NOAA URGES ALL TO RESPECT AND AVOID UNPLEASANT CONTACT WITH MARINE CREATURES

Sept. 29, 2006 — Whenever you enter into the ocean, you should be aware of the hazards you may encounter in this foreign environment. Many people are already familiar with the dangers associated with the more common sea creatures (i.e., sharks, moray eels, barracudas, octopi, seals and sea lions), but few are aware of the more unusual sea creatures with sharp spines or edges that can cause abrasions, lacerations or punctures and/or venoms and toxins that can cause serious harm to humans.

These marine creatures are not aggressive toward humans, but some of the natural defense mechanisms used to protect themselves against predators may be used against humans if these creatures feel threatened. Actually, most marine creatures will first try to flee and/or hide (often with the assistance of deception, mimicry and/or camouflage) when a threat appears. Some display bright colors and patterns to warn aggressors that they are poisonous. If these tactics fail to deter the threat, they often resort to other measures to protect themselves:

• Slow-moving creatures like cone snails, sea stars and urchins use chemicals or poisons in combination with spines, needles and darts to protect themselves.
• Boxfish and soapfish secrete skin poisons, whereas pufferfish and toadfish have poisons within their body that can be fatal if ingested. Stonefish and scorpionfish have venom glands at the base of their dorsal spines, and rays have venom producing tissue along their spines.
• Coelenterates (corals, jellyfish, hydroids and sea anemones) use venomous stinging cells, known as nematocysts, to fire tiny harpoons containing venom to stun and kill their prey.
• Some fishes and rays are equipped with self-defense mechanisms including spines and barbs.

Most human injuries result from accidental contact with these creatures. Whatever your ocean activity, you should be educated about and recognize hazardous marine creatures when you encounter them. Remember — humans are guests in the ocean and we need to respect the territorial rights of and avoid needless unpleasant contact with all marine creatures.

Prevention
Humans can minimize accidental contact with these hazardous marine creatures by observing the following general precautions (Click NOAA image to the right for a larger view of responsible diving and snorkeling from head to toe. Please credit “NOAA.”):

• Look, but do not touch or handle marine creatures.
• When walking in shallow water, shuffle your feet to alert creatures hiding on the sea floor to retreat before you step on them accidentally.
• Wear shoes and protective clothing to avoid and/or minimize getting stung or scratched.
• Be observant and look carefully where you are going.
• Skin divers, snorkelers and divers should maintain good buoyancy control at all times to avoid contact with reefs or the bottom.

If you or someone else is injured, know the appropriate treatment for that injury, take care of those injuries immediately and most importantly see your doctor. Copious amounts of vinegar can be used to neutralize nematocyst toxins (i.e., jellyfish) and hot, non-scalding water helps to treat heat labile toxins (i.e., rays and fish). Also keep in mind that injuries incurred in seawater are often prone to significant risk for infection and can result in additional challenges (i.e., drowning — and in the case of scuba diving — hypothermia, decompression sickness or arterial air embolism).

Hazardous Aquatic Animals in the NOAA Dive Manual
According to the NOAA Dive Manual (produced under the direction of the NOAA Diving Program and the NOAA Undersea Research Program and considered by many as the standard for scientific and recreational diving) many aquatic animals are potentially hazardous to divers — and the same could apply to swimmers, surfers, beach goers and anyone else entering the ocean. Below are just a few examples of some of the marine creatures described in this manual that can harm humans if proper precautions are not taken.

Marine Creatures Can Sting, Scrape and Puncture
The bodies of many aquatic animals are enclosed in sharp, spiny or abrasive “armor” that can wound exposed areas of the body that come into forceful contact with it, especially human skin that has been softened by immersion. Included in this group of animals are sea urchins, starfish, some rays and fish, as well as mussels, barnacles and some corals.

