The other concern is the toxicity of the fish.
The financial losses to fishermen, who are already often on very low incomes, have been increasing in recent years. The damage to fishing gear is one thing, but the toadfish will then go on to feast on the abundance of food it finds inside the nets, meaning several kilos of the catch are often unsaleable. The silver-cheeked toadfish has strong teeth that it can use to bite through fishing lines and nets to get to the trapped fish. The main cause for concern is its economic impact. The toadfish appears to be thriving off the Turkish coast and is of particular concern for several reasons. One of the invading species, the silver-cheeked toadfish ( Lagocephalus sceleratus), is a type of pufferfish most usually found in the Pacific and Indian oceans. Migration of species in the opposite direction is relatively rare because the Red Sea is comparatively saltier and nutrient poor. It also brought with it invasive species from the Red Sea: 925 non-native species have been recorded in the eastern Mediterranean since the opening of the canal. The Suez Canal when it opened in 1869 brought dramatic changes to world trade. Relatively recently, the fish have arrived in the eastern Mediterranean. The fish has also invaded new territories in recent years posing new problems, especially for fishermen not familiar with the species.
However, pufferfish are widely distributed in tropical waters – and those consumers and those fishing outside Asian countries aren’t always aware of the dangers. A package of pufferfish containing the potentially deadly liver, top right.
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