Invasive lionfish in the Mediterranean: Low public awareness yet high stakeholder concerns

Kleitou, Periklis; Savva, Ioannis; Kletou, Demetris; Hall‐Spencer, Jason M.; Antoniou, Charalampos; Christodoulides, Yiannis; Chartosia, Niki; Hadjioannou, Louis; Dimitriou, Andreas C.; Jiménez, Carlos; Petrou, Antonis; Sfenthourakis, Spyros; Rees, Siân E.

doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2019.02.052

Cited by 26 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…In 2016, an incipient lionfish invasion was first noted in the region, leading to urgent calls for improved Suez Canal biosecurity (Kletou, Hall‐Spencer & Kleitou, 2016). Within just four years, lionfish from the Red Sea had become established over such a wide area that eradication was not feasible (Kleitou et al, 2019c; Booy et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Regular monitoring and targeted removals can control lionfish in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas

Kleitou

Rees

Cecconi

et al. 2021

Aquatic Conservation

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A lack of biosecurity in the Suez Canal has combined with global warming and other human pressures to cause abrupt changes in the Mediterranean Sea. Throughout this region an influx of species is influencing the outcome of efforts to protect and restore nature. Despite calls for targeted removals of invasive species from protected areas, there is limited information about the effectiveness of this course of action from both an ecological and a socio‐economic perspective. In this study, coordinated removals of lionfish (Pterois miles) by volunteers/scuba divers at three marine protected sites in Cyprus were conducted. The removal efficiency was monitored using visual‐census surveys and citizen science data. Removals significantly decreased lionfish numbers but long‐term suppression of lionfish would require monitoring and repetition of removals when necessary, since population recovery was sometimes rapid. Citizen science yielded the data needed to understand lionfish population changes and guide the timing of removal events, but was characterized by large variation and potential outliers, highlighting the need for large sample sizes. Questionnaire surveys were used to assess the social impact of participation in lionfish removals; these showed that involvement had a strong positive impact on knowledge about lionfish and motivation to support marine conservation activities – the divers were even willing to pay extra to remove lionfish. Management reforms would be needed to capitalize on this societal motivation, and enable effective lionfish removals by scuba divers, coordinated by competent authorities. The EU aims to protect at least 30% of the marine waters by 2030. Removal events could help shield selected conservation sites from the adverse effects of lionfish and at the same time help establish links with local communities, strengthening the sustainable use of marine systems both at corporate and at societal levels.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since 2016, lionfish have been spreading rapidly in the Mediterranean Sea (Kletou, Hall‐Spencer & Kleitou, 2016; Kleitou et al, 2019c). They arrived from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal with multiple subsequent introductions increasing the genetic diversity of the Mediterranean population (Bariche et al, 2017; Dimitriou et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regular monitoring and targeted removals can control lionfish in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas

Kleitou

Rees

Cecconi

et al. 2021

Aquatic Conservation

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“…More precisely, lionfish were collected following sighting information from citizen scientists. The citizen scientists were mainly stakeholders, such as recreational spear‐fishers, professional fishermen, recreational/professional divers, local authorities and scientists, all of whom were informed about the lionfish invasion in a series of regional stakeholder meetings (Kleitou et al ., 2019). A total of 262 lionfish were sampled by scuba divers using Hawaiian slings.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

They are here to stay: the biology and ecology of lionfish (Pterois miles) in the Mediterranean Sea

Savva¹,

Chartosia

Antoniou³

et al. 2020

Journal of Fish Biology

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The lionfish, Pterois miles, is one of the most recent Lessepsian immigrants into the Mediterranean Sea, and it poses a serious threat to marine ecosystems in the region. This study assesses the basic biology and ecology of lionfish in the Mediterranean, examining morphometrics, reproduction and diet as well as population structure and distribution. The population density of lionfish has increased dramatically in Cyprus since the first sighting in late 2012; by 2018 aggregations of up to 70 lionfish were found on rocky grounds with complex reefs and artificial reefs in depths of 0-50 m. Lionfish in Cyprus become mature within a year, and adults are capable of spawning year-round, with peak spawning in summer when the sea-surface temperature reaches 28.4 C. The Cypriot lionfish grow faster and bigger than in their native range, and females are more common than males. Lionfish are generalist predators in these waters, as also found in their native range, consuming a range of teleost and crustacean prey, some of which are of high economic value (e.g., Spicara smaris and Sparisoma cretense) or have an important role in local trophic webs (e.g., Chromis chromis). Overall, the reproductive patterns, the presence of juveniles and adults throughout the year, the rapid growth rates and the generalist diet indicate that lionfish are thriving and are now already well established in the region and could potentially become the serious nuisance that they are in their temperate and tropical western Atlantic-invasive range.

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“…The destructive impacts of invasive lionfish on native communities have been broadly documented in the western Atlantic Coast and the Caribbean Sea where it was introduced in the late 1980s (Schofield, 2009). In the eastern Mediterranean Sea, public awareness and local stakeholders concern are increasing (Kleitou et al, 2019) but this awareness should expand throughout the basin to allow the timely adoption of proactive measures (e.g. legislation, protection of marine‐related employment; Kleitou, Hall‐Spencer, et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving predictions of invasive fish ranges combining functional and ecological traits with environmental suitability under climate change scenarios

Schickele

Guidetti

Giakoumi

et al. 2021

Global Change Biology

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Biological invasions represent one of the main threats to marine biodiversity. From a conservation perspective, especially in the context of increasing sea warming, it is critical to examine the suitability potential of geographical areas for the arrival of Range-Expanding Introduced and Native Species (REINS), and hence anticipate the risk of such species to become invasive in their new distribution areas. Here, we developed an empirical index, based on functional and bio-ecological traits, that estimates the Invasive Potential (IP; i.e. the potential success in transport, introduction and population establishment) for a set of 13 fishes that are expanding their distributional range into the Mediterranean Sea, the most invaded sea in the world. The IP index showed significant correlation with the observed spreading of REINS. For the six species characterized by the highest IP, we calculated contemporary and future projections of their Environmental Suitability Index (ESI). By using an ensemble modelling approach, we estimated the geographical areas that are likely to be the most impacted by REINS spreading under climate change. Our results demonstrated the importance of functional traits related to reproduction for determining high invasion potential. For most species, we found high contemporary ESI values in the South-eastern Mediterranean Sea and low to intermediate contemporary ESI values in the Adriatic Sea and Northwestern Mediterranean sector. Moreover, we highlighted a major potential future expansion of high ESI values, and thus REINS IP, towards the northern Mediterranean, especially in the northern Adriatic Sea. This potential future northward expansion highlights the risk associated with climate-induced impacts on ecosystem conservation and fish stock management throughout the entire Mediterranean Sea.

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Invasive lionfish in the Mediterranean: Low public awareness yet high stakeholder concerns

Cited by 26 publications

References 38 publications

Regular monitoring and targeted removals can control lionfish in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas

Regular monitoring and targeted removals can control lionfish in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas

They are here to stay: the biology and ecology of lionfish (Pterois miles) in the Mediterranean Sea

Improving predictions of invasive fish ranges combining functional and ecological traits with environmental suitability under climate change scenarios

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