Invasive fish threaten the Mediterranean: Urgent measures demanded in Cyprus

People's Party spokesperson Aral Moral has issued a warning about the serious threat posed by invasive fish species to the marine ecosystem of Cyprus and the entire Mediterranean Sea.

According to him, alien species have been entering the region from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal for many years, including lionfish, rays, and striped eel catfish. However, as Moral emphasized, the greatest danger is posed by the silver-cheeked toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus) — a deadly poisonous and rapidly reproducing species.

Moral noted that the spread of these fish is already having a negative impact on biodiversity and especially on coastal fisheries. Fishermen are recording a decline in catches of traditional species, which, in his words, is directly linked to the aggressive expansion of invasive populations.