Lessepsian invasions: pufferfish in Turkey and bounty payments
- Researchers Research record: Suez accounts for 72% of introductions along the Levant coast; warming accelerates the spread; the share of each factor has not been measured.
- Government and regulators Egypt (2020 statement): Reported as stating that fewer than 5% of invaders are destructive and that warnings are political.
Since the Suez Canal opened in 1869, hundreds of Red Sea species have entered the Mediterranean. On the Turkish coast, fishers report net damage from pufferfish, and the state pays a bounty for each one removed.
Ministry figure as reported by Milliyet; about 13 million TL paid. The size of the pufferfish stock is not known.
Status As of the end of 2025: bounty payments ongoing, with 665,000 pufferfish collected since 2020; no assessment of stock size found.
- Egyptian state — Suez Canal revenue of USD 9.4–10.3 billion in 2023; it fell in 2024. Hellenic Shipping News
- Some Eastern Mediterranean fishers — New commercial species entered markets; at Karataş some Suez-origin species became important resources. International Journal of Aquatic Biology
- Shippers — The Gulf-to-Rotterdam route is 10,358 km via Suez against 17,975 km via the Cape of Good Hope.
- Small-scale south-coast fishers — 92% of those surveyed in 2017 reported net damage.
- Turkish public budget — About 13 million TL paid in pufferfish bounties, 2020 to end of 2025. Milliyet
- Fishing gear and catch at Karataş — Some Suez-origin species damaged nets and catch. International Journal of Aquatic Biology
What happened
The Suez Canal opened in 1869 and connected the Red Sea with the Mediterranean. Species that crossed it are called Lessepsian migrants. A compilation by Zenetos and colleagues (2012) counted 986 alien marine species in the Mediterranean; 54% of them arrived "probably" through corridors, mainly the Suez Canal. The count is a record; the pathway attribution is an expert estimate.
There is no single current figure for species that came through Suez. The record shows 204 in 1978 and more than 490 in the 2012 compilation. For Turkey, a count at the end of 2020 listed 539 alien marine species, 58% of Red Sea origin, and Suez accounted for 72% of introductions along the Levant coast.
The effects on fishers differ. A trawl study at Karataş in 2002–03 found that Suez-origin species made up 26.66% of the catch; of the 77 fish and 24 invertebrate species entering the nets, some had become important market resources and some damaged nets and catch. The pufferfish was first recorded in Turkey in 2003, at Gökova. In a 2017 survey of 467 fishers, 92% of small-scale fishers on the south coast said their nets had been damaged; the authors state that the size of the effect is not known.
Turkey began paying fishers for pufferfish in 2020, at 5 TL per tail. In 2024 the rate was 25 TL for the spotted pufferfish and 10 TL for seven other species; in 2025 it was 35 TL for the spotted pufferfish. From 2020 to the end of 2025, 665,000 pufferfish were collected and about 13 million TL was paid. The lionfish was first recorded in Turkey in April 2014, in the Gulf of Iskenderun.
The Suez Canal earned Egypt between USD 9.4 and 10.3 billion in 2023. After attacks in the Red Sea, revenue fell to about USD 4 billion in 2024, with transits dropping from about 26,000 to 13,213 ships, and stood at USD 4.67 billion in fiscal year 2025/26. The Gulf-to-Rotterdam route is 10,358 km via Suez and 17,975 km via the Cape of Good Hope.
- 1869Suez Canal opens
- 1978204 Suez-origin species recorded in the Mediterranean
- 2003Pufferfish first recorded in Turkey, at Gökova
- 2012Compilation counts 986 alien marine species in the Mediterranean (Zenetos and others)
- 2014Lionfish first recorded in Turkey, in the Gulf of Iskenderun (April)
- 2017Survey of 467 fishers: 92% of south-coast small-scale fishers report net damage
- 2020Turkey pays 5 TL per pufferfish tail; 539 alien marine species recorded in Turkey by end of year
- 2023Suez Canal revenue USD 9.4–10.3 billion
- 2024Bounty set at 25 TL (spotted pufferfish) and 10 TL (seven other species); Suez revenue falls to about USD 4 billion
- 2025Bounty for spotted pufferfish raised to 35 TL; 665,000 pufferfish collected since 2020
What was said
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
Suez accounts for 72% of introductions along the Levant coast; warming accelerates the spread; the share of each factor has not been measured.
