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Hi! Thank you so much for visiting my store. My name is Aylin Ulman and I am a marine biologist living in Turkey, studying invasive species. Lionfish are a new invasive species here, which arrived from their native Indo-Pacific through the Suez Canal. In the last year, their populations have absolutely exploded.

They are one of the worst invasive fish of all times because they constantly spawn throughout the year, they have potent venom in their spines, they have very few local predators, and they have insatiable diets, where they constantly eat our native fish species, finishing off all native fish before moving on to a new spot. Also, most of our native fish are declining at alarming rate and need all the help they can get. Also, lionfish stomachs can expand 30 times their natural size to accommodate their food, and their eggs are hidden in a gelatinous membranes so predators cannot detect them. These are just some of the reasons why they are super successful in the Mediterranean.

We are trying hard to control this species here by introducing lionfish to local cuisine, as their meat is absolutely delicious, and by using their gorgeous fins as jewelry. All proceeds from sales go directly to help fund my scientific research to study this species through biological studies and scuba diving surveys. We are trying to understand their exact ecological niche, abundances, dietary preferences and exact reproductive strategy.

The price for the jewelry includes shipping. Domestic is for shipping within Turkey, while international prices include shipping throughout the European Union and Canada. USA is a little more expensive to ship to, so we will have to add about $5 to the international prices to ship there.