Fish several hundred times more poisonous than cyanide appears in the Adriatic Sea

Photo: Profimedia

A new species appears in the Adriatic Sea every week because of temperature changes. A few months ago, a fisherman close to the island of Kosara near Pasman caught a poisonous fish, the silver-cheeked toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus).

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This an extremely poisonous and deadly species, which in its muscles, gonads, liver and skin contains a strong thermostable poison, tetrodotoxin. Its consumption is prohibited in EU countries, but in Japan it is a gastronomic delicacy known as "fugu" which is prepared according to special procedures due to the presence of the deadly poison.

It is believed that this thermostable poison is several hundred times stronger than cyanide.

"The fish is widespread in the Indian Ocean, the western Pacific and the Red Sea. It is a Lessepsian migrant, which means that it reached the Mediterranean from the Red Sea via the Suez Canal. It is an extremely invasive species that has fully established its population in the Mediterranean, especially in the eastern part," doctor Jakov Dulcic, head of the laboratory for ichthyology and coastal fishing of the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Split explained for N1.

He added that this fish was first seen close the island of Jakljan near Dubrovnik back in 2012. Afterwards it was found along the Albanian, Montenegrin and Croatian coasts.

The Institute warned citizens on social networks to, if they come across this fish, avoid direct contact if possible, and if that is impossible, to handle it carefully. Besides the poison, this species has a strong jaw with sharp teeth, so its bite can cause serious injuries.

(Telegraf.rs)