Fish that triggers hallucinations netted in Channel
London | May 14, 2009 3:22:45 PM IST
 

An exotic fish, which can trigger LSD-like hallucinations when eaten, has been discovered in UK waters.

The mind-bending species of bream, sarpa salpa, was found many hundreds of miles away from its normal habitat in the English Channel.

Although the fish look tasty, they can cause vivid hallucinations that can last for days, reports The Sun.

The unusual specimen, which is instantly recognisable from the gold stripes running along its body, was caught by fisherman Andy Giles.

The 38-year-old said: "We were trawling for lemon sole but hauled up the net at the end of the day and almost immediately saw this striped fish.

"I had never seen one before so brought it back for experts to have a look at it.

"But now I realise what it was - and the crazy effects it can have - perhaps I should have taken it into town to sell to some clubbers."

The species is normally found in the balmier waters of the Mediterranean and South Africa but may now be being lured north due to climate change.

James Wright, a senior biologist at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth, said: "These are a fairly common fish off Tenerife, Malta and Cyprus but it is very rare to get them this far north.

"It could be a single fish that was shoaling with a different species. But it could be that there are more of them in our waters." (ANI)

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