Marine experts warn poisonous exotic fish in Mediterranean

Feb 28, 2007, 14:16 GMT

Athens - Greek marine experts on Wednesday warned that a poisonous exotic fish has recently made its way into the eastern Mediterranean from its native waters in the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean.

The fish, known as the silver-stripe blaasop, reportedly contains a poisonous substance in its liver, skin and reproductive organs which can cause fatal muscle paralysis and breathing or circulation problems if eaten by humans, according to researchers at the Rhodes Hydrobiological Station.

Andreas Sioulas, director of the Rhodes station, was quoted by the Greek daily Kathimerini as saying that the silver-stripe blaasop has slipped into the eastern Mediterranean through the Suez Canal.

The fish, which is silvery-gray with black spots, a white belly and a bright silver stripe along its side can reach over a meter in length.

According to Sioulas, the fish was first spotted off the eastern Mediterranean island of Rhodes in the summer of 2005 but there has been a sharp increase since then.

'At least 10 samples have been found this month alone,' he was quoted by Kathimerini as saying.

The Hellenic Center for Medical Research has sent an urgent warning to all the country's port authoritirs to alert local fishermen about the deadly fish.

'The silver-stripe blaasop is a delicacy in some parts of the Indian Ocean but the locals know how to remove the parts containing the poison,' said Sioulas.

There have been 10 reported deaths of people known to have eaten the fish in the eastern Mediterranean, eight in Egypt and two in Israel.