b'Mediterranean Invaders by Dr. Aylin UlmanThe Mediterranean is no stranger to invasive species.As of early 2022, this basin hosted about 1000 marine alien species. The Mediterranean Sea is also plagued with high levels of overfishing, and is warming at levels much faster than the global average. One relatively new invader- thelionfish- is wreaking further havoc on the native communities. Like most other invaders in this basin, it most likely came through the Suez Canal. The Suez Canal is a man-made waterway that artificially connects two unique bodies of water, the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. It first established in Lebanon in 2013, and began to have noticeable highdensities in the Eastern Mediterranean by 2018. This is a poster child- in fact lionfish are the best and most studied marine alien species in the world. Due to the extensive knowledge and outreach from the Western Atlanticinvasion, Mediterranean scientists knew it is a species that needs to be battled in order to retain some equilibriumof the native community diversity and health. Although in the Western Atlantic invasion, decision-makers were fast at removing barriers preventing scuba diversfrom targeting lionfish, the situation is different in theMediterranean. Illegal fishing is rampant here, especiallyby spearfishers, thus decision makers are very hesitantto give a green light to spear lionfish using scuba gear.18'