Greece Offers Cash to Fishermen for Catching Invasive Silver-Cheeked Toadfish

Greece launched a cash incentive program on June 26, 2026, offering fishermen 5.33 euros per kilogram, or about $2.75 per pound, for catches of silver-cheeked toadfish, @ABC reported. The torpedo-shaped fish, a member of the puffer fish family normally found in tropical waters, has migrated into the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal, drawn by warming seas.

The silver-cheeked toadfish has damaged fishing nets off Crete and several other Greek islands in recent weeks.

Giorgos Kyriakakis of a Cretan fishermen’s association said fishermen might spend three days fixing nets after one day of fishing because the fish eat the catch and damage equipment. Agriculture Minister Margaritis Schinas said it is the first time such a measure has been taken in Greece.

The fish will be frozen and incinerated at local government facilities, and the program will likely expand from affected islands to all Greek waters, Schinas added.

Cyprus launched a similar catch program earlier in 2026. The Greek Red Cross issued a public health warning outlining first-aid protocols for bites and noting the neurotoxin in the fish’s skin and organs that can cause heart failure if consumed. Authorities said the fish have not been sighted in bathing areas at Greek island resorts.

A statement issued Friday by 16 medical and tourism associations on Crete said the presence of these fish in the Mediterranean has been known for years and there is no imminent danger to bathers.