Rise of UK's most venomous fish leaving people in 'excruciating' pain

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page If you’re thinking of visiting the beach during next week’s heatwave, you might want to watch your step. That’s because weever fish – which have venomous spines with an excruciating sting – are on the rise.

The small fish half-bury themselves in the sand and when stepped on, their poison creates an extremely painful sting. As the sea warms, more and more of these fish are being found in shallow waters in the UK, an expert has warned. Matt Slater, a marine conservation officer from Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said the fish are now making their way into the shallows earlier than usual.

‘Because of the heatwaves warming the sea, we’re seeing a huge number of weever fish around the coast already.’ And while Matt says many gather in the warmer south west seas in Cornwall, they can also be found all around the UK. They half bury themselves in sand so can be very difficult to spot (Picture: SWNS)

‘There are hundreds down at Newquay right now,’ he added. ‘If I go down with my net in the shallows, it’ll be full of weevers after a few minutes.’ The fish’s official name is echiichthys vipera – after the viper snake, known for its potent venom. How to avoid weever fish stings

A popular method to avoid weever fish stings is to shuffle your feet as you walk in the shallows, which supposedly scares the fish away. But it doesn’t always work. Matt says: ‘The easiest way to prevent a sting is to wear a pair of old shoes or wetsuit boots if you’re walking in the shallows.

‘Otherwise, just swim. Don’t walk. You’re more likely to find weever fish at low tide, rather than high tide. And they usually gather around rocky areas, too, where they can get stuck in the pools.’ While these fish don’t sting you on purpose, Matt says that thousands of beachgoers step on them every year.

And because they’re found in the shallows at low tide, you don’t even need to be swimming to be at risk. ‘Weever fish have a dorsal fin with four hollow spines that support the fin. When you tread on it, it spikes into the foot,’ Matt added. ‘The poison is then pushed out into the foot.’

Matt says that despite their ‘cute’ look, their sting makes them feel like ‘a big scary monster’. ‘They’re young now, because their main season is June to September. But it doesn’t matter what size they are. Even the small ones will give a nasty sting,’ he said.

Matt, who lives near Holywell Bay – a beach in the north of Cornwall – says he regularly sees a queue of people who have been stung by weever fish outside the lifeguard hut. ‘If you’ve been stung, you need to put your foot in hot water,’ Matt says. ‘The poison is protein-based, so hot water breaks it down.’

How do you know if you've been stung by a Weever fish - and what should you do if you have? If you’ve been unlucky and have stepped on a Weever fish, you may initially think you’ve been cut on a sharp rock or shell. However, the pain will quickly get worse and become extreme. The sting is often compared to a wasp or a bee sting, but may hurt more.

Patients sometimes describe feeling like their foot is ‘on fire’. Pain can also travel up the leg. Other symptoms include: Swelling Itching Numbness Redness Tingling Heat Nausea or vomiting Shaking Joint pain Headaches and lightheadedness Abdominal cramps Feeling like you need to urinate In serious cases, patients may experience

Seizures Breathing problems Abnormal heart rhythms Decreased blood pressure Unconsciousness If you’ve been stung by a Weever fish, the best thing to do is to leave the affected area in a bowl of hot, plain water for 10-15 minutes, replacing the water as it cools. This is because the pain is caused by a protein-based poison. Hot water effectively cooks this protein, making it ineffective.

If the hot water is painful, you can swap between vessels of hot and cold water to give yourself a break. Once the pain has subsided, you should use tweezers to check for and remove any spines that may still be in your foot. If your symptoms don’t subside after treatment or are more serious; if pain is spreading through your body; or if you have been stung on the face or genitals, seek medical advice.

Once treated, the pain can go away within fifteen minutes, and those affected will be fine. He added: ‘Lifeguards are always looking out for signs of anaphylaxis, but it’s very rare to have a bad reaction. They’re not dangerous. ‘Weever fish are important in our marine ecosystem. They hide in the sand waiting to see food and pop up to grab small shrimps and morsels that drift past them. They don’t want to be trodden on. Which is why they have these sharp spines.’