Invasive species in Mediterranean Sea rising

ANTALYA

The number of the invasive species in the Mediterranean Sea threatening Turkey’s southern shores has increased from 65 to 67, the dean of Akdeniz University’s Faculty of Aquaculture has said.

“Turkey hosts some 100 invasive species in its waters across the country, 67 of them are in the Mediterranean,” Jale Korun told the Demirören News Agency.

The number was 65 in the first six months of 2021 but has increased to 67 during the beginning of this year, according to the professor.

“The latest of these species specified in the Mediterranean is the red grouper,” she said. Rather than complaining about the increase in the number of invasive species, the dean said she was looking for ways to turn this into an advantage.

She suggested serving toadfish in restaurants and using its venom for medicinal purposes.

“We can conduct scientific works on toadfish’s poison to find its medicinal benefits, as done on snakes and scorpions.”