The silver-stripe blaasop fish is considered a delicacy in some ports in the Indian Ocean, but it contains a poisonous substance in its liver, skin and reproductive organs which can cause fatal muscle paralysis and breathing or circulation problems if eaten by humans. Deaths from eating this fish have been reported across the eastern Mediterranean, Egypt and Israel, prompting the Hellenic Center for Medical Research to send an urgent notice to port authorities to warn fishermen about the toxic qualities of the fish, saying “This fish is a source of poison for human beings if eaten, with a high risk of fatality.”