Catching Toxic Toadfish Driven Into Mediterranean Nets Cash

Fishermen in Greece can receive cash payments for catching toxic fish migrating north into the Mediterranean Sea because of climate change. The silver-cheeked toadfish is a torpedo-shaped species with prominent, humanlike teeth. Its skin and organs contain a powerful neurotoxin that can cause heart failure in humans if consumed. Authorities said the fish have not been sighted in bathing areas at Greek island resorts. But in recent weeks, the AP reports, the fish—part of the puffer fish family—have wreaked havoc for fishermen off the coast of Crete and several other Greek islands, chomping through nets.

"It's got to the point where we might go out fishing one day and then spend the next three days fixing our nets," Giorgos Kyriakakis, of a Cretan fishermen's association, told Greek public broadcaster ERT on Friday. "They eat our catch and damage our nets—that's very costly." The fish are thought to have traveled up the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean, attracted by warming waters. The invasion prompted Cyprus to launch a similar catch program earlier this year. Starting Friday, in a first for Greece, the government is offering about $2.75 per pound for catches of the fish, which is normally found in tropical waters. The fish will be frozen and incinerated at government installations, the agriculture minister said. He added that the measure would likely be expanded to all Greek waters.

Public concern has been stoked by videos posted by Greek fishing crews showing the fish sinking their teeth into soda cans or pieces of wood. The Greek Red Cross has issued a health warning, outlining first-aid protocols for bleeding caused by potential bites and warning of the deadly neurotoxin in the fish's organs. Authorities and businesses on the island of Crete urged not overreacting to the fish's offshore presence. A statement issued Friday by 16 medical and tourism associations on Crete said the fish has been known to be in the Mediterranean for years. "There is, however, no 'invisible' or imminent danger to bathers. Marine predators do not threaten the safety of visitors and residents," it said. "Exaggeration is often a feature of public debate."