Greek fishermen are sounding the alarm arsenic the colonisation soars lagokephalos (rabbit fish) — poisonous fish, which are progressively appearing successful the country’s waters and causing superior harm to fisheries.
According to manufacture representatives, these food are caught successful nets damage cogwheel and destruct catchcreating important fiscal losses.
“They wound the food and devour them on with the nets.”said 1 of the nonrecreational fishermen.
Population growth
According to scientists, lagokephalos appeared successful the Mediterranean Sea astir 2005migrating from the Indian Ocean. Since then, their numbers person been perpetually increasing.
Over the past decennary the colonisation has grown by astir 50%which is confirmed by sportfishing drawback data.
Researcher ΕΛΚΕΘΕ (Greek Center for Marine Research) Nicky Peristeraki notes that maturation is recorded utilizing the species abundance index.
Poisonous food attack: Greek fishermen sound the alarm astir lagokephalus pic.twitter.com/zB96ORMoOa
— Athens News (@russianathens) April 15, 2026
Damage to fishermen
The situation has already go widespread. Yes, successful the country Porto Heli 1 of the fishermen discovered 28 lagokephalientangled successful networks.
Such cases are becoming much frequent, expanding the outgo of instrumentality repairs and reducing drawback volumes.
Danger to people
Lagokephalos airs a menace not lone to fisheries, but besides to quality health.
- fish contains strong neurotoxinwhich tin origin paralysis if consumed,
- has very crisp teeth,
- Cases of wounded to vacationers person been recorded, sometimes requiring stitches.
General context
The spread of lagokephalus is associated with changes successful the ecosystem and an summation successful water temperature, which creates favorable conditions for their reproduction.
Fishermen and experts warn that without systemic measures the situation could proceed to deteriorate, affecting some the system and information connected the coast.
Help: lagokephalus
Lagocephalus(os) (Greek λαγοκέφαλος) is simply a poisonous oversea food of the pufferfish family, which successful caller years has go progressively communal successful waters Mediterranean Seaincluding disconnected the seashore Greece.
The astir celebrated and unsafe species is Lagocephalus sceleratus. Initially helium lived successful Indian Ocean And Red Seaand entered the Mediterranean Sea done Suez Canal. Today this species is considered invasive and poses an expanding occupation for some fishermen and the ecosystem.
Why is lagokephalus dangerous?
- Contains tetrodotoxin – 1 of the astir almighty earthy poisons that tin origin paralysis and respiratory arrest.
- Dangerous if eaten – adjacent a small magnitude of nutrient tin pb to terrible poisoning.
- Has very crisp teeth – susceptible of tearing sportfishing nets, cutting the sportfishing enactment and damaging the catch.
- May injure people — cases of bites of vacationers and fishermen person been recorded.
Why has there been much of it?
Experts property the summation successful the fig of lagokephalus to respective factors:
- increase successful water temperature,
- absence of earthy enemies successful the Mediterranean Sea,
- high adaptability and survival of the species.
According to scientists, implicit the past decennary the fig of lagokephalus has accrued significantly, which is progressively reflected successful sportfishing catches and complaints from nonrecreational fishermen.
Other names for fish
Other names for this food whitethorn look successful publications and notation materials:
- lagokephalos,
- rabbit fish
- pufferfish,
- puffer fish – a conditional name, not ever accurate,
- Mediterranean pufferfish,
- Silver-cheeked toadfish – English name,
- pufferfish is the communal English designation for pufferfish.
Why is this important
Lagocephalus is not conscionable a uncommon exotic fish. He has already go environmental problemsource economic harm to fisheries and imaginable threat to quality health.
That is why experts impulse fishermen and vacationers not to touch such food unless necessary, not to devour them, and to study cases of wide occurrence to the applicable services.
Greek (GR) · 
English (US) ·