Project duration: 02/2026 – 07/2027

Status: ON-GOING

This project is supported by CEF and made possible through the Conservation Collective and easyJet holidays partnership.

The challenge

Biological pollution is the third most critical threat to marine biodiversity, causing significant losses in both biodiversity and ecosystem services. The Eastern Mediterranean Sea is particularly affected, experiencing some of the most severe ecological shifts globally due to climate change and human impacts. Invasive alien species (IAS) further strain local economies by disrupting fisheries and tourism. In some areas, IAS now make up over half of the catch, yet, they are often discarded despite being edible, due to their low market value. This practice intensifies economic pressure on fishers and contributes to the overexploitation of native species, further compounding both ecological and socio-economic challenges.    

 

The solution

Building upon the success of Phase I, ‘Fish the Alien II: Holiday Edition’ addresses challenges hindering the consumption and marketability of IAS, with a new focus on the tourism sector. It will establish the ‘Invasive Catch Alliance’, a coalition of restaurants, hotels, and fishers to streamline the NIS supply chain from catch to consumer. Through awareness events and seminars, guest tastings, and food and beverage team cooking sessions, the project transforms alien species into sustainable culinary opportunities, supporting ecological balance, sustainable tourism, and local livelihoods.   

 

Project’s deliverables

• Stakeholder engagement: Establishing a supply chain for IAS to connect fishers with restaurants and easyJet holidays hotels, promoting a consumer-driven IAS market.  
• 3 culinary seminars for ‘Invasive Catch Alliance’ chefs: Demonstrate IAS processing and co-create menu-ready recipes.
• 3 awareness seminars for fishers: Inform fishers on IAS impacts, safe handling, and market opportunities, and outline steps for joining the alliance.
• 3 gastronomy events for the public: Food testing events at selected coastal locations, featuring live IAS cooking demos, chef Q&A, and conservation messaging.
• 3 pop-up events for the public: Guests will be served IAS by the alliance chefs and will be informed on how they can protect the environmental through sustainable culinary choices.
• Educational materials and project synergies: Leaflets, handling guides, chef manuals and a bilingual (GR/EN) recipe book will be produced and uploaded to both the project and LIFE-PROMETHEUS websites.
• Media and marketing campaign: An integrated campaign will run parallel to other project activities, aiming to rise the demand in IAS dish orders across alliance venues. 

 

A bit about the organization

Marine & Environmental Research (MER) Lab is an environmental organisation composed by marine biologists, environmental biologists, and educators who specialize in the provision of services that relate to the marine environment, fisheries and aquaculture. MER has been working closely with local stakeholders of the sectors for the past decades implementing numerous research projects and guiding public bodies. MER has implemented numerous projects related to alien species including monitoring surveys in marine protected areas, social surveys with relevant stakeholders, and policy-oriented projects to guide cost-effective management. MER was the scientific coordinator of RELIONMED, a four-year LIFE Nature and Biodiversity project, which aimed to REmove LIONfish from the MEDiterranean. The project aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of existing practices to tackle marine Invasive Alien Species (IAS) by setting up a line of defence against the lionfish invasion through early detection, rapid response, and effective management of marine coastal habitats off Cyprus. 

Contributors