Lionfish: public urged to ‘eat them to beat them’
A “LIONFISH and Long-Spined Sea Urchin Tasting Event” has been held at the Turtle Paradise Restaurant in the Alagadi “Special Environmental Protection Area” to promote the consumption of the species, which are invasive in the seas of Cyprus and, if left uncontrolled, have the potential to do harm to the local ecosystem.
The event was organised by the Society for the Protection of Turtles (Spot) as part of the “Lionfish and Long-Spined Sea Urchin Extermination Project in Selected Regions”.
The project is carried out by Spot, the University of Kyrenia and the Enalia Physis Research Centre, with the support of the “Mediterranean Small
Islands Initiative” and the Mava Foundation. The recent event, which also featured brochures from the TRNC Livestock Department promoting the consumption of the fish, was held under the slogan “Ye da gorkma!” (Don’t be afraid, just eat it!) in Turkish, and “Eat them to beat them” in English. The aim was to encourage people to buy and eat the fish if they come across it at a fish market or a restaurant, thus increasing demand and keeping the population under control.
Spot asserts that “by consuming lionfish, you protect the seas, support local fishermen, and improve your health”.
However Spot also warned that lionfish and long-spined sea urchins are species that must be handled with “attention and knowledge”.
“The spines on the fins of the lionfish are very poisonous, while the spines of the long-spined sea urchin have a slight venom,” a statement from Spot said, adding that they must be approached “carefully” and that people should not try to hunt the sea creatures themselves “if you do not have experience in this field”.
They added that lionfish and longspined sea urchins are “delicious to eat after carefully getting rid of [their] fins and spines”.