April 20, 2024

Athens News

News in English from Greece

Watch out! Dangerous rabbit fish "does not sleep"

Professional fishermen are in despair as a poisonous species of predatory fish has reappeared in the shallow waters of the beaches. Huge populations of rabbit fish destroy equipment and fishermen’s nets, and also frighten bathers. In addition, this species, alien to the seas of Greece, is a constant headache for environmentalists.

The marine waters of the pier of the island of Kalymnos were filled with rabbit fish, and of large sizes. Michalis Mamouzellos, an avid fisherman, administrator of the corresponding Facebook page “Fishing gives life”, who spends his free time daily with a fishing rod in his hands, was photographed with a “monster” weighing more than six kilograms, but without neglecting “innovative methods”.

On one of these trips around the island, he was surprised, despite his experience, when he caught a huge fish (λαγοκέφαλος) on the hook. There are reportedly too many so-called “Lessepian migrants” in the area, as ocean fish that have crossed into the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal are called. in.gr.

The species of fish is dangerous to humans, as many attacks on bathers and divers have been recorded. “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 rabbitfish, which naturally occurs in the Red Sea, Pacific Ocean and 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 she “breeds like rabbits.” The habitat of the dangerous predator is expanding rapidly, and experts are already observing dangerous fish in the Ionian Sea, on the coasts of Croatia, Malta and Tunisia,” they note.



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