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Attention, poisonous fish in the North Sea: Weever is dangerous

2022-06-29T04:44:42.479Z


Attention, poisonous fish in the North Sea: Weever is dangerous Created: 06/29/2022, 06:32 By: Dominik Jahn A poisonous fish is appearing more and more frequently on the North and Baltic Seas: the weever. And his sting has consequences - how vacationers should react. Not only in southern countries there is a threat of dangerous animal species in the sea. Echo24.de recently reported on a specie


Attention, poisonous fish in the North Sea: Weever is dangerous

Created: 06/29/2022, 06:32

By: Dominik Jahn

A poisonous fish is appearing more and more frequently on the North and Baltic Seas: the weever.

And his sting has consequences - how vacationers should react.

Not only in southern countries there is a threat of dangerous animal species in the sea.

Echo24.de

recently reported

on a species of puffer fish that is spreading rapidly in the Mediterranean.

And there is also a real danger of poison lurking in the North and Baltic Seas.

This fish is one of the most dangerous poisonous animals in Europe.

Experts warn of the weever.

Similar to the lionfish in the Mediterranean area, the chance of an uncomfortable encounter also increases with the weever.

According to media reports, doctors have repeatedly shown concern in recent years.

Poisonous fish on the rise in the North Sea: increasing danger from the weever

Prof.

Dr.

Andreas Schaper from the Poison Information Center North (GIZ) on the increasing cases: "Poisoning with the weever occurs again and again on the north German coasts.

You either step on the fish in shallow water or anglers get injured trying to detach the fish from the hook.”

So far, there have been no fatal incidents with vacationers.

But they are possible.

As the portal

Spektrum.de

writes, around 40 people are affected by contact with the fish every year.

But what is the weever?

What is behind the poisonous fish in the North Sea and Baltic Sea?

Weever: This is where the poisonous fish hides - holidaymakers have to pay attention to that

Weever belong to the group of perch and belong to the so-called stingrays.

The fish, which are 15 to 53 centimeters long, have a bone ray on the front dorsal fin.

There are numerous poison glands here.

There is also a poisonous thorn on the gill cover.

The weever hides particularly often in shallow waters.

© dpa / Wolfgang Runge

For vacationers, the weever is extremely difficult to discover.

As

Geo

describes, the fish like to dig

into the sand with their "narrow, bright green-brown-yellow body"

.

A dangerous tactic: deceive, camouflage, kill.

For the untrained eye, they are no longer really recognizable when having fun in the bath.

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According to experts, the poisonous fish spend more time in the North Sea and Baltic Sea

"to spawn in shallow waters"

especially in the summer months .

Poison of the weever: the painful consequences for vacationers

According to an NDR report, the poison of the weever smells similar to ammonia.

The liquid therefore contains

"5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin), which causes extreme pain"

.

There is also a protein that

“leads to a release of histamine with swelling and redness”

.

The venom is released when the stinger penetrates the victim's skin.

Facts about the weever

According to the portal

schutzstation-wattenmeer.de

, the scientific name Trachinus draco means "rough dragon".

The site also provides other quite curious facts about the weever:


- Predatory fish never eat weever, whereas cormorants tolerate the poison well.


- The fish is considered a delicacy in France.


- Seagulls that are thrown at a freshly caught weever and swallow it supposedly immediately fall dead from the air.

The poison then spreads throughout the body.

The puncture site swells, becomes red and heats up.

The tissue at this point dies.

Other symptoms: headache, fever, nausea, breathing problems, circulatory collapse or cardiac arrhythmia.

According to experts, it becomes particularly dangerous if

"those affected are stung in the water and can hardly keep their heads above water due to the extreme pain"

.

In the worst case, allergic reactions can also lead to cardiac arrest and death.

Poisonous fish in the North Sea: Symptoms after a weever sting

The magazine

Geo

explains Dr.

Martin Ebbecke from GIZ-Nord: "The injuries are extremely painful and the symptoms can last for weeks, months and, in rare cases, even years." How should holidaymakers behave if they are stung by the weever?

The experts agree on the first measures to be taken after being bitten by the poisonous fish: the sting should be removed immediately and the wound disinfected.

In addition, affected vacationers should heat the puncture site to up to 50 degrees.

A hair dryer or an electric anti-mosquito stick can be helpful.

This counteracts the protein in the poison.

And you should always consult a doctor immediately.

The symptoms at a glance:

  • Puncture site swells, turns red, becomes hot

  • tissue dies

  • headache

  • Fever

  • nausea

  • breathing problems

  • circulatory collapse or cardiac arrhythmias

North and Baltic Sea: Precautions for vacationers against the weever

Since the weever is mainly found in shallow waters of the North Sea and Baltic Sea and is difficult for holidaymakers to recognize in the sandy subsoil, you should protect yourself with bathing shoes when hiking on the mudflats, for example.

And divers should always keep the necessary distance.

Weever can also attack.

Source: merkur

All life articles on 2022-06-29

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