The Indo-Pacific origin lionfish Pterois miles has invaded the Mediterranean Sea in 2012 through the Suez Canal. The limited natural predators of lionfish in its newly introduced habitats, naïve prey, generalist predation and adaptability, and rapid growth rates, have led to a rapid population spread and expansion of its distribution to the entire eastern basin. […]
MER is looking for an ambitious individual who wants to become part of our team and work hard together to achieve a better understanding of the marine ecosystems. The individual needs to be fluent in both Greek and English and hold several skills that can allow him/her to succeed in a demanding but exciting work […]
MER continue increasing awareness and educating the public about the introduction of non-indigenous species (NIS), their impacts, and the role of citizens in helping monitor and combat invasive species. Specifically, on September we met with Telegraph journalist, Mr Nick Squires, in Cyprus and we discussed the problem of invasive species spread, met with fishers and […]
Posidonia oceanica at Amathounta ancient port The work activities at Amathounta ancient port, as part of the Interreg EU project ΑνΔιΚαT (https://andikat.eu/), have been subject to discussion and scrutiny over the recent months, and as MER we feel obligated to state our opinion and role in the matter. When we first found out about the […]
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 […]