IERAPETRA, Greece: On his fishing boat moored in the Greek port of Ierapetra in southwestern Crete, Alexis Charlambakis pries open the mouth of a freshly-caught pufferfish to reveal two massive teeth on each jaw.
“If one of these bites you, it will take your finger clean off,” the 43-year-old said. “They are the destruction of the sea. They leave nothing behind.”
Proof of the damage is visible on a neighboring boat deck: a ray, a common seabream and another fish netted that day lie half shredded.
Pufferfish, a warm-water invasive species, were first spotted in Greek waters some 20 years ago and are wreaking havoc with the country’s fishing industry, a pillar of the nation’s agricultural exports.
Off the coast of Crete, Greece’s largest island, fishermen are seeing their catch dwindle because of the silver-cheeked Lagocephalus sceleratus menace, which typically measures between 40 and 60 cm.
