Brits warned of venomous fish in shallows with ‘excruciating’ sting during heatwave

Revellers visiting the beach during the heatwave have been warned of a venomous fish with an ‘excruciating’ sting.

Weever fish are small fish with venomous spines that bury themselves half in the sand, and when you step on them, their poison creates an extremely painful sting.

As the sea warms, more and more of these fish are being found in the UK shallows, an expert warned.

Matt Slater, a marine conservation officer from Cornwall Wildlife Trust, said: ‘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, including the east and west coast.

‘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.’

Their official name is echiichthys vipera – after the viper snake, known for its potent venom.

While these fish won’t purposefully sting you, 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.’

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.’

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