The invasive puffer fish continues to spread and has started moving to less salty waters because of its highly adaptable nature.
Mediterranean Fisheries Research, Production and Training Institute Director Serkan Erkan said: "As soon as the pufferfish adapts, it will begin to move to less salty waters. As the Black Sea's salinity is far lower than that of the Mediterranean, puffer fish are not currently seen there. However, we anticipate it will eventually adapt and move to the Black Sea, traveling all the way from the Mediterranean.
The institute, affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, investigates marine species off the country's coast and in international waters. The research is focused on the puffer fish that live in the Indian Ocean and the western parts of the Pacific Ocean and the Red Sea and enter the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal.
The density, reproduction and migration paths of puffer fish, which pose a hazard to the ecosystem and fisheries, are tracked so techniques to control their spread can be developed.
Erkan stated that they had been keeping a close eye on puffer fish for 14 years since they were first spotted in the Mediterranean in 2008.
Erkan highlighted that because of the fish's extremely strong jaw structure, they could ingest a wide variety of things and quickly establish dominance over the area they invade. He explained they had studied the behavior and breeding cycles of the fish.
He also noted that puffer fish should never be consumed since they are poisonous, emphasizing that these species have a detrimental impact on fishing because of the damage they can do to fishing nets.
Stating that the pufferfish was seen in the Çanakkale region, Erkan said: "The pufferfish spread increased for a while. Currently, we do not see an increase in the pilot regions we have determined as the number is stable, but their spread continues, it is migrating to other regions. The adaptability of the puffers is very high, as they adapt, they start to move to less salty waters. Because of its low salinity, puffers are not seen in the Black Sea at the moment, but after a while, we guess they will adapt and go to the Black Sea from the Marmara."
Stating that effective control efforts are carried out to reduce the population of fish and that the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry encourages the collection of puffer fish for a fee per tail, Erkan said that this practice creates an important public awareness.
Noting that a study has been started on the processing of the skin of the fish, Erkan said that products such as wallets, ornaments and bags can be made from the skin of puffer fish.
Erkan also reiterated that the sale of puffer fish is prohibited because consuming its meat can lead to death.
Puffer fish, also known as blowfish, are a predator that contains tetrodotoxin, a lethal substance to humans, up to 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide.
There is enough toxin in one puffer fish to kill 30 adult humans, and there is no known antidote. Interestingly, the meat of some pufferfish is considered a delicacy. Called fugu in Japan, it is extremely expensive and only prepared by trained, licensed chefs who know that one bad cut means almost certain death for a customer. In fact, many similar deaths occur annually.
