Perils In The Salt! @@ PITS @@

[mtshark]

[glow=red,2,300]Perils In The Salt[/glow]

[glow=red,2,300]Still Under Construction/me [/glow]

This thread is written as a reference for all anglers and visitors to this forum. The information is aimed at providing knowledge to everyone here serving as a guide to the dangers that we all might face when we are out in the salt. Be safe.


[glow=red,2,300]Scorpion Fish[/glow]

Scorpion Fish is found in all seas. This family of fishes has large head, wide opening gills and usually has large spines supporting its dorsal fins. These spines act as defensive weapons against all threats. Venomous glands are found in each spines and if a victim gets poked by the spines, he/she will feel a painful sensation and could also lead to death if the victim developes allegic reactions towards the venom.

Many cases of such deaths by scorpion fish are reported in Singapore. My dad's friend made statistic many years ago too.

The victims are normally allergic to the venom. Some are lucky enough to survive but the road to recovery is a painful process.

Many people are ignorant about such a fish. Many have mistaken this scorpion fish as juvenile groupers and such assumption proven deadly to many around the world.

Please do not handle this fish with bare hands. Leaving it alone is probably the safest thing to do. When fished, the scorpion fish will always act defensively by erecting its spines at all times. Alot of anglers are caught off guard when they try to remove the hook from its mouth. If the fish flips and the spines 'kana' you, please do not hestitate to call an ambulance or get someone to help you to the nearest hospital asap. Your life just might be on the line...

Be safe.

[mtshark]

While I am still sorting out what to put up here, I will continue to update this thread with pictures and information.

JFI


This is a bristle worm. You dont want to touch it and pls dont. This worm is pretty common in our shores and comes in a variety of sizes and colors. Some have bristles all over the body and some dont.

The bristles on the body are just like needles. If you use a mono and comb them, it just feels like hair. Although they look like hair, but pls dont fall for it. Upon touching it, you will discover that the 'hairs' will stick onto your skin as it will break away from the worm itself. It is not going to be an easy job to remove it. If you try to pluck it out, they will just break on you. Very fragile but very sharp. It can go deep if you are unlucky. My friends and I had some painful experience with them while trying to remove them from our hooks during fishing. Our fingers got stung and we actually shaved off the layer of skin to remove them totally. We ran our little fingers through a flame just to be sure that they are all removed for goodness sake. We will never touch one again.

DONT TOUCH THIS.... (MC HAMMER)

Next time you go wading in the salt, do remember to put on something for your delicate feet and keep your fine fingers away from these critters.


One more thing, the little spikes on the body are poisonous. It could cause some skin irritation like burning sensation when you got unlucky with them. I am one of these's victim and trust me, you dont want to mess with them. Leave them alone and you should be fine.....

[Admin]

Ed, great piece of work.

Hope this thread can become a reference.

Thanks a lot.

[mtshark]

BillyTeo said:

Ed, great piece of work.

Hope this thread can become a reference.

Thanks a lot.

Hi BT,

Dont thank me, I should thank you instead by allowing me to have a chance to 'preach' to the general public about dangers in the salt. I had some nasty experiences and I hope my lessons could provide vital information for people who might not know about them. With such knowledge, we could be saving someone from nasty stink or even a life.

"Knowledge is vital as it provides lessons which we may not learn it the hard way."

[mtshark]

[glow=red,2,300]Bluering Octopus

[/glow]

This bluering octopus is found in coral reefs in Japan and all the way to southern Australia. This is the only poisonous octopus found in the world so far. When it is distressed, excited or feels threaten, the blue rings on the body will start to glow. The higher the intensity of the glow means that the higher level of reactions it has.

Bluering octopus does not produce its own venom but it is a bacteria which live in its saliva glands. The cohabitation of these two different beings continues in their youngs too.

The bluering octopus makes use of this bacteria to hunt for its prey. Generally, it will attack its victim and the saliva will get its way into the prey. This bacteria will only affect wilful muscles within its prey. Unwilful muscles are not affected at all, for example the heart. Thus, the octupus actually 'makans' its prey alive. The bluering octopus could also purge its saliva into the water where the prey is and it would also have such deadly effects too.

For humans, it is always adviseable not to handle this bluering octopus at all. So far, if I am not mistaken, in Singapore itself, we have a reported casualty case. When a person is attacked or comes into contact with the bacteria and the bacteria gets into the blood stream, all wilful muscles will soon stop functioning which includes the lungs. If actificial respiration is not provided in time, the victim will soon die from suffocation. If artificial respiration is available, the person would eventually recover as the body will soon fight off the bacteria invasion and normally, within a short time.

If you are fishing or by any chance having some activities in the coral reefs, I would suggest you bring a partner along. He might be able to save you or vice versa when one of you ever 'kana' from one of these deadly bluering octopus. If you see one, please do not touch it at all. Your curiousity could kill you if you do not know its deadliness. If you accidentally step on one, watch out for symbols like breathlessness, lost of control of limps or any wilful muscles arrest, quickly get help or it just might be too late. As the bite is normally so faint that you would not feel it at all.

Be safe.

[gecko]

Hi mtshark...thanks for the info...Will take note of the invaluable advise if ever bitten. ..ie if I am still conscious.
I've heard of the bluering octopus..and understand that they can also be found here in Perth. I initially thought that they are only found in the eastern states...
My ang mo friends told me that besides the bull shark (yes they do have sharks in the river) the bluering Oct..are in the Swan River... I now use waders when I wade in the river.The ang mos here goes in bare footed and does'nt seem to mind the constant nibbling from blowies(puffer fish) on their toes hairs.
I have so far been fortunate not to have an encounter with either one although I had a fright of the life once when I was wading hip deep when at the corner of my eye I saw this wake(about 20 feet away) heading towards me...Yiks!! I though I was going to be eaten by something Big...It turn out to be dolphins...I packup and call it a day after that..no mood for fishing after that.

Cheers

[mtshark]

gecko said:

Hi mtshark...thanks for the info...Will take note of the invaluable advise if ever bitten. ..ie if I am still conscious.
I've heard of the bluering octopus..and understand that they can also be found here in Perth. I initially thought that they are only found in the eastern states...
My ang mo friends told me that besides the bull shark (yes they do have sharks in the river) the bluering Oct..are in the Swan River... I now use waders when I wade in the river.The ang mos here goes in bare footed and does'nt seem to mind the constant nibbling from blowies(puffer fish) on their toes hairs.
I have so far been fortunate not to have an encounter with either one although I had a fright of the life once when I was wading hip deep when at the corner of my eye I saw this wake(about 20 feet away) heading towards me...Yiks!! I though I was going to be eaten by something Big...It turn out to be dolphins...I packup and call it a day after that..no mood for fishing after that.

Cheers

Hi gecko,

You are most welcomed.

Cheers!

[mtshark]

[glow=red,2,300]Sea Snakes

[/glow]

Sea snakes are commonly found in coral reefs. They also make mangroves and beaches their home too. In Singapore, it is pretty common for an anlger to hook up a sea snake while fishing. If you are not an experience snakes handler, I would suggest that you cut that line and let it go without removing the hook. Most of us here are not into handling snakes. If you do want to remove that hook from its jaw, please do not try this alone.

There are many speices of sea snakes and I am not going to be specific about each. Generally, the sea snakes' venom is potent enough to kill a human being. Sea snakes do not attack humans unless they feel that they are been threatened. Normally, they would slip pass you without you noticing it. Therefore, very seldom we have reported cases of bites from sea snakes. As you now know, the venom could kill you and it is always wise to stay away from it rather than confronting it.

Some sea snakes do not just stay in the water. They could swim on the surface of the water and they could even get onto land. Some are known to lay eggs on land. It is not uncommon to find sea snakes in floating fish farms, kelongs or any structure on the sea. Normally, we do not get to see them as they would quietly move out of sight without us knowing.

Normally when accidents happened, it is mostly in the night. Some anglers were bitten by sea snakes at night as they had mistaken the sea snake as an eel. Sea snakes have eel-like tail. Please be careful if you are fishing in the night, you dont want to be holding that sea snake in your hand while dreaming away that you are going to have eel congee for breakfast. It would be too late to realise if things are meant to go wrong. A powerful torch light would help much while fishing at night.

Next time you go wading in the salt, watch out for crevices as you just might be tampering onto someone's territory. Remember, sea snakes' venom is lethal.

Be safe.

[mtshark]

[glow=red,2,300]Catfish[/glow]





Typical catfish has dorsal and apectoral spines on each side. Each spine is very hard and pretty sharp at the end. Puncture wounds and scrapes by these spines are pretty common among anglers and fishermen. The sting could be painful and the level of pain depends greatly on individual.

A common method to resolve the sting is to dip your wound into the water. Cold or hot, it works fine. Most people prefer hot water (not boiling water) remedy than cold as they believe that it could greatly reduce swelling from the sting and dilutes the venom faster too. Like I mentioned, all these depend on individual's reaction towards the sting. As for cold water (with ice), it does help to reduce swelling too. A visit to the clinic may not be necessary if the punctured does not get worst. If the pain gets too unbearable, get a doctor to prescribe pain medication and normally, antibiotics is also prescribed to prevent infection.

The venom from the spines of catfish is not life threatening in most cases unless the person developes an allegic reaction towards it. Normally, if the wound gets worst has nothing to do with the venom. Mainly it is dued to secondary infection. If the victim is stung in a contaminated water environment, serious secondary infection could be deadly. For such incidents, please do not hestitate to consult a doctor if rashes develope or the wound gets worst, increase in pain and other unwell symptons occur.

Otherwise, most people could get away from a sting by catfish without much problems.

