Devil Firefish: The Silent Invader of the Eastern Mediterranean

The Eastern Mediterranean Sea is facing a stealthy invader. The devil firefish, also known as Pterois miles, is causing quite a stir. This fish is not from around here. It's an alien species that's been causing trouble. It's growing fast and reproducing like crazy. This is a big deal because it's messing with the local marine life. Scientists decided to study this fish. They wanted to understand how it grows and reproduces. They did this over a year, from February 2020 to April 2021. They found some interesting things. The fish grows in a way that's good for it, but not so good for the local fish. It's like a bully that's always growing bigger and stronger. The devil firefish doesn't take a break when it comes to making babies. It spawns from June to November. That's a long time! The females are especially productive. They can produce around 20, 743 eggs at a time. That's a lot of potential new fish! The females start having babies when they're about 20. 1 cm long. The fish doesn't die off quickly either. It has a natural mortality rate of 0. 8 per year. That means it sticks around to cause more trouble. Understanding how this fish lives and grows is important. It helps us understand why it's so successful at invading. This knowledge can help us find ways to control it. We need to protect the local marine life. The devil firefish is a big threat, but with the right information, we can fight back.