Saltwater
Silver-cheeked Toadfish
Lagocephalus sceleratus
Hebrew name: אבו נפחא
- Peak season
- Year-round, most common in summer and autumn (June-November)
- Length range
- 30–80 cm
- Weight range
- 0.5–4 kg
- Typical depth
- 18–100 m
Habitat
Native to the Red Sea and Indo-Pacific; since the Suez Canal it has spread across the eastern Mediterranean and is now very common off Israel, Lebanon, Cyprus, Turkey and Greece. Sand and rock bottoms from about 18 to 100 m, often coming shallower.
Behavior
TOXIC - NEVER EAT. Its flesh, skin and organs carry tetrodotoxin, which cooking does not destroy and which has killed people in the region. An aggressive invader with beak-like teeth that bites through lines and hooks and damages nets and catches. Handle with gloves, avoid the teeth, and do not release it where local rules require removal.
Best techniques
- Usually a bycatch on bottom rigs baited with squid or sardine
- Steel or heavy fluorocarbon leader to survive its bite
- Targeted removal with cut bait in culling programmes
- Dehooking tool and gloves - never put fingers near the mouth
