The Mediterranean predator unnerving Greek fishermen

On a fishing boat anchored in the Greek port of Ierapetra in southwest Crete, fisherman Alexis Charalambakis showed AFP a freshly caught elongated pufferfish, known in Hebrew as the "gunnel" and in Greek waters for its large beaklike teeth. The 43-year-old said, "If one of them bites you, it will simply cut off your finger," adding, "They are destroying the sea. They leave nothing behind." Nearby, other fish caught that day, including a stingray and sea bream, lay torn apart.

The fish troubling Greek fishermen is Lagocephalus sceleratus, a toxic, aggressive member of the pufferfish family that can grow beyond one meter. First recorded in the Mediterranean about 20 years ago, it spread westward to the Gulf of Gibraltar and even to the Black Sea after entering through the Suez Canal. Scientists classify it as an invasive Lessepsian species, one of more than 100 non-native fish species that have established themselves in the Mediterranean since the canal opened.

A recent bite on an elderly Greek woman near Varkiza, outside Athens, required stitches. Fishermen around Crete say catches are falling and nets are being shredded. Charalambakis said his nets become unusable after five days at sea, and even after two days of repairs, "this morning I took them out of the sea, and there were another 20 holes." He said the situation is so bad that, without the boat being his own, he would have left the profession.

Researchers at the HCMR and the University of Tel Aviv say the species is a top predator in the eastern Mediterranean, with no known adult predators and, at times, juvenile cannibalism. One study found 97 percent of stomach contents were other invasive species. Biologist Nota Pristeri said the fish costs each boat about 8,500 euros a year in lost income, while biologist Thaleia Anastasiou warned its tetrodotoxin can cause cardiac failure, lung paralysis and death.

Fishermen are asking the Greek state to subsidize catches of the fish, as Cyprus already does, and former deputy agriculture minister Christos Kellas said in February that authorities were studying aid. Scientists are also trying to neutralize the toxin so the fish, currently treated as category 1 hazardous waste and usually incinerated under EU rules, could eventually be turned into fertilizer or fish feed.