Stung by a Rockfish

[Bagheera]

I was snorkeling in La Jolla Cove (in San Diego, CA) yesterday, feeding the local fish some frozen peas. Some of them were getting a little too frisky, nipping at the hand that held my bag of peas. I waved my hand through the middle of a group of Geribaldi (sp), and they all scattered. That worked well, so I tried the same thing when a brown rockfish parked himself a few inches from my mask.

Ouch! Bad idea! The little bugger didn't even move. He just flicked up his dorsal spines and stood his ground. My (gloveless) hand smacked right into it. It felt like jamming my hand onto a row of needles. Thankfully, it didn't draw blood, but it hurt nonetheless.

Do brown rockfish have venom in their spines, and if so, how serious is it?

 

[Sebastian]

ok i found this

http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/WWW/macsis/lists/M010172.htm

Quote:

Rockfishes off California are difficult to identify because about 60 similar species occur there. The characters given here should be used with caution.
Many, if not all species of Sebastes are venomous. Poison glands are associated with some or all of the spines of the first dorsal, anal, and pelvic fins. The brown rockfish is one of the few species in which poison glands are associated with all fin spines. The venom, although painful, is not dangerous except when it provokes an allergic reaction or where the injury becomes infected *208*.
The brown rockfish is distinguished from all other Sebastes occurring off California in having a flat interorbital space, coronal spines in most individuals (although not present in individuals from Puget Sound, Washington), light brown body with darker brown mottling, pinkish caudal, pelvic, and pectoral fin membranes, and a prominent dark brown blotch on the gill cover. Dorsal fin XIII, 12-15; anal fin III, 5-8; pectoral fin 15-19; gill raker teeth on first arch 25-30; lateral line pores 42-49 *208*.


Hope this helps! Maybe you should see a doctor just to make sure

 

[JustAddWater]

The California and Rainbow Scorpionfish have venomous dorsal spines, as do a few other rockfish, but to a lesser degree. I've heard that Cabezon are also poisonous, but don't know if that is if you only eat their eggs, or if they too have a venomous dorsal spine.

 

[Finnatic]

How did your injury turn out? Did you have to see a doc?

 

[Bagheera]

Luckily, the fish's spines didn't break the skin. So, no, I didn't have to see a doctor. Two days after the incident, I'm fine. I didn't get injured, but I got a warning: Other fish (in La Jolla Cove) will flutter away if you just wave your hand near them, but a brown rockfish will stand its ground.

 

[MantaRey]

don't some species of scorpionfish have fatal poison?

 

[The Chairman]

that I am aware of are due to anaphlyactic shock. This was four years or so ago off of Boyton. I used to think that bristle works were fatally poisonous as well, as all three people that I knew who have been hit suffered near death experiences. I later found out that anaphylactic shock was the real culprit here too. I want to get certified to carry an epi pen for just that reason. BTW, the first aid for an injury from a scorpion fish is to immerse the wound in as hot of water as you can tolerate. The heat will cook and thus change the protein based toxin much as it would an egg white.

 

[norcaldiver]

I am dumbfounded that someone would wait 24 hours then post on the internet asking about poison, rather than call an ER or Poison control Center, or better yet, look it up on their own on the internet....

 

[Bagheera]

norcaldiver once bubbled...
I am dumbfounded that someone would wait 24 hours then post on the internet asking about poison, rather than call an ER or Poison control Center, or better yet, look it up on their own on the internet....

The fish's spines didn't break the skin, so I was rather certain that I hadn't actually been poisoned. The question, therefore, was simply academic. I wasn't asking "What happened when I was stung?" but rather "What would have happened if I had ben stung?"

 

[frontsight2001]

May I speak from personal experience, from bad experiences comes good judgement ya know

Most bottom rockfish in California are of the Scorpionfish family. Most of these fish have slightly venomous dorsal spines.

While diving I was stuck in my right hand by a California Scorpionfish. These small 10-18" brownish bottom dwellers look much like a Cabezon. However their venom is very, and from ecperience, I repeat very painful.

Within a matter of moments a sharp burning pain, scale 9 of 10, which began proceeding up my arm. Truthfully, I feel that if that venom reached my heart I would have suffered a heart attack.

Fortunately, as mentioned in am earlier post, the venom is heat sensitive. The dive crew mixed cool and hot water from the coffee maker and plunged my hand into the cup. Within minuites I was soaking my hand in straight hot water, yikes! But the relief from the poison was more than the pain from the heat.

Super hot soaking continued for the rest of the day. My hand suelled twice its normal size and became rock hard. I had "scorpion claw hand" and was now a welcomed member of that club which included most of the crew!

Ask southern Califonia fishermen and deckhands about scorpion claw hand, most have had one and don't want another.