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Greek fishermen battle invasive, toxic pufferfish
🇬🇷 Greece /Environment & Climate

Greek fishermen battle invasive, toxic pufferfish

From Kathimerini · () Greek

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Greek fishermen are catching 100-200 invasive pufferfish daily, damaging nets and consuming valuable catches.
  • The Lessepsian migrant, identified as toxic, poses a threat to marine ecosystems and is banned for human consumption.
  • Greece is proposing a pilot program to the European Commission for subsidized removal of the fish, with fishermen supporting the initiative.

Fishermen in Astypalaia are struggling with an overwhelming daily catch of invasive pufferfish, with some reporting 100 to 200 of the toxic fish per day. Stathis Evanggelou, a fisherman for nine years, described how the fish tear nets, destroy equipment, and eat valuable catches before they can even be landed.

We catch 100 to 200 pieces a day. They tear our nets, they destroy our tools, they eat the fish we need to sell, and sometimes they attack them on the seabed before we even catch them.

— Stathis EvanggelouDescribing the daily struggle with invasive pufferfish.

The pufferfish, identified as a Lessepsian migrant that entered the Mediterranean from the Red Sea, has been recorded in Greece since at least 2005. Areas like Livadi, Agios Konstantinos, and Steno are reportedly teeming with thousands of these fish. Evanggelou recounted catching 100 pufferfish within a mere 50-meter stretch recently.

In Livadi, Agios Konstantinos, in Steno there are many thousands – 10 days ago I caught 100 pufferfish in 50 meters.

— Stathis EvanggelouIllustrating the high density of pufferfish in certain areas.

According to the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (ELKETHE), the pufferfish negatively impacts marine ecosystems by damaging fishing gear and consuming valuable catches. Critically, its tissues contain tetrodotoxin, a potent neurotoxin for which there is no known antidote. Consumption can be fatal, and European legislation prohibits its use for human consumption.

Consumption can be fatal. Due to this, and related European legislation, this species and its relatives are prohibited for human consumption.

— ELKETHEExplaining the danger and legal status of the pufferfish.

In response, the Greek Ministry of Rural Development and Food, in agreement with the Ministry of Environment and Energy, has drafted a proposal for a pilot program. Modeled after a similar initiative in Cyprus, the program aims for targeted, subsidized removal of pufferfish by coastal fishermen in areas with high abundance. This proposal has been sent to the European Commission for negotiation and approval. Fishermen like Evanggelou and Nikolas Sklavos from Fournoi Ikarias support the plan, hoping for assistance to acquire tools for eradicating the fish, which they say are also damaging octopus populations.

Let them give us something to make the right tools to eradicate them.

— Stathis EvanggelouExpressing a desire for support to combat the invasive fish.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathimerini in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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