Authorities will pay to catch poisonous fish.

Byline: Patrick Dewhurst

THE DEPARTMENT of Fisheries plans to pay fisherman e1/41 for every Pufferfish they catch, as part of a project to count numbers and identify densely populated areas.

The highly poisonousAaLagocephalos SceleratusAaPufferfish are migrants from the Red Sea, and have become increasingly common since they were first seen here nine years ago.

Most of their skin and organs contain a lethal neurotoxin, tetrodotoxin, which has no cure and causes respiratory and heart failure if eaten. Since this toxin is not broken down by cooking, the fish has no commercial value locally and so fisherman throw them away.Aa

The project therefore aims to give fisherman incentives to bring in their catches, so that authorities can monitor the Pufferfish population. Loizos Loizides, Director of the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, said yesterday: "The Department will carry out a research programme to collect as many as possible, identify populated areas. We will then analyse the statistics to find their preference for food and assess their stocks"

Loizides also hopes that the project will make an impact on the population. "We hope to reduce their numbers, since they have no commercial value and could be competing with indigenous fish," he said.

Until now little information has been collected about the fish. "We know that they are most concentrated around Ayia Napa and Famagusta areas, but we are not sure about the population size." Loizides added.

There are parts of the pufferfish which are edible, however. In Japan, where it is known asAaFugu,Aaspecially trained sushi chefs can extract the safe meat, and a single serving can cost up to e1/435. Asked if he had considered the Japanese market, Loizides said: "Yes, we did contact the Japanese. However, they were not interested because the fish must be prepared and consumed immediately, or else the toxin will spread."

Nicolas Michaelides, Principal of the project and resident Pufferfish expert at the Fisheries Department, said: "Under EU regulations we are not permitted to put this on the European Market, we can only destroy it."

The department of fisheries has outsourced the disposal of the fish to a local firm, Sigan Management Limited. Asked about the possible effects of consuming this fish, Michaelides said: "We think that toxicity depends on a few factors, such as size, sex and the season. I have heard reports that some fisherman have eaten the fish without any problems, but I would certainly avoid it. There is no cure for this."

The final documentation for the project is being prepared, and the collection should be underway by the middle of October.

Copyright Cyprus Mail 2009

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