Manos Konsolas, Member of Parliament for the Dodecanese, submitted a parliamentary intervention to the Ministry of Rural Development and Food, calling for a redesign and expansion of the pilot programme addressing the uncontrolled increase of invasive silver-cheeked toadfish, (lagocephalus) in Greek waters.
He stresses that it is unacceptable for the Dodecanese to be excluded from the programme, given that a study by the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (ELKETHE) has identified the problem not only in Crete but also in the Dodecanese and parts of the Peloponnese. While the Ministry has launched a pilot scheme limited to Crete, offering compensation of €6.5 per kilogram of caught silver-cheeked toadfish, Konsolas argues that this amount does not cover fishermen’s operational and handling costs.
He underlines that the continuous appearance of new silver-cheeked toadfish species and the rapid growth of their population make the revision of the programme imperative, especially in the Dodecanese, where the problem is escalating rapidly.
Konsolas puts forward three key proposals:
- Inclusion of the Dodecanese, Crete, and affected areas of the Peloponnese in the programme.
- Increase in compensation for fishermen, as the current rate of €6.5/kg is insufficient.
- Engagement of private-sector companies to utilise the caught silver-cheeked toadfish, for pharmaceutical purposes or fishmeal production, in line with ELKETHE’s findings.
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