Filming for a new Vice International report by award-winning journalist Laurent Laughlin, focusing on invasive fish species in the Aegean and the Mediterranean, with an emphasis on lionfish.

In seas that are changing due to climate change as well as human intervention – such as the opening and recent widening of the Suez Canal – the spread of alien species has become a new reality we must all adapt to. Overfishing also plays a key role, leading to the depletion and eventual “desertification” of marine areas, creating gaps in ecosystems and favorable conditions for the establishment and spread of new species.

 The lionfish is a characteristic example: it spreads rapidly, reproduces year-round, and females can produce up to 2 million eggs per year.

 The absence of natural predators – such as the dusky grouper, a heavily overfished species with a very slow growth rate – further accelerates its spread.

 We will soon share this new video with you.