Israel reports success in fighting 'Nasrallah,' toxic fish invader
The Ministry of Environmental Protection discovered a reduction in the numbers of striped eel catfish, which fishermen call Nasrallah.
By HAGAY HACOHENHezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah [L] and the striped eel catfish [R]. Nasrallah photo, Reuters, striped eel catfish photo, Wikimdia Commons(photo credit: JPOST STAFF)
Local fish populations are recovering and the numbers of striped eel catfish, which Israeli fishermen call Nasrallah due to its toxicity, are going down, a study reveals.The Ministry of Environmental Protection released on Tuesday the results of a comprehensive study revealing major trends in Israeli marine life.Due to Lessepsian migration, a term coined to describe the migration of sea life through the Suez Canal since it opened in 1869 between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, a variety of new fish found their way to Israeli waters.One such invading fish is the Red Sea goat-fish and Caribbean native Buccaneer anchovy. One third of the fish were found to be invading fish and over half of the crab population.The striped eel catfish, which local fishermen call Nasrallah due to its toxicity, is also reducing in numbers.The reference is to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who recently found himself at the center of an ad campaign to increase recycling.
![Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah [L] and the striped eel catfish [R]. Nasrallah photo, Reuters, striped eel catfish photo, Wikimdia Commons (photo credit: JPOST STAFF)](https://images.jpost.com/image/upload/q_auto/c_fill,g_faces:center,h_537,w_822/435913 "Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah [L] and the striped eel catfish [R]. Nasrallah photo, Reuters, striped eel catfish photo, Wikimdia Commons")