[mtshark]

[glow=red,2,300]Sand Fly[/glow]





Sand flies are nasty pest which all outdoor lovers hate. They are so tiny and normally, you would only notice them when they have actually started feeding on you. You could almost feel the itch immediately but it is already too late as you have already lost some blood to this tiny little fly.

Do not under estimate these small little flying devils as if you meet them in a swamp, you are in trouble. If you are bitten badly and please be informed that you will be scratching like crazy! Please leave the infested area immediately or else they will start to feed on you. Especially infants or kids, it is definitely right to move them out of the infested area.

Some people do not develope rashes or swelling when bitten by sand flies but most of us do. If you have a few bites within a small area on your skin, that area could be so badly swollen than you could ever imagine. The itch is incredible and trust me, you dont want to be bitten by them at all. Normally, the swell will go away within a day and for some, maybe it takes longer. The sore tends to get wet and fluid will start flowing out of the sore readily. It is advisable to keep the sores as dry as possible. If the sores are wet and left unattended, secondary infestion will be knocking on the door. One of the ways to get secondary infestion is through the normal house flies. They would love to feed on the fluid flowing out of the sore and as we all know that house flies are germs carrier, be prepared for some serious swelling and infection!

I have come across people who got bitten by sand flies so badly that their face got disfigured by the swelling. It is definitely not worth the 'bites' even if the fish is hot on your line. The aftermath is unbearable.

Just like a mosquito, only the females are blood thirsty.

They are generally found in creeks, rivers, marsh lands along the coasts on trees, debris etc which have slime on them. These slime patches are wonderful breeding ground for the sand flies. If you are wandering through such places to wet a line, watch out for sand flies.

Luckily for humans, sand flies are slow and weak in flight. If you are able to spot them before they feed on you, simply start moving by walking. They cant keep up on you at all but if you stop and give them time, they will catch up with you eventually. If the day is windy, you are most unlikely to find them around too as they are too weak to fly in windy condition.

Sand flies are heat sensitive midges and they normally bite at joints. There are repellants and oilments out in the market that claim that they can effectively keep them away from you. As for me, the best protection against them is to have yourself fully covered but for Singapore's weather... leaving the infested area is a smarter move.

[Fooddha]

Great Post MtShark,
how about some info for the stonefish which is similar to the scorpionfish and also Jellyfish?

I have no pics of Jellyfish but when wading, particularly in the tropical waters of northern australia, apart from the croc problem, there are also many jellyfish. 2 in particular are pretty deadly, the irrikandji and the box jellyfish. Most jellyfish stings can be neutralised with common vinegar. Other marine stings and poisons and be neutralised with hot water which breaks down the protiens in the venom.

[alberto]

Hi mts,
I know how bad sandfiles bites can get. Many many moons ago, I was fishing with a buddy at the beach behind the airport runway for whitings.

My friend told me to keep my shirt on as the area is know for sandflies. But the day was blazing hot and no wind at all. I waded waist deep water near the shore, fishing for whitings. About half an hour later, the itch on my back became unbearble and I asked my friend to have a look. He told me that my back, shoulder and the back of my arms are covered with sand files bites.

By the time I got home, I was scratching my back on the wall like a bear on a tree.

The next day I have to seek treatment at the doctor and he too was shocked as he told me that he has never seen that many bites on a person. I was sick for almost a week with fever and the bites soon turned into blister like sores filled with fluid

It was one of the worst experience I had with the exception of catching Malaria and Dengue... but that another story

regards
Alberto

[xxJiMboZxx]

I was diving in Redang, we staying in the chalets and one evening it was so hot tat some of my friends decided to lay a canvas sheet and sleep by the beach and the next morning when I got up, I could not reconise one of my friend who was bitten so bad on the face and body. We had to sent him back to the mainland for treatment. And another incident was one of the guides tat brought me fishing in Aur and Pemangil had a bite on his thigh. I notice he was cleaning his wound while we were eating lunch, as I went over and look at it....... and arrrggggh I saw little larvaes coming out from the little crater on his thigh. He told me he got bitten by sandfly and it laid eggs on it.
So guys if you got bitten you suffer the itch and if you got bitten and got eggs laid in you... good luck ... no appetite leow!

[snakeriver]

Hi, just to share some itch relieving method taught by another fly fisho Tay. For prevention of sandflies bites, you can try lemongrass repellant found in some pharmacy stores. It does help but like Edward mention, if the place is heavily infested, better leave.

For the itch relief cure, go to the pharmacy and buy this Hydrocortisine 1%. The pharmist must be around since it is prescribed. This cream will help to reduce the itch and the swell will be still there but the itch will be gone in 2-3 days time rather than a long suffering week or 2. It is best to apply it after you are bitten and 3 times a day. I always have this cream with me when I go fishing in beaches in Malaysia.

[xxJiMboZxx]

Another way prevent bites is apply alot of sun tan oil not lotion. This method was taught by a resort owner in Sibu and try not to scratch or else ur sores will last for weeks.