last year to catch toxic silver-cheeked toadfish sent to incinerators.
- Fishermen report declining incomes since the invasives arrived, as local fishermen say catches diminish and fishing gear and nets sustain damage, prompting appeals to the European Union.
- Models show lionfish could spread across the Mediterranean by century's end, while the 2021 `#TasteTheOcean` social-media campaign and Stavris Georgiou promote eating invasives.
Insights by Ground AI
19 Articles
19 Articles
The Sun (Lowell)+17 Reposted by 17 other sources
Cypriot fishermen battle invasive lionfish and turn them into a tavern delicacy
By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS, Associated Press LARNACA, Cyprus (AP) — Photis Gaitanos’ rough fingers adroitly untangle the venomous spikes of a lionfish from a net, throwing the exotic-looking creature into an ice-filled rubber bin along with other fish from the day’s catch. Unlike a few years ago when he would have mostly caught local staples as sea bream, red mullet or bass, the veteran fisherman now hunts for the invasive species that made its way…
·Lowell, United States
Read Full Article
Coverage Details
Total News Sources19
Leaning Left0Leaning Right1Center15Last UpdatedBias Distribution94% Center
Bias Distribution
- 94% of the sources are Center
94% Center
C 94%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
