The first reports from Cyprus in 2012-2013 marked the beginning of the uncontrolled invasion that we have been witnessing ever since. A ferocious invader with venomous spines that protect it from predators, rapid reproduction, early maturity, rapid growth, huge appetite and generalist behaviour, the lionfish is becoming alarmingly abundant in the eastern Mediterranean; threatening […]
Elective affinities or random choice within the seagrass holobiont? The case of the native Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile and the exotic Halophila stipulacea (Forssk.) Asch. from the same site (Limassol, Cyprus) Seagrasses provide many benefits to our ecosystems, they effectively capture and store carbon, act as wave breakers, and produce huge amounts of oxygen […]
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been widely promoted as an essential tool for preserving fisheries resources, recovering marine biodiversity and ecosystem properties. The EU Biodiversity Strategy targeted a 30% of the EU Sea to be protected by 2030 including a 10% of strictly protected areas (no fishing allowed). However, little is known about the […]
Chondrichthyans (sharks, rays, skates and chimaeras) play a pivotal role in the marine environment providing stability to coastal and oceanic ecosystem structures and functions. Today, about half of the Mediterranean sharks and batoids are threatened with extinction, mainly due to by-catch (unintentional catch). Nevertheless, research on chondrichthyes, especially in the Eastern Mediterranean, is limited. In […]
Approaching the “real” state of elasmobranch fisheries and trade: A case study from the Mediterranean Elasmobranchs (sharks, rays and skates) are vulnerable taxa with 50% threatened with extinction, extirpations and steep population declines in the Mediterranean Sea. One of the major threats to elasmobranchs is fisheries exploitation of targeted or bycatch with a shocking 50-60% […]
Non-indigenous species (also known as alien or non-native) are species introduced outside their natural past or present range, which might survive and subsequently reproduce. There are more than 800 non-indigenous species in the Mediterranean, and the number has been exponentially growing in the recent decades, particularly through the Suez Canal. They are characterized as a […]
Non-indigenous or alien species are species living outside their native distributional ranges, which arrived there by human-driven activities, either deliberately or accidentally. The number of non-indigenous species in the Mediterranean Sea is growing rapidly in the recent decades. There are at least 821 multicellular alien species in the Mediterranean Sea of which more than 600 […]
1100 lionfish were removed from events that we (co-)organised as part of Relionmed-Life project in #July 2020 only! On 5th of July, MER has successfully organised the 4th derby of the RELIONMED project at Cape Greco. In this derby about 32 divers registered (30 Scuba and 2 Free divers) formed 13 teams of 2-3 individuals, all of […]
MER is characterized by its passion and quality services, and trusted by a wide network in Cyprus and abroad. We are happy to announce the submission of the final reports of four additional projects, that were undertaken in a short-time frame and during the challenging period of COVID 19. A description of each project is […]
We are excited with our new project, funded by RAC/SPA, which aims to map all the fishing activities in the recently established MPA of Cyprus (Cavo Greco), identify and quantify the illegal (unregulated) activities in the area and assess the interactions of the fisheries with the marine habitats of the area. Read more in […]