Voracious pufferfish wreak havoc on the Mediterranean

A new marine menace is lurking in the waters of the Mediterranean, causing havoc in holiday destinations.

The silver-cheeked pufferfish has teeth so sharp and a bite so powerful that it is destroying fishermen’s nets and shredding their catch – and is more than capable of removing a swimmer’s finger or toe.

As well as having a vicious bite, it contains a powerful neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin, which can cause heart and lung failure, making the fish unsuitable for human consumption.

The species, also known as the silver-cheeked toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus), usually inhabits the Indian Ocean.

However, the fish have appeared in the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, meaning holidaymakers visiting resorts this summer will have more than sea urchins and jellyfish to contend with.

An elderly Greek woman was bitten by a silver-cheeked pufferfish this week and required stitches to the wound. She was injured while swimming off a beach in the coastal resort of Varkiza, near Athens.

The fish lunged at her unexpectedly and without provocation, according to Greek media reports. It was the latest in a series of similar incidents in Greece, where the species has no natural predators and is proliferating.

Nota Peristeraki, an expert on the species from the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, said: “If you see this fish approaching you, you really need to avoid it. Some attacks have happened when people have tried to feed or touch the fish.

“There have been a couple of cases of people losing a finger or a toe. That said, these are rare incidents. You are more likely to encounter a shark. If you go snorkelling, you might not even see pufferfish. We have found the remains of fishing nets and hooks inside their stomachs.”

The Greek Red Cross has issued guidelines for dealing with injuries from the pufferfish. The wound should be immediately cleaned with clean water and soap; steady pressure should be applied to bleeding with a clean cloth or piece of gauze, and medical help should be sought as soon as possible. Stitches and a tetanus shot may be required.

Fishermen in Greece have said the pufferfish are a serious problem: not only do they damage nets and attack the catch, they are also dangerous to handle.

Alexis Charlambakis, a fisherman in Crete, told the AFP news agency: “If one of these bites you, it will take your finger clean off. They are the destruction of the sea.

“They leave nothing behind. If this wasn’t my boat, I’d quit this profession for good. The situation is dire ... we cannot survive.”

Giannis Giankakis, another fisherman, said: “It’s an omnivorous fish that eats everything it encounters. Nothing seems to bother it, because it has no natural predators.”

The economic impact is reportedly severe. It is estimated that in some parts of Greece, every fishing boat is sustaining an average of €8,500 (£7,300) in losses and damages each year.

In Cyprus, fishermen are paid a bounty to catch as many pufferfish as possible and deliver them to shore, where they are burned as waste in special incinerators.

Greece is considering a similar scheme to try to suppress the population. Fishermen say a bounty incentive needs to be introduced as soon as possible if they are to stop the rise in pufferfish numbers.

The silver-cheeked pufferfish was first detected in the eastern Mediterranean in 2003 and in Greek waters in 2005. But in recent years, its population and range have exploded and it has spread towards Italy, Spain and the rest of the western Mediterranean.

In Greece, it is particularly prevalent around Crete and the Dodecanese Islands, including the popular holiday destination of Rhodes.

Like dozens of other exotic species, including the beautiful but dangerous lionfish, it has been attracted by warmer water and rising salinity caused by climate change.

Pufferfish cannot be eaten, but scientists are working on other ways to make use of them. That includes grinding them down for use as meal for farmed fish or in fertilisers.

[Source: Daily Telegraph]