1st Mediterranean Lionfish Conference 2025
Gournes, Crete, Greece
15.-17. May 2025
Venue
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research,
Gournes, Crete, Greece
Costs
Free admission
Accommodation
Self-arranged, many options in walking distance
Program
Thursday 15/5/2025
17:30 Cocktail reception at Crete Aquarium, HCMR, Gournes
Friday 16/5/2025
9:15 Registration at HCMR main building, Gournes
9:30 Welcome by A. Kotrschal – G. Tserpes
9:50 Lionfish (Pterois miles) in the Mediterranean Sea: available knowledge and updates on the invasion front.
Bottacini D.1, Pollux B. J. A.2, Nijland R.3, Jansen P. A.4, Naguib M.1, Kotrschal A.1. Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
10:10 Olfactory chemical cues and aggregation behavior in the invasive lionfish (Pterois miles)
Theochari Kiriakidou 1,2, Nikolaos Mitrizakis 1, Antonia Theodoridi 1, Michail Pavlidis
University of Crete, Greece
10:30 Preliminary Insights into the Feeding Ecology of the Invasive Lionfish (Pterois miles) in the Eastern Mediterranean, Turkey.
Merve Karakuş, Gökhan Ballıkaya
Mediterranean Fisheries Research and Training Institute, Türkiye
10:50 A novel approach for ageing the lionfish Pterois miles using dorsal fin spines: A case study in Greek seas (eastern Mediterranean).
Christidis Georgios, Giannakaki Amalia, Metaxakis Manolis, Stylianos Somarakis.
University of Crete, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Greece
11:10 Coffee break
11:40 Preliminary results on the reproduction of lionfish Pterois miles in the Greek seas
Kyriakidou Theochari, Konstantinos Markakis, Christidis Georgios, Stylianos Somarakis
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Greece
12:00 Sound production by the lionfish (Pterois miles), effect of size and sex.
C. Doxa, S. Kouzoupis, P. Papadakis, N. Mitrizakis, M. Kentouri, M. Pavlidis.
University of Crete, Institute of Technology and Research, Greece
12:20 Some body characteristics of Devil firefish (Pterois Miles, Bennett, 1828) on the western Mediterranean coasts of Türkiye. online
Engin S., Kosan S.
Ege University, Turkey
12:40 Habitat preference and ecological implications of the invasive Lionfish (Pterois sp.) in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Nikolaos Lampadariou.
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Greece
13:00 Lionfish (Pterois volitans) show social attraction to conspecifics when selecting shelters.
Roxanne B Holmes, Nadia M Hamilton, Katie Dunkley, and James E Herbert-Read
Cambridge, United Kingdom
13:30 Lunch break
15:00 Behaviour and ecology of the lionfish Pterois miles in the Mediterranean coastal zone.
Antigoni Samourdani, Vlasios Ketsilis-Rinis, Martha Koutsidi, Alexis Lazaris, Panagiota Peristeraki, Evangelos Tzanatos. online
Patras University, Greece
15:20 Managing Invasive Lionfish (Pterois miles) in the South Aegean: Case Studies from Santorini and Crete within the GuardIAS Project.
Maria Zotou, Jennifer C.A. Pistevos, Maria Sini & Stelios Katsanevakis.
University of the Aegean, Mytilene, Greece.
15:40 From threat to opportunity: an overview of the lionfish surge in Cyprus.
Papageorgiou Irini Valanto, Petrou Antonis, Jimenez Carlos. onlineAP MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANCY LTD, ENALIA PHYSIS ENVIRONMENTAL RESERCH CENTRE, CYPRUS
16:00 Management action and tools aiming to control lionfish populations
P. Peristeraki, K. Tampakakis, I. Kosoglou.
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Greece
16:20 Elafonisos Eco and the lionfish
E. Toja
Elafonisos Eco team, Elafonisos, Greece
Dinner – meet at 19:00 in Restaurant
Saturday 17/5/2025
Excursion (details on Friday)
Scope
The 1st Mediterranean Lionfish Conference aims to unite people involved in lionfish science, fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Open to all contributions across diverse disciplines, the conference invites studies on lionfish biology, ecology, behaviour, impacts, management, mitigation strategies, and beyond. By creating a platform for participants to present their work and engage in discussions, the event seeks to deepen understanding of lionfish dynamics in the Mediterranean. The goal is to connect researchers, encourage interdisciplinary dialogue, and build a cohesive community dedicated to addressing challenges posed by this invasive species while advancing innovative solutions to protect marine ecosystems.
Organizers
Panagiota Nota Peristeraki
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Greece
Alexander Kotrschal
Wageningen University and Research, Netherlands
Team
Davide Bottacini (WUR), George Christides (HCMR), Stratos Batziakas (HCMR)
Queries: Alexander.kotrschal@wur.nl