How to overcome the serious threat caused by Puffer fish (Lagocephalus inermis) in Kerala fisheries ? A frontline approach

Puffer fish which is a carnivorous fish eats everything that comes in front of it. These cause a severe threat to the fishermen of Kerala by tearing the nets as well as damaging other species and there by causing huge losses. These fishes when threatened becomes about twice its normal size by gulping water. When they are in inflated condition they swim slowly. The most common species of puffer fish which causes damage in Kerala fisheries is Lagocephalus inermis (Temminck & Schlegel, 1850) of the family Tetraodontidae and order Tetraodontiformes. There are around 188 species of pufferfish worldwide.

Almost all pufferfish contain tetrodotoxin, a substance that makes them foul tasting and often lethal to fish. These extremely strong paralyzing poison is found in many parts of the puffer fish including their liver, muscles, skin, and ovaries. To humans, tetrodotoxin is deadly, up to 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide. There is enough toxin in one pufferfish to kill 30 adult humans, and there is no known antidote. As these fishes contain toxins we should not consume it whereas we should focus on high quality research whether these can be applied in medical field. 

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