b'A few amendments have been made so far, both sides of Cyprus now allow spearfishing using scuba to specific NGOS.Turkey has allowed a few derbies so far, and is planning an event June 2024 under the MARIAS Project by UNDP-Trkiye with the help and support of Lionfish University team in Fethiye, Trkiye, which will be a great way to share theirexperience. Israel has relaxed rules around spearfishing and diving in MPAs. In Greece, one fantastic marine conservation-NGO named iSea is introducing lionfish all over the country by food truck, more restaurants are putting lionfish on their menus, lionfish are gradually continuing to increase in price and demand regionally, which is helping to increase fishing pressure from small-scale fishers. Scientifically, there is only one confirmed species in the Mediterranean, Pterois miles. As in the Caribbean, they arereaching enormous sizes larger than in their native range, which shows the species relative success here. Prey are routinely naive here also that they are in fact a predator, so they are easily able to feast and remove the native fish and benthos ina small area before moving on. Another small difference between the Western Atlantic and the Mediterranean is that they are not continually spawning here. They stop spawning in winter months when temperatures are under 16 C.For sure lionfish are here to stay. They are now adding some positive benefits to the economy and cuisine, but we needmore support from governments in allowing their continued removals using scuba gear. I love the comaderie thathas evolved in the Western Atlantic involving lionfish hunting and it is my biggest hope to be able to transfer that here.Because in all honesty, after you remove most of the fish from the ecosystem, scuba diving can be quite boring.Lionfish hunting will provide us with a new conservation goal while scuba diving, while benefitting the marinebiodiversity, which badly needs our help.19'