Toxic pufferfish invade Mediterranean tourist hotspots
Specialized crews are installing weighted netting at six beaches as officials seek to protect swimmers from jellyfish and toxic pufferfish.
- The Municipality of Chalkideon has started installing floating barriers at six beaches, including Alykes and Zephyros, to block jellyfish and toxic pufferfish from reaching swimmers. The $418,000 project creates enclosed "safety zone" areas.
- Swimmers in Greece have faced years of painful jellyfish stings and dangerous encounters with invasive pufferfish carrying tetrodotoxin. Last week, one fish bit an elderly woman near Varkiza, requiring stitches for deep wounds.
- The Mayor of Chalkideon said the barriers limit jellyfish and pollution entry, "enhancing safety for swimmers." Weighted nets require regular cleaning by specialized crews to prevent seaweed buildup and "entry holes."
- Greece launched a bounty program last week paying about $2.76 per pound for collected pufferfish, while an EU-funded plan provides fuel subsidies to fishermen supporting removal efforts.
- Marine scientist Ioannis Batjakas at the University of the Aegean argues reports of attacks are exaggerated, while the Initiative to Save Pufferfish opposes elimination campaigns; warming waters may continue drawing fish toward Greek shores.
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British tourists warned toxic fish that ‘can bite through bone’ lurking in Mediterranean as Greece erects floating barrier
British tourists have been warned a toxic fish capable of causing devastating injuries is spreading through waters around some of the Mediterranean's most popular holiday hotspots.The silver-cheeked toadfish has been appearing in increasing numbers along the Greek coastline, prompting the Hellenic Red Cross to issue fresh safety advice.Native to the Indian Ocean, the species is believed to have entered the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal be…
Greece Installs Floating Barriers Against Jellyfish and Toxic Pufferfish
A silver-cheeked pufferfish, or Lagocephalus sceleratus, widely known in Greece as the lagokephalos. Credit: Flickr / Rickard Zerpe / CC BY 2.0 Greece has started installing floating barriers along beaches in the Euboea region to protect swimmers from jellyfish and a growing population of toxic pufferfish. The first barrier went up last month in Chalkida, and officials plan to extend the network to several nearby towns this summer. The pufferfis…
Because there is no antidote for the pufferfish's venom, this invasive species has no natural enemies, giving it an advantage in the food chain and the ability to kill anyone who tries to harm it.
The spotted predator can cause deep wounds to humans. Alarms of the Hellenic Red Cross and the government of Athens that has provided incentives for fishermen to reduce the number of specimens
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