Deadly species come to Turkey’s Aegean coasts

MUĞLA - Doğan News Agency

Ahmet Nuri Tarkan

Poisonous jellyfish and puffer fish are heading toward Turkish coastal waters because of the effects of global warming, the president of Muğla University’s Fisheries Department has said.

Turkey’s southern Aegean and İzmir coasts are particularly under threat from invading sea species, said Ahmet Nuri Tarkan.

The professor said he was currently researching the coastal seaside of Turkey with his 12-person team and warned people not to touch any unknown sea species.

Some poisonous sea species may be 50 times more poisonous than cyanide and may cause fatalities and sudden heart attacks.

Tarkan said the species’ arrival in Turkey was a result of global warming. Noting that both jellyfish and puffer fish are mainly based in the Indian Ocean, Tarkan said, “As the waters get warm, these species’ living areas get larger and they spread to other waters in the world.”