From his deckchair, Pavlos Beleyiannis watches his grandchildren bathe in his favorite bay.
A floating barrier now protects them from toxic pufferfish that have invaded the northern Gulf of Euboea.
>>> First Hennessey Venom F5-M Customer Adds Gold Badge and Family Name
Until last summer, the main threat was purple jellyfish.
Now, the arrival of long-toothed pufferfish, capable of biting through bone and metal, has prompted an unprecedented public health warning from the Greek Red Cross.
The fish contain a lethal neurotoxin, tetrodotoxin, with no known antidote. They have no natural predators, giving them dominance in the food chain.
Coastal Towns Take Action
Chalkida's vice-mayor, Antonis Spanos, says authorities have installed 2.5 kilometers of protective netting around bays.
“Last year it was bad with the jellyfish, but we’ve killed two birds with one stone,” he said.
Other municipalities are following suit. Diving school owner Nikos Choulieris, 63, has been anchoring floating barriers off beaches.
“Sea temperatures have risen and that has made it more favorable for what we’re seeing now,” he said.
An estimated 7 kilometers of barrier will be delivered to the region from Athens in the coming weeks.
>>> Contrapposto by Dave Eggers Review: A Disappointingly Pious Novel
Mediterranean-Wide Pest
The Lagocephalus sceleratus has spread across the eastern Mediterranean, entering through the Suez Canal from the Red Sea.
Fishers in Cyprus first reported catches being decimated.
In 2024, Cypriot authorities introduced financial incentives, removing over 103 tonnes of the fish. Greece recently announced a similar program, offering €5.33 per kilogram of pufferfish surrendered.
Agriculture Minister Margaritis Schinis said the EU-funded plan also includes fuel subsidies for fishers. The fish will be frozen and incinerated.
However, amateur fisher Nikos Ayiaskoufitis believes the measures are too late.
“No measure is going to be effective because what we’re seeing is part of the law of nature,” he said.
A group called the Initiative to Save Puffer Fish has emerged, opposing eradication efforts. Marine scientist Ioannis Batjakas says the outcry is exaggerated.
“In more than 15 years of scuba diving, I have only ever seen one pufferfish,” he said.
>>> Zelenskyy Urges NATO for Strong Decisions After Deadly Kyiv Strike
Despite the debate, Beleyiannis remains cautious as his grandchildren splash safely behind the barrier.
