WWF urges Greece seafood fans to eat non-native species

WWF connected Wednesday urged seafood eaters successful Greece to step up to the sheet and assistance trim the ranks of implicit a twelve invasive species that are progressively threatening section fauna.

“There is simply a caller world connected the market, particularly successful southern Greece and the Dodecanese islands where there is simply a strong beingness of non-native species,” WWF marine programme subordinate Panagiota Stappa told a quality conference.

“Little by little, galore much non-native food species will look connected the market,” she said.

Greek fishermen are keen to marketplace species that they presently propulsion overboard due to the fact that consumers bash not cognize they are perfectly edible, said WWF tract fishery manager Michalis Margaritis.

He cited the lawsuit of 1 Greek island, where 400 kilos of spinefoot (Siganus luridus) had been discarded.

“People bash not take non-native species due to the fact that they are acrophobic of them,” noted cook Giorgos Tsoulis.

“It will take, I believe, galore much years for us to execute the goal,” helium said.

Though peculiarly destructive to the seabed due to the fact that of its voracious appetite, the spinefoot is nevertheless “incredibly rich” successful food lipid and “very tasty”, Margaritis said.

WWF’s liable seafood guide, whose revised version (www.fishguide.wwf.gr) was unveiled Wednesday, features implicit a 100 species available connected the Greek market.

Among them are 13 invasive species which were not connected the erstwhile usher successful 2015.

“Some whitethorn beryllium already eating non-native species and not cognize it,” said Margaritis.

“There are much than 13 species, we conscionable listed the ones easiest to find,” helium said.

He noted that connected his autochthonal land of Rhodes, there were three mullet species crowding retired the autochthonal reddish mullet.

The invaders see the Atlantic shrimp (Penaeus aztecus) and bluish crab (Callinectes sapidus) successful the bluish Aegean Sea, and the lionfish (Pterois miles) successful waters further south.

According to “realistic estimates”, it is believed that 65 per cent of seafood consumed successful Greece is imported, Margaritis said.

According to fisheries assemblage data, Greeks devour 19.6 kilos of seafood per year, compared to an EU mean of 23.5 kilos, the organisation said.

Source: AFP