Dangerous rabbit fish reappears in Greek seas

Professional fishermen in Crete are in despair as a poisonous species of predatory fish has appeared in the shallow waters of the beaches. Huge populations of rabbit fish that have appeared destroy the equipment and nets of fishermen.

Fishermen find them in shallow water, at a minimum depth, on the beaches of the island, which in a few weeks will be filled with bathers.

Professional fisherman president Manolis Mantzarakis is calling through a video to stimulate fishing by professionals and amateurs to reduce the number of these fish. The video shows how the fisherman demonstrates his catch – he holds two huge fish in his hands.

According to the professional, “toxic fish are now found at a depth of 1.5 meters in the sea, with all the ensuing consequences for swimmers, since attacks have been reported,” writes tromaktiko.gr.

Recall that the rabbit fish (λαγοκέφαλος) lives mainly in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. After 2003, this species of fish appeared in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, migrating from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal.

“Dangerous Fun” was recorded on video and posted on the Internet. Under the video, there are dozens of messages in which the reckless “lover of nature” is not called names as soon as they are called. After all, a fish bite could cost him his life (or a fish could easily bite off a daredevil’s finger)! Fish are known to contain the poisonous toxin tetradotoxin, which can cause respiratory problems, circulatory failure, muscle paralysis, and even death.

The rabbit fish is the “sister” of the extremely poisonous puffer fish. In recent years, Greek environmentalists have been sounding the alarm. Hordes of fish entered the Aegean Sea from the Indian Ocean through the Suez Canal. This is a powerful predator with practically no enemies, it threatens the marine ecosystem and is very dangerous for humans.

reference

Rrabbit fish (λαγοκέφαλος) contains the poisonous toxin tetradotoxin (TTX), which, when released into the bloodstream, causes respiratory disorders, circulatory disorders, muscle paralysis and even death in humans. There is no antidote for the toxin.

Fish dangerous to people are increasingly appearing in the seas of the country. The Greeks also call this fish “germanos”. It is one of 90 species of fish and about 1,000 species of marine life that entered the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal.

Researchers from the Hellenic Center for Marine Research report that the first sighting of the rabbit fish, whose natural habitat is the Red Sea, the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, was officially recorded in the Mediterranean Sea in 2003.

“In the Greek maritime region of the Dodecanese, the rabbitfish has the largest populations. The problem is that rabbit fish “breeds like rabbits.” The habitat of a dangerous predator is expanding rapidly, and experts are already observing dangerous fish in the Ionian Sea, on the coast of Croatia, Malta and Tunisia,” they note.

Source link