On our fabulous fishing tour at Milos we got (apart from our lunch) also two invasive fish, a silver-cheeked toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus) and a puffer fish (Torquigener flavimaculosus). The last one was especially cute actually but can cause serious damage with its toxin and the only predator, that has been seen, that survives after eating it is the first mentioned invasive species, the Lagocephalus.
The silver-cheecked toadfish was first spotted in 2005 but now is not only everywhere in the Aegean but in whole Mediterranean sea. Very harmful for the fishing nets and also the native fish and now researchers try to find a use of them.
The invasive species enter through the Suez canal, since it was widened and deepened. There are around 300 invasive fish, that have been spotted in Greece the last years. We have a few links for you in the bibliography, if you wanna check this topic further.
Bibliography
- Invaders threaten local marine ecosystems | eKathimerini.com
- https://aquaticinvasions.arphahub.com/article/103438/
- Invasive fish push westward as the Mediterranean Sea slowly becomes tropical | Marine life | The Guardian
- Invasive species: Are they really threatening the Mediterranean Sea and local fisheries? | Euronews
- Scientists Seeking Medical Potential of Invasive Fish – Greece Is (greece-is.com)
- https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/49553/deadly-puffer-fish-seen-in-greek-waters/
- https://balkaninsight.com/2022/06/01/in-aegean-sea-calls-for-greek-turkish-collaboration-on-balloon-fish-threat/
- https://greekreporter.com/2019/06/15/greek-marine-scientists-warn-of-highly-toxic-fish-spotted-in-the-aegean-video/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagocephalus_sceleratus
- https://greece.inaturalist.org/taxa/446572-Torquigener-flavimaculosus
Yannis and Stella @Apollon, Naxos 