A diverse array of otherwise unrelated animals that are able to inject venom into other organisms also pose a threat to humans in the ocean. The instrument of injection varies from the microscopic stinging cells (nematocysts) of the coelenterates (hydroids, corals (i.e., fire coral), sea anemones and jellyfishes) to the rigid spines on the bodies of some sea urchins, starfish (i.e., the Crown-of-Thorns), fishes and rays. There are also the harpoon-like radular teeth of cone shells, bristles of marine worms, as well as the beaks of octopuses and fangs of sea snakes. Mere contact with the surface of some sponges can produce severe skin reactions. The toxicity of the venom and the amount of venom introduced vary from species to species and sometimes among individuals of the same species. Furthermore, humans may differ in their sensitivity to a given venom. Human reactions to marine animal stings may range from no noticeable reaction to mild irritation to sudden death (usually from an allergic reaction, but occasionally due to a direct toxic effect). It is wise to be aware of and avoid injury by all marine organisms known to be venomous.

• Sea Urchins: Among the more troublesome marine creatures for ocean goers near tropical reefs are venomous sea urchins, which are most active after sunset when visibility is reduced and they come out of hiding. Sea urchins may also be a problem in temperate waters, but the species in these regions lack the potent venom found in the tropical species, and offer only a puncture rather than poisoning hazard. Most difficulties with venomous sea urchins result from accidental contact with certain long-spined species. With sufficient contact, the spines can break off in the wound and are difficult to remove. Although quite painful, such unpleasant encounters with sea urchins are not fatal. Gloves and protective clothing afford some protection against minor brushes with these animals, but forceful contact with them should be avoided at all times.
  
• Stingrays: Stingrays are non-aggressive creatures found in tropical coastal waters throughout the world. They frequently hide in shallow waters under rocks or buried under the sand with only their eyes slightly exposed. Rays forage for their food by flapping their wings to uncover prey hiding in the sandy bottom and never use their sting when hunting. Although stingrays are responsible for more human stings than any other group of fishes, very rarely are they fatal (less than 20 fatalities have been reported worldwide). Stingrays carry one or more spike-like spines near the base of their flexible tails which they can use defensively against any perceived threat. These spines are serrated and can inflict venomous puncture wounds or a painful broad laceration. Humans are most vulnerable when wading along a sandy bottom in shallow water or swimming close to the ocean floor. Walking with a shuffling motion tends to frighten stingrays away. If the “wing” of a ray is disturbed (i.e., stepped upon), the tail is whipped upwards as a reflex action. Compared to those of other stingrays, species of the family Dasyatidae, present the greatest danger, as they combine large size, the habit of lying immobile on the seafloor covered with sand and a large spine that is carried relatively far back on a whip-like tail. Large rays of this type can drive their spines through the planks of a small boat or deeply into a human appendage. Swimmers coming into contact with the bottom and a stingray lying unseen in the sand have been mortally wounded when struck in the abdomen or chest. Urolophid, or round, stingrays have a short muscular caudal appendage with the spine attached and are also able to deliver severe stings with a whip of their tail. Less dangerous are stingrays of the family Myliobatidae which include eagle and manta rays. The spine of this species is at the base of the tail, rather than farther back, and is a less effective weapon than the spine of the Dasyatid or Urolophid ray. Rather than lying immobile on the bottom most of the time, they more often swim through the midwaters, with their greatly expanded pectoral fins flapping gently like the wings of a large bird. When on the seafloor, myliobatid rays usually root actively in the sand for their shelled prey and are readily seen.
  
• Scorpionfishes: Scorpionfishes are among the most widespread family of venomous fishes and second to stingrays in envenomation incidents. The Scorpaenidae family, which numbers several hundred nearshore species, has representatives in all of the world’s seas; the most dangerous forms are found in tropical areas. Many scorpionfishes are sedentary creatures that lie immobile and unseen on the seafloor. The brightly colored Lionfish are less timid, but just as dangerous. The family has three distinct groups, based upon their venom organ structure and toxicity. Lionfish, zebrafish and butterfly cod of the Pterois genus have long slender spines with small venom glands and a mildly potent sting. Scorpaena include scorpionfish, bullrout and sculpin (a common, nearshore scorpionfish species of Southern California) and have shorter, thicker spines with large venom glands and more of a sting. Synanