A venomous lionfish was caught by a man off the coast of Dorset. Potentially, the first sighting of the type of fish off UK shores, the deadly fish is capable of paralysing and killing humans. The six-inch fish was found at Chesil beach, a popular tourist spot in Dorset. Arfon Summers was fishing with his 75-year old father, Bill, in hope to hook a triggerfish. However, the 39-year-old’s fish hook caught hold of the lionfish which had 13 venomous spines. Lionfish are a group of colourful striped fish, native to the tropical reefs of the Pacific Ocean. When touched, they can cause severe pain and can even lead to death among humans.
Summers, who hails from Hengoed, Caerphilly spoke to The Sun later. He shared his experiences from his discovery, saying, “My mind was blown, a lionfish is a new offshore personal best. It’s no doubt the ocean is getting warmer to house these.” He added, “I didn’t let it go due to it being an invasive species.” Bill was actually glad that the thing didn’t sting his son. He also mentioned to the outlet that Afron should be made a British record holder if the lionfish has never been caught by anyone else.
Question for non native species twitter - this was posted on a Dorset angling site today - lionfish in UK waters….a first?! #nnis @SERCinvasions pic.twitter.com/K0z3Q6OpsY— Grant Stentiford (@grantstentiford) September 23, 2021
Leading lionfish expert Jason Hall-Spencer, Plymouth University, also interacted with the media portal. JaLeading lionfish expert Jason Hall-Spencer, Plymouth University, also interacted with the media portal. Jason mentioned that the predators are capable of giving a nasty sting, which can also happen when someone is swimming or snorkelling. He said that, in high probability, there could be more of the species approaching in near future, which could have huge consequences for the native species.
As per Tynemouth Aquarium, lionfish pose a threat to humans because of the potency of their venom. Nonetheless, incidents of humans being stung are infrequent and seldom fatal.
The aquarium noted that the sting of a lionfish is sure to cause unpleasant effects including extreme pain and nausea, dizziness, fever and numbness. Incidents in the past have proven that the lionfish tend to have aggressive attitudes towards divers and fishermen. “Such behaviour is likely to be purely defensive, with the fish using their lethal spines to fend off those it deems a threat,” the aquarium was quoted as saying.
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