New Safety Measures in the Gulf of Euboea
From his deckchair, arms stretched above his head and feet sliding in the sand, Pavlos Beleyiannis watches his grandchildren swim in his favourite bay. The scene is peaceful, a serenity the recently retired truck driver attributes to a newfound sense of security.
For the first time, a floating barrier has been installed across the bay. The children, splashing and playing, have not ventured beyond it.
“Thank god it’s there to protect them,”he says with relief.
“There weren’t such dangers in these seas when I was a child.”
Until last summer, the dangers beneath the Gulf of Euboea – the waters separating the island of Evia from mainland Greece – were thought to be limited to purple jellyfish. Last year, the mauve stingers caused pharmacists in Chalkida, the island’s bustling capital 80 miles (130km) north of Athens, to work overtime after a surge in swimmer attacks.
However, the recent arrival of toxic long-toothed pufferfish has introduced a new threat. These fish, capable of biting through bone, metal, and wood, prompted the Greek Red Cross to issue a public health warning in June. Citizens were advised to seek emergency care if bitten due to the fish’s
“beak-like jaws”which can cause severe wounds and heavy bleeding.
The species should not be consumed under any circumstances because it contains tetrodotoxin, a potentially lethal neurotoxin found in its organs and flesh. With no known antidote, the invasive pufferfish can kill predators and humans who ingest it, giving it a dominant position in the food chain.
Antonis Spanos, Chalkida’s vice-mayor who supervised the installation of the floating barrier—the first of its kind in Greece—emphasizes the priority of public safety.
“Our duty and primary concern has to be the safety of our citizens,”he says.
“It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Installation and Community Response
At 40 years old, Spanos represents a proactive generation of local politicians. Authorities spent months securing funds and issuing tenders to ensure the most effective barrier was installed, with approval from the state general laboratory.
“Two and a half kilometres of this net will be set up in bays around the gulf to allow for a carefree summer,”he explains.
“Last year it was bad with the jellyfish but, as you say in English, we’ve killed two birds with one stone. Now if there are puffers, we’ll be ready for them too.”
Calls to the town hall have surged, especially from elderly residents eager for the barrier’s installation.
“Just this morning a woman called in saying she’d only feel safe to go swimming with her grandchildren once it was there.”
Chalkida is not alone in these efforts. This week, Nikos Choulieris, 63, who has operated a diving school in the town for decades, was out with his team securing additional floating barriers off beaches further up the gulf as other municipalities follow suit.
“I’ve been diving for more than 40 years and never thought the day would come when I’d be doing this,”Choulieris says.
“Sea temperatures have definitely risen and that has made it all the more favourable for what we’re seeing now.”
In the coming weeks, approximately 7km of floating barrier will be transported from Athens to the region.
“I don’t think anything will be able to get through that net, not even the fangs of a pufferfish,”Choulieris adds with a smile.
“It’s very tightly knit and very durable. They’d have to bite away at the same point for a long time to tear it and I don’t think they’re going to do that.”
Spread and Impact of Lagocephalus sceleratus
The proliferation of the species Lagocephalus sceleratus has officials concerned about the entire eastern Mediterranean being affected. Native to the Indo-Pacific region, the torpedo-shaped fish is believed to have been attracted to the Mediterranean’s warming waters, entering through the Suez Canal from the Red Sea.
Fishermen in Cyprus were the first to report catches and nets being damaged by this inedible invader. In 2024, Cypriot authorities launched a government-backed eradication program offering financial incentives, resulting in over 103 tonnes of silver-cheeked toadfish being removed from coastal waters.
Cyprus’s fisheries officer, Katerina Georgiou, attributes the species’ spread to its
“remarkable adaptability,”telling local media Sigma that without a census, it is
“impossible to draw reliable conclusions about the overall stock, or future population trends.”She emphasized that the pufferfish’s presence is not temporary but a new reality that must be addressed.
Last week, Athens announced a similar catch program, offering €5.33 (£4.57) per kilogram of the toxic fish surrendered to authorities.
Greek fishers, who also report damage to nets and gear, will receive fuel subsidies under an EU-funded action plan initially targeting Crete and the southern Aegean. Collected fish will be frozen and incinerated in government facilities, according to Margaritis Schinas, the agriculture minister and former European Commission vice-president.
He noted the initiative aims to protect the marine environment and support coastal and island communities, with plans for probable expansion.
Mixed Reactions and Ethical Concerns
Despite these efforts, some remain skeptical. Nikos Ayiaskoufitis, 54, an amateur fisher in Chalkida, doubts the effectiveness of the measures.
“No measure is going to be effective because what we’re seeing is part of the law of nature,”he says over a glass of wine with fellow fishers.
“The waters have warmed, these fish have migrated, or are going to migrate this way, and I don’t think the bounty is really enough for professional fishers to want to focus on catching pufferfish.”
Greek authorities have also encountered opposition from a group called the Initiative to Save Puffer Fish, which emerged last week criticizing eradication efforts. The group raised
“serious ethical questions”about the treatment of a species they believe deserves
“protection and respect.”
Supported by the tourist industry and leading marine fish experts, who describe the concerns as exaggerated, the catch campaign faces challenges.
Marine scientist Ioannis Batjakas from the University of the Aegean on Lesbos states:
“Everything we’re hearing is exaggerated. In more than 15 years of scuba diving, I have only ever seen one pufferfish, although they are prevalent around Crete.”
“Yes, they have long teeth and look scary, and, yes, they can be a problem for fishers and their nets, but like most wild animals they don’t attack humans. If they do, it’s very rare and only because they’re provoked. All of this is a case of much ado about nothing.”
Ongoing Concerns and Precautions
Despite the debate, Beleyiannis remains cautious as he watches his grandchildren in the bay.
“If you ask me, these barriers should be installed across Greece,”he says.
“I saw two jellyfish in the water just outside it this morning. Why not pufferfish? In life, you never know what’s next.”
