As the Mediterranean Sea becomes more tropical, scientists are observing more and more multi-colored, tiger-striped intruders. The lionfish looks majestic, but also menacing and aggressive: its spine is covered with venomous spines that cause swelling when touched. This invasive species, native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, slipped into the Suez Canal in 2012. Until now, it mainly affected the Adriatic Sea area and countries like Greece and Turkey, but its presence is increasing in Mediterranean ecosystems: it invades reefs and preys on native fauna. A solution? Integrate it into the menu.
“We knew that the fish was edible. Only its bones are toxic. Scientists agree that they had to be removed from there. It occurred to us to create a local demand,” explains Dr. Mourat Draman, one of the pioneers of the introduction of fish into Turkish gastronomy. Lionfish are very present in the catches of local fishermen and were neither sold nor consumed: they were discarded. “We decided to buy them and offer them as the only fish on the menu of our small cafe for divers, and to promote them among professionals and tourists to raise awareness among the local public of their delicious flavor and the fact that their consumption would really contribute to maintaining the biodiversity of our marine area,” explains the also owner of the Dragoman Bahce establishment, where they prepare it.
Lionfish feel very comfortable in the places they reach due to global warming and the increase in ocean temperatures of 1.5°C over the past two decades. Females lay millions of eggs and the larvae move with the currents. When they are young, they resemble sea cockroaches and eat everything they come across: crustaceans, molluscs, worms. And if they do not find food, they practice cannibalism among the youngest specimens. As they grow, they become more refined and eat only fish, albeit in large quantities – their stomachs expand to build up reserves – and they usually feast on native species.
“It competes with local species for the same prey and they have no natural predators in our seas,” explains Valerio Sbragaglia, researcher at the CSIC Institute of Marine Sciences. Although grouper can be eaten, there aren’t enough of them to cope, among other things, because it’s a commercial species that suffers from overfishing. It is an animal that lives up to 15 years and is capable of invading ecosystems from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean. “It has great ecological plasticity and can live for weeks without food,” explains Marta Coll, also a researcher at CSIC and co-author with Sbragaglia of the E research.Society’s interest in invasive lionfish makes it possible to monitor its evolution in real time.
It is difficult to know the exact number of specimens of this animal on our coasts, according to scientists. But in the eyes of divers, their job is alarming. “In 2014, I saw the first specimens. Now I see between 15 and 20 on every dive, on every reef,” Draman says of his dives in Turkey. The Caribbean experience shows that once established, it is no longer possible to eradicate it, but only to control it. Initiatives such as the Lionfish Project serve to mitigate its impact and raise awareness. “In Türkiye, this species is caught, frozen and distributed a lot,” replies Clara Portela, journalist at Spanish TRT. And he adds: “There are no official figures on the impact, but it serves to raise awareness and generate demand that can help preserve the oceans. »
Simple and effective recipe
Eating a poisonous fish does not seem ―a priori― a good thing deli. That’s not a problem for people like Draman, who sticks to the basics of cooking. “It’s a tasty fish. We fry it quickly with a little local breadcrumbs and serve it with potatoes,” he explains of his recipe and admits to wanting to try it with tempura and excludes the use of spices to maintain its “delicate flavor”.
However, consulting industry sources, it has not yet become popular in Spain. The Asturian chef José Andrés, for example, includes it among the reference dishes on his menu. He takes advantage of his Instagram account to share the different ways of cooking this white, flaky and buttery fish. He makes fried ceviche with tartar sauce at his restaurant in the Bahamas to reduce his impact on the Caribbean coast.
Does fish control work? “Initiatives like this or selective extraction tournaments have been successful in reducing biomass and size locally, but not in large-scale eradication,” Sbragaglia responds. The scientist summarizes its great advantages in three: “It encourages the continuation of fishing, it is a quality gastronomic product and it aligns economic interest with conservation.” Researcher Coll agrees: “This is a sustainable opportunity if managed correctly. It must be combined with active monitoring and regional policies.”
One aspect that improves invasive species control is scientific information. “It is important to show local stories about how invasive species affect fishing communities and ecosystems in order to generate empathy and action,” reflects Coll. And it must be done carefully. “Sometimes the invasion is trivialized and transformed into a cultural element,” Sbragaglia retorts. Draman adds that “if other restaurants followed, the impact would be much greater; for now, they are aimed primarily at the diving community.”
What happens if you don’t act? “Without intervention, lionfish could become one of the most damaging invasions for southern Europe’s marine biodiversity,” warns Coll. Sbragaglia reiterates the double-edged phenomenon of cultural integration: “It helps mobilize control efforts. But, if the species begins to be seen as a resource or as part of the cultural landscape, social support for more aggressive control measures may be reduced, or even resistance to management may arise. Moving forward, we need to look not only at the biology of lionfish, but also at how society perceives and integrates it. »
Even if there is no risk of overfishing since it is an invasive species, control based exclusively on the creation of a market can prove problematic. “Once the economic benefits are associated, an indirect incentive could be generated to maintain or even increase the abundance of invasive species. Its effect is spatially limited and requires a sustained effort,” underlines Sbragaglia. And he adds: “The risk is to depend too much on the market as the only tool. »
Trends This is a project of EL PAÍS, with which the newspaper aspires to open a permanent conversation about the great future challenges that our society faces. The initiative is sponsored by Abertis, Enagás, EY, Iberdrola, Iberia, Mapfre, Novartis, the Organization of Ibero-American States (OEI), Redeia and Santander, WPP Media and strategic partner Oliver Wyman.
You can register here to receive the weekly newsletter of EL PAÍS Tendencias, every Tuesday, from journalist Javier Sampedro.
About The Author
