Warning to holidaymakers over toe-chomping pufferfish found lurking in Mediterranean waters

By PERKIN AMALARAJ, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 08:59, 21 June 2026 | Updated: 08:59, 21 June 2026 Holidaymakers jetting off to the Med this summer have been warned of a marine menace lurking in its balmy waters.  The silver-cheeked pufferfish has appeared in the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, adding to the woes of jetsetters already dealing with jellyfish and sea urchins in the region.  The fish, also known as the silver-cheeked toadfish, has incredibly sharp teeth and a bite so powerful that it can sever a finger in one chomp.  It also has a powerful neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin, a poison that can cause heart and lung failure - making the silver-cheeked pufferfish unsuitable for human consumption.   The fish was first seen in the eastern Mediterranean in 2003 and in Greek waters in 2005.  But recent years have seen an explosion in their population size and range, spreading towards Italy, Spain and the rest of the western Mediterranean.  Scientists believe this spread has been caused by climate change, which has resulted in warmer waters and rising salinity in the sea.  Greek media reported this week that an elderly woman needed to get stitches after being bitten by one of the wild fish.  The silver-cheeked pufferfish (pictured) has appeared in the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal Fishermen in the Mediterranean have already warned that the pufferfish have been heavily damaging their nets She was hurt while swimming off a beach in the town of Varkiza, near Athens.   Nota Peristeraki, an expert on the species from the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, said: 'If you see this fish approaching you, you really need to avoid it. Some attacks have happened when people have tried to feed or touch the fish. 'There have been a couple of cases of people losing a finger or a toe. That said, these are rare incidents. You are more likely to encounter a shark. If you go snorkelling, you might not even see pufferfish. We have found the remains of fishing nets and hooks inside their stomachs.' Fishermen in the Mediterranean have already warned that the pufferfish have been heavily damaging their nets.   Alexis Charlambakis, a fisherman in Crete, told the AFP news agency: 'If one of these bites you, it will take your finger clean off. They are the destruction of the sea. 'They leave nothing behind. If this wasn't my boat, I'd quit this profession for good. The situation is dire ... we cannot survive.' Giannis Giankakis, another fisherman, said: 'It's an omnivorous fish that eats everything it encounters. Nothing seems to bother it, because it has no natural predators.' As a result, nations are trying to encourage their citizens to suppress the population of pufferfish.  In Cyprus, fishermen are paid a bounty to catch as many of them as possible and bring them to shore, where they are incinerated. Greece is considering a similar scheme.  Scientists are also working on ways to make them useful, including by grinding them down for use as meal for farmed fish, or in crop fertilisers.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.