Lionfish – nice to look at, but dangerous

Lionfish are actually native to the tropics and the Red Sea. They migrated to the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal a few years ago. Since they have no natural enemies here, they can reproduce unhindered. And they do so diligently: each female lays up to 30,000 eggs – every two days! This makes them an omnipresent threat to the native inhabitants: lionfish are optimally camouflaged by their spotted colouring and are among the most successful hunters in the Mediterranean.

They grow up to 40 centimetres, have poisonous spines and are spreading rapidly in the Mediterranean: Lionfish, also called lionfish. An EU-funded project has now declared war on the poisonous fish, which destroy coral reefs and decimate other fish species. Now the battle has been declared against the fish, so that they are useful after all. more »