BEWARE! Weaver Fish on beaches SE England (1 Viewer)

deborah4 · Jul 4, 2006

The warm weather has brought a rather venomous fish to the beaches of Sussex - I know, my big toe has just been speared by one of the dorsal spikes of a weaver. Not serious but very painful! Took me half an hour to limp home.

Weaver fish often bury themselves in the sand with just their spikes protruding at low tide. In a few feet of water, they are impossible to spot. The venom rarely causes death, but can cause tremendous pain and respiratory problems - the best remedy apparently is to submerse foot in very hot water for 15 mins (not available on beach obviously!) and common analgesics or antihistimine can alleviate pain (also not available on beach!)

(that's the last time I rescue the dog's ball in my bare feet!)

Jane Turner · Jul 4, 2006

Ouch! YOu have my sympathy

jurek · Jul 4, 2006

Ouw. Have my sympathy.

colonelboris · Jul 4, 2006

You forgot the other thing that is available on the beach....

Pee!

Could be awkward if it's only you in the area or you're very shy...

Isurus · Jul 4, 2006

ouch, my sympathies. I would be very interested in how you'd describe the sensation of the envenomation compared to say a wasp or bee sting? gorgeous little creatures though - one of my favourite british fish.

if anyone else is around on the beach a thermos of tea or coffee can sometimes be commandeered in this situation.

joannec · Jul 4, 2006

Ouch, poor you? Which beach Deborah? You say they bury themselves in sand, so if I stick to the pebbles on Sussex beaches, I should be ok?

matt green · Jul 4, 2006

maybe get trafford some dog clogs...just an idea?

matt

deborah4 · Jul 4, 2006

Hi

Thanks for the sympathy - feeling a bit better now!

It was on Hove Beach Joanne, tide was receeding so I was on a sandy bed in about 2 foot of water - Evening Argus may do a story and have phoned Council to warn holiday makers with small tots.

To describe the pain Isurus? Well imagine a long shard of glass stabbing your toe combined with the sting of a bee but its the pain afterwards when the venom spreads to the rest of the foot and up the leg that's weird and rather painful - a bit like all your nerve endings are being subject to electric shock with the surface of the skin feeling like its being battered with a million little needle pricks (a sort of intense neuralgia). Didn't bother to take anything - it had worn off a bit by the time I got back home - just felt a bit wobbly!

deborah4 · Jul 4, 2006

matt green said:
maybe get trafford some dog clogs...just an idea?

matt

lol Matt - I can just imagine him trotting along the promenade to the sound of Nancy Sinatra - will think twice though about sending him belting into the sea in future.

Gill Osborne · Jul 4, 2006

Ouch Deborah :eek!: Hope you feel better soon.....and don't let your dog run in the sea! Not sure how bad it would be for a dog but best not to take the risk!

I've never seen one of these fish in real life though I heard, a few years go, they were present at Sandy Bay beach in Northumberland. My boyfriend at the time was paranoid about them and wouldn't go on the beach at all

And whgen I used to go rockpooling and saw fish darting from one side of the pool to the other he would almost freak out and say ''There they are!!!''

What a plonker he was....it was a blennie!!!!! 3

DavidP · Jul 4, 2006

Gill Osborne said:
Ouch Deborah :eek!: Hope you feel better soon.....and don't let your dog run in the sea! Not sure how bad it would be for a dog but best not to take the risk!

I've never seen one of these fish in real life though I heard, a few years go, they were present at Sandy Bay beach in Northumberland. My boyfriend at the time was paranoid about them and wouldn't go on the beach at all And whgen I used to go rockpooling and saw fish darting from one side of the pool to the other he would almost freak out and say ''There they are!!!'' What a plonker he was....it was a blennie!!!!! 3

Try the stingray shuffle. Its used a lot in lower California (Baja- Sea of Cortez) where there are tons of small stingrays in the shallows. Basically never pick up your feet when you walk but just drag your feet thru the sand as you walk. Not as hard as it sounds. Usually the critters hiding in the sand don't want to be stepped on by you and will get out of the way. May or may not work with weaver fish but I suspect it would, but a cheap insurance policy in areas where yuo might think there is something lurking that might hurt you.

Isurus · Jul 4, 2006

deborah4 said:
To describe the pain Isurus? Well imagine a long shard of glass stabbing your toe combined with the sting of a bee but its the pain afterwards when the venom spreads to the rest of the foot and up the leg that's weird and rather painful - a bit like all your nerve endings are being subject to electric shock with the surface of the skin feeling like its being battered with a million little needle pricks (a sort of intense neuralgia). Didn't bother to take anything - it had worn off a bit by the time I got back home - just felt a bit wobbly!

Thanks for the description Deborah - very interesting. One of the more interesting icthyological works out there is a piece by JLB Smith (I think I got that right) a famous south african naturalist who was heavily involved in the coelocanth discovery. When stung by a stonefish he decided to dictate the sensations in very dry language to his wife over the course of 5 days of near death. Its full of phrases such as "3 hours post-envenomation: Pain now excrutiating"

Marcus Conway - ebirder · Jul 4, 2006

Isurus said:
Thanks for the description Deborah - very interesting. One of the more interesting icthyological works out there is a piece by JLB Smith (I think I got that right) a famous south african naturalist who was heavily involved in the coelocanth discovery. When stung by a stonefish he decided to dictate the sensations in very dry language to his wife over the course of 5 days of near death. Its full of phrases such as "3 hours post-envenomation: Pain now excrutiating"

Anywhere to read this? i have a strange morbid curiosity now

Isurus · Jul 4, 2006

Jimmy - I've tried to find it a few times recently and can only find references to it at free online sources. unfortunately jlb was such a prolific icthyologist that he gets namechecked a lot making it hard to sort through web results. I suspect the full paper on stonefish is surprisingly dull but please let me know if you find it.

Here's a little stonie (about 2 1/2 inches) Who nearly got me while photographing sharks in the Philippines

mothman · Jul 5, 2006

colonelboris said:
You forgot the other thing that is available on the beach....

Pee!

Could be awkward if it's only you in the area or you're very shy...

I think Pee only works with jellyfish stings.

Colin.

pete woodall · Jul 10, 2006

I think that the idea of hot water is that it breaks down the proteins in the fish's venom (them being cold blooded and all). Generally you are encouraged to use water as hot as you can stand it - without being scalded of course.

So I don't think that pee would do the trick .... unless you're very hot!

I've been stung by a Bullrout - freshwater relative of stonefish. The pain was similar to what you describe for the Weaverfish - intensely painful for a few hours and continued at a lower level for a couple of days.

colonelboris · Jul 10, 2006

Ah, I was informed that even the small amount of warmth in pee would help a little, but fair enough...!

tuftyhill · Jul 10, 2006

I got 'double-spined' by one of the little buggers last year on Sennen Beach, Cornwall, while Bodyboarding.
I can vouch for the pain, I initially thought I'd trod on a sharp piece of metal but as I walked back out of the water the pain just increased and luckily there were lifeguards nearby who knew exactly what I'd been stung by and how to treat it. I definitely recommend the wearing of beach shoes in any water where they may be lurking !!!

nigelp · Jul 17, 2006

Weaver fish sting

My six year old daughter got stung/spiked by a weaver fish while on the beach in portstewart on the north cost of N.Ireland, it was very painful and a bit worring, since the lifeguard wasnt too sure what to do, he had no vinegar available, (although as it turns out this is not a treatment, they are not allowed vinegar in case someone is allergic!) They did not have any hot water, so I was left carrying my daughter on my back, cos she was not able to stand on the foot for an hour, the pain subsided and we went home, however I can still see the spine in her foot, I am taking her to the doctor today, can anybody tell me is there any possibility of infection now after a day and is there any long lasting effects? Also as a matter of interest, has anyone recorded a weaver fish this far north before?

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deborah4 said:
The warm weather has brought a rather venomous fish to the beaches of Sussex - I know, my big toe has just been speared by one of the dorsal spikes of a weaver. Not serious but very painful! Took me half an hour to limp home.

Weaver fish often bury themselves in the sand with just their spikes protruding at low tide. In a few feet of water, they are impossible to spot. The venom rarely causes death, but can cause tremendous pain and respiratory problems - the best remedy apparently is to submerse foot in very hot water for 15 mins (not available on beach obviously!) and common analgesics or antihistimine can alleviate pain (also not available on beach!)

(that's the last time I rescue the dog's ball in my bare feet!)

deborah4 · Jul 17, 2006

Hi Nigel

Sorry to hear about your daughter - seeking medical advice from your doctor is about the best you can do for her. Websites say risk of infection is uncommon but removal of spine I would think is an immediate priority.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/surfing/sites/features/pages/marine_life.shtml

My own foot is still a little uncomfortable ie. occassionaly have a stinging sensation, but that's partly because I caught the big toe under a door a few days later! Apparently, in absence of infection, it should ware off after a month or so.

BEWARE! Weaver Fish on beaches SE England (1 Viewer)

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