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Warning weaver fish.....oowwwww!

9 replies

batey · 03/08/2008 16:42

Just wanted to send out a warning about these ugly little blighters. They lie in the sand in warm, shallow waters, just where kids like to play. They have 3 venomous spikes sticking out of their backs which inject poison if you stand on them. We have just been to the Dorset coast and dd1 (10) stood on one. She came out of the water thinking she had cut herself, and then quckly became almost hysterical. I couldnt see anything on her foot so poured some cold water on it (the worst thing you can do). Only way she calmed down was by my taking her to the first aid point. By the time we had hobbled a short distance her heel was swelling and blotchy. Treatment was to put her foot in as near to boiling water as possible for 20mins.I had no idea about these fish, so wanted to let people know, my dd coped as she is old enough but it would be awful if a toddler got stung. Hope no one does.

OP posts:
teslagirl · 05/08/2008 18:31

Thanks esp re correct treatment! I remember they were a hazard on the north Cornwall beaches when I was a child.

Did they beach post warnings? I'm not being all H&S PC here- it's just that I think it'd be helpful if a beach does suffer an infestation to alert people, like being told if there are more than usual numbers of adders in a woodland or that the tick population has exploded!

filthymindedvixen · 05/08/2008 18:35

dh stood on one in north cornwall and he was almost in tears! Luckily life guard keeps flask of hot water just for such things. They are not that common though

flack · 05/08/2008 18:39

Wee-ing on it straight away also gets rid of the sting (supposedly). Faster than the boiling water treatment.

filthymindedvixen · 05/08/2008 18:42

yes but weeing on your hysterically sobbing child on a public beach might well earn you a swift visit from social services faster than you can say weaver fish...!

Blu · 05/08/2008 18:43

Poor child.
Very unlucky.

flack · 05/08/2008 18:45

Could drag child to loo to wee on his foot there, or encourage your 8yoDS to do it for you (my 8yoDS would love an excuse to wee on a sibling), or child could do it themselves if old enough (surely a 10yo girl is old enough to sit on her foot and wee on it thru her suit).

Better than 20+ minutes of agony, eh?, waiting for boiling water, etc.

mummyhill · 05/08/2008 18:55

Most beaches have warning signs and recomend you wear rubber soled lycra shoes which seem to be on sale in every other shop along the front!

PeaMcLean · 05/08/2008 19:23

Very enlightening. Never heard of weaver fish.

How common are they?

littlerach · 05/08/2008 19:27

I remember my frind standing on one of these on Bourenmoyth beach years ago.
He said it was agony,.

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