In the wake of dwindling cod stocks in the Kattegat and the Skagerrak, the quest for the poisonous but tasty Greater weever has intensified so much that the Swedish Board of Fisheries considers restrictions.
Denmark already implements a national quota of 400 tons annually for the Greater weever (Trachinus draco), and an even lower limit has been anticipated for this year. The Swedish Board of Fisheries wants to ban trawling with a mesh size less than 90 millimetres, but says that it also wishes to discuss a possible quota system with scientists who can estimate the status of the stocks.
According to the Board, the Swedish catches of this species have sky-rocketed over the latest few years. As for the Kattegat, 515 tons were landed last year and more than 200 tons in 2007, as compared to an average of some 80 tons annually over preceding years. Already this year, after less than two months, 228 tons of the Greater weever has been caught.
Although the meat of the Greater weever is considered good food, its first dorsal fin, both of the spines, and that of the gill covers, have venom glands attached to them. The effect on humans, if stung, can be compared to that of a viper bite.