Toxic lionfish makes its way to Cyprus waters.
Author: Stefanos Evripidou THE FISHERIES Department of the Agriculture Ministry is warning fishermen, fish-eaters and even bathers to take note of the fact that the somewhat toxic 'common lionfish' or 'devil firefish' has found its way to the Eastern Mediterranean. An announcement by the Fisheries Department informs the public that the eye-catching lionfish has been found in the coastal waters of Cyprus. The fish belongs to the species pterois miles, which belongs to the family of the Scorpaenidae and has probably reached the waters of Cyprus by travelling via the popular Suez Canal. While impressive and colourful, the fish has poisonous spikes, loaded with toxin. Fisheries Department official Nicolas Michaelides told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that the fish actually tastes quite nice but people need to be informed that those spikes can be dangerous and need to be handled carefully. The toxin is only fatal if someone is allergic to it, he said, otherwise it can cause extreme pain, headache, vomiting, and breathlessness. If one gets poked and poisoned by a lionfish, the best thing is to seek treatment at a medical centre but in the meantime, one should wet the wound with hot water for 30 to 90 minutes to inactivate the toxin. According to Michaelides, in the last month, fishermen found two separate lionfish off the coast of Cyprus, one in Xylofagou and the other in Limassol. The fact that those two locations are quite far apart suggest the fish were not travelling together, but came to the area separately. This in itself opens up the possibility of more lionfish having arrived in the Eastern Mediterranean from the Red Sea or elsewhere and mated. "On the other hand, it could just be a coincidence that we found two in different areas of Cyprus in the last month," he said. Copyright Cyprus Mail 2013 Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |