Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

News

Venomous Lionfish Found In UK Waters For ‘First Time’

The colourful striped fish can reportedly paralyse and kill humans.

WikiMedia/The High Fin Sperm Whale

A venomous Lionfish that has the ability to paralyse and even kill humans has been found in UK waters for the first time.

On the coast of Dorset on the 30th of September father and son Arfon Summers (39) and Bill (75) went fishing and caught something very unexpected. And for once, it isn’t covid.

The pair caught a six-inch fish that has been identified as a Lionfish which are native to the tropical reefs of the Pacific Ocean. They are colourfully striped fish but have incredibly venomous spikes which can cause severe pain. The venom can even cause death among humans, though this is said to be rare.

WikiMedia/Alexander Vasenin

Arfon has said about the catch “My mind was blown, a lionfish is a new off shore personal best. It’s no doubt the ocean in getting warmer to house these. I didn’t let it go due to it being an invasive species.” And it seems that he did the right thing.

Experts are now saying it’s important to establish how the fish arrived here. It could have inadvertently escaped from the aquarium trade, or as Arfon said, it could have traveled here itself. This could be disastrous for native species as the lionfish is so invasive and more would be likely to come.

As well as threatening out native fish species, lionfish do pose a threat to us humans. The Marine Coordinator at the Angling Trust, Nevin Hunter is encouraging people to be ‘vigilant’ in the waters: “A sting will easily put you in hospital and could kill.”

Jason Hall-Spencer, a leading lionfish expert has said “The water is warm enough, so a lionfish could have swum over here from the western Mediterranead. If it has, it means there will likely be more” he also goes on to say that “it’s easy to get stung if you’re swimming or snorkelling.”

Although incidents of people being stung are “infrequent and rarely fatal”, according to Tynemouth Aquarium, they also say that a lionfish sting can have numerous unpleasant effects such as “extreme pain and nausea, to convulsions, dizziness, fever and numbness.”

Advice being given by Medscape is that the only remedy for a lionfish sting is to remove the spines and soak the wound in hot water (but no hotter than 45.6 Celsius) to help break down the toxin. And of course, to seek medical attention urgently.
Flickr/Desirae

So if you plan on fishing or swimming off the coast of Dorset keep your eyes peeled or think of changing your plans. But personally, I don’t think I’ll have any trouble staying away from the water in this weather.

Written By

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement

You May Also Like

KSI, MrBeast, and Logan Paul silhouettes behind the Lunchly logo.KSI, MrBeast, and Logan Paul silhouettes behind the Lunchly logo.

Celebrity

YouTuber creators are going head-to-head against Lunchables with their product, Lunchly, but the public isn't very happy with the results.

Bo Nix at an interviewBo Nix at an interview

Sport

The NFL season is now halfway completed! Which teams have taken advantage of their schedule, and which are contenders? Find out here!

Politics

Donald Trump is the oldest person ever to be nominated by a major party to run for president—if elected, he would be the oldest...

Illustration of Kamala Harris on Call Her Daddy podcastIllustration of Kamala Harris on Call Her Daddy podcast

Politics

Kamala Harris appeared on 'Call Her Daddy' – and it was a surprisingly effective interview. The criticisms both she and host Alex Cooper received...