Invasive lionfish have made it to the Mediterranean, says Scientific American. A report set to be published in the journal Marine Biodiversity Records found that in just one year, lionfish have colonized nearly all of Cyprus’ southeastern coast.
Researchers once believed that the Mediterranean wasn’t suitable for the species, but warming seas have given the fish a fin-hold. And that may be all it needs to seriously damage local biodiversity. Lionfish can breed every four days, year round, releasing about 2 million eggs per year. With sharp, poisonous spines, the species has no known predators.
Red lionfish—a close relative of the one seen in the Mediterranean—have already taken over the Caribbean, killing off large numbers of coral-cleaning fish that help maintain reef health. Conservationists there urge people to eat lionfish in order to keep the population in check. The flesh is supposedly tasty—once you get passed the spines.