WWFon Wednesday urged seafood eaters in Greece to step up to the plate and help trim the ranks of over a dozen invasive species that are increasingly threatening local fauna.
“There is a new reality on the market, especially in southern Greece and the Dodecanese islands where there is a strong presence of non-native species,” WWF marine programme associate Panagiota Stappa told a news conference.
“Little by little, many more non-native fish species will appear on the market,” she said.
Greek fishermen are keen to market species that they currently throw overboard because consumers do not know they are perfectly edible, said WWF field fishery manager Michalis Margaritis.
He cited the case of one Greek island, where 400 kilos of spinefoot (Siganus luridus) had been discarded.
“People do not choose non-native species because they are afraid of them,” noted chef Giorgos Tsoulis.
“It will take, I believe, many more years for us to achieve the goal,” he said.
Though particularly destructive to the seabed because of its voracious appetite, the spinefoot is nevertheless “incredibly rich” in fish oil and “very tasty”,Margaritissaid.
WWF’s responsible seafood guide, whose revised version (www.fishguide.wwf.gr) was unveiled Wednesday, features over a hundred species available on the Greek market.
Among them are 13 invasive species which were not on the previous guide in 2015.
Source: Insider Paper