Reported as stating that fewer than 5% of invaders are destructive and that warnings are political.
How it looked
Shown
- The ministry reported 665,000 pufferfish collected and about 13 million TL paid between 2020 and the end of 2025Turkish ministry, as reported by Milliyet · Milliyet
Recorded
- 986 alien marine species in the Mediterranean; 54% probably arrived through corridors, mainly Suez (expert estimate of pathway)
- Suez-origin species were 26.66% of the catch in trawls at Karataş in 2002–03
- Bounty per pufferfish: 5 TL in 2020; 25 TL or 10 TL in 2024; 35 TL for the spotted pufferfish in 2025
- Suez Canal revenue USD 9.4–10.3 billion in 2023; about USD 4 billion in 2024; USD 4.67 billion in 2025/26
Who gained
Reached nature or the ground
Gained elsewhere
Responses on record
- turkey-government (2026): Reported 665,000 pufferfish collected and about 13 million TL paid under the bounty scheme from 2020 to the end of 2025. · Milliyet
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.
- Disputed Which factor drives the change in Eastern Mediterranean species: the Suez Canal or sea warming?
Record
- None on record The size of the effect of pufferfish on fishing gear: the 2017 survey authors state it is not known.
- None on record The size of the pufferfish stock: not known, so the share removed by the bounty cannot be stated.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: a claim of EUR 5 million lost by fishers up to 2014, given without a method.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: a claim that 50 million pufferfish were prevented from reproducing, given without a method.
- Not measured The relative contribution of the Suez Canal and of sea warming to the changes: not measured.
- None on record The effect of the 13 fish species recorded as crossing: no impact record found.
Did the harm stop?
The spread has not stopped; the pufferfish bounty continued through 2025.
Who paid?
Small-scale south-coast fishers who reported net damage; the Turkish public budget for the bounty payments.
Sources
Government and regulators
- Official Gazette notice on pufferfish paymentsResmî Gazete · 2024-04-13
Press and investigations
- Balon balığı avlayana 5 TL destekHürriyet · 2020
- 6 yılda 665 bin balon balığı ekosistemden uzaklaştırıldıMilliyet · 2026
- Egypt's Suez Canal revenue fell sharply in 2024 on regional tensionsHellenic Shipping News · 2025
- Suez Canal revenue rises 23 percent in the 2025-2026 fiscal year as regional tensions easeEgyptian Streets · 2026-06-30
Researchers
- Alien marine species in the Mediterranean (Zenetos and others, 2012)MarineInfo · 2012
- Study of Suez-origin species in Turkish trawl catches (IJAB 2014)International Journal of Aquatic Biology · 2014
Connected cases
- 4,700 families moved for Cairo's Fustat Gardens; Heliopolis lost 390,000 m² of green Egypt · 2020–2022
- Government of Egypt (Government) — here: Operator of the Suez Canal; received canal revenue; there: National government named as behind the Fustat Gardens and Heliopolis road works
- Amnesty reported BTC pipeline deal would compensate consortium over Turkish laws Turkey · 2003
- Government of Turkey (Government) — here: Pays the pufferfish bounty; there: Host government party to the agreement
- EU bans three neonicotinoid pesticides outdoors in 2018; Turkey follows in part European Union · 2018
- Government of Turkey (Government) — here: Pays the pufferfish bounty; there: partial restriction in Turkey
- European court found Turkish permit for Bergama cyanide gold mine breached privacy Turkey · 2004
- Government of Turkey (Government) — here: Pays the pufferfish bounty; there: Granted the mine permit, per the court ruling