Invasion of alien toxic toadfish ravages Cyprus fishing industry

AGGRESSIVE as pitbulls, prolific breeders and packed with a heart-stopping toxin, they are a fisherman’s worst nightmare.

Growing to more than three feet and weighing 20lbs, silver-cheeked toadfish use their sharp teeth to tear into fisher- men’s nets to get at the catch inside.

“They eat cuttlefish and octopus and calamari straight out of the net, before you can land it on the boat,” said Loucas Georgiou, standing on the quayside in Ayia Napa in eastern Cyprus. “Fish like this are a catastrophe for the sea.”

Located at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, Cyprus is on the frontline of a marine invasion – more than 800 species have arrived via the Suez Canal from the tropical Indian Ocean.

They include parrot fish, the Red Sea goat fish, the dusky spinefoot, trumpet fish and new species of sea urchins.

In Cyprus, the hotspot for new arrivals is Cape Greco in the far south-east of the island, a rocky headland where crystal-clear bays give way to the deep indigo blue of the open sea.

What was once a trickle has become a flood, aided by the widening of the Suez Canal, which has changed salinity levels that previously acted as a barrier to migration. The toadfish – also referred to in Cyprus as the puffer fish – is a particular challenge, because it preys on fish and is highly toxic.

Because the flesh contains toxins, it is not edible. So fishermen who inadvertently catch the species are paid €3 a kilo to bring it to port. The toadfish are then incinerated monthly in special furnaces, with around 50 tons burned each year.

Alien fish from the Indian Ocean and Red Sea are being drawn into the Mediterranean by warmer waters, caused by global climate change.

Demetris Kletou, a marine biologist, describes Cyprus as the “doorstep” of the Mediterranean – the first European country that these species reach after they swim past the coasts of Egypt, Israel and Syria. From Cyprus, they are slowly moving west towards Greece, Malta, Italy and beyond.

“With the sea warming as it is, Italy will probably be in the same situation as us in 10 or 20 years,” he says.

In contrast to the silver-cheeked toadfish, another new arrival, the lionfish, is edible and delicious. It is one of the most spectacular looking species, festooned with poisonous quills.

Fishermen in Cyprus have learned how to handle the lionfish, wearing heavy, puncture-resistant gloves when they cut off the quills, and are beginning to sell them to restaurants.