Most poisonous fish in the world caught off Croatian island 

Anton Vidovič with the puffer fish (Photo credit: Aquarium Pula/Anton Vidovič)

Yesterday, near Ceja island in the Medulin Bay on Croatia’s Istrian peninsula, seven specimens of Lagocephalus sceleratus, commonly known as the silver-striped puffer fish, were spotted, Morski.hr reported.

One of the puffer fish was caught at a depth of 19 meters and taken to the Centre for Marine Research in Rovinj. The fish was caught and photographed by Slovenian fisherman Anton Vidovič. 

As stated on the Aquarium Pula Facebook page, the silver-striped puffer fish contains an extremely potent poison called tetrodotoxin, which, when consumed, can cause severe health problems and death. 

Tetrodotoxin is most concentrated in the gonads and liver, but it is also present in the skin. It is estimated that a dose of 1 to 2 mg is fatal.

“This species is of an invasive nature and belongs to the so-called Lessepsian migrants, species that penetrate into the Mediterranean from the Red Sea through the Suez Canal. Originally, these fish live in tropical areas of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Due to their predatory nature and lack of natural enemies, this fish negatively affects biological diversity and poses a threat to fisheries by damaging fishing nets to obtain prey, tearing bait, and hooks,” Aquarium Pula said.

(Photo credit: Aquarium Pula/Anton Vidovič)

Puffer fish belong to the family of poisonous fish from the order Tetraodontiformes, which is named after the whole order. Biologists believe that puffer fish have developed their famous “puffiness” because their slow, somewhat clumsy swimming style makes them easy prey for predators, writes Morski.hr.

Instead of fleeing, the puffer fish uses its elastic body and the ability to quickly ingest a huge amount of water (and even air when necessary) to transform into an almost inedible ball several times larger than their normal size. 

Some species also have spines on their skin to make them even less palatable. A predator that manages to catch them will not enjoy the catch for long. Almost all puffer fish contain tetrodotoxin, a very potent neurotoxin that can cause paralysis of the nervous and respiratory systems and lead to death.

For humans, tetrodotoxin is deadly, up to 1200 times more toxic than cyanide. One specimen contains enough toxin to kill 30 adults, and there is no known antidote.