The puffer fish Lagocephalus sceleratus (Gmelin, 1789) in the Eastern Mediterranean
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In the Mediterranean region, the fisheries sector has been suffering from the impacts of migration of aquatic organisms through the Suez Canal. Among the most devastating species to both fisheries and habitats is the aggressive predatory puffer fish Lagocephalus sceleratus. The fish bio-concentrates Tetrodotoxin (TTX), a very potent poison making the fish unmarketable and poses a great risk to human health if consumed. In addition, L. sceleratus has been recorded to destroy f ishing nets and lines leading to economic losses for fishers. The objective of this review is to describe the status of L. sceleratus and its commercial applications, if any, around the world with emphasis on the Mediterranean Sea. Given the lethal TTX toxicity of L. sceleratus, and the strict regulations passed around the world preventing its fishing and consumption, coupled with the little knowledge available about its biology and its bio-concentration of TTX, it is not recom mended at this stage to consider marketing the fish to consumers. Even-though the aquarium and capture-based aquaculture industries may provide partial solutions, the best option lies in creating, and in association with pharmaceutical companies, multidisciplinary laboratories in Mediterranean countries with the main objective of isolating TTX from puffer fishes including L. sceleratus and investigating the toxin’s potential use in the pharmaceutical industry. Such an option would create many employment opportunities in the region, but more importantly, it will create a fishery that will yield economic benefits to the fishers and control wild populations through increased fishing pressure. However, such an initiative requires many investigative activities about the biology of the fish as well as very strict permitting and regulatory processes in the countries where such a fishery might be established.