Over 200 alien marine species have been recorded in the waters off Cyprus, fisheries department officer Katerina Georgiou said on Tuesday.
Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency, she said the two species of fish which “stand out” among those found are the silver-cheeked toadfish and the lionfish.
She spoke of the “challenges and prospects of a changing ecosystem”, saying the silver-cheeked toadfish is known for its neurotoxin and destructive teeth, is both toxic and inedible, and has “serious impacts on coastal fishing”.
The lionfish, meanwhile, has “spread rapidly and is massively preying on the young of native species, disrupting the natural balance of the ecosystem”, Georgiou said.
She did point out that the presence of alien species “does not entail exclusively negative consequences”, saying that some species can provide food for native species and contribute to the control of other invasive organisms.
Additionally, she said, the sculpin has “developed into an important commercial species for the Cypriot fishery”, while the lionfish, also edible, is “completely safe for consumption” once professional fishermen have removed its poisonous spines.
Of plans to combat the rise of alien species, she pointed out that the Cypriot government has engaged in national and European action plans to remove lionfish and silver-cheeked toadfish from the waters off Cyprus’ coasts through initiatives including but not limited to subsidised fishing.
In total, she said, over 492 tonnes of the species have been removed from the sea off Cyprus between 2012 and 2024.
She said that meanwhile, scientific data is being “systematically collected on all fished species, including alien species, contributing to the formulation of management policies within the European Union’s common fisheries policy”.
To this end, she said, her department will soon announce a new, two-year monitoring programme of marine biodiversity in the seas off Cyprus, with the aim of “collecting qualitative and quantitative data on alien and invasive species”.
She said this project will “enhance the understanding of the evolution of the marine environment” as well as “strengthening conservation strategies and evidence-based environmental decision-making”.
“In a changing world, the presence of alien species in Cypriot waters is not a temporary exception, but a new reality,” she said, adding that “only by adapting and actively managing the waters can a new way forward be sought”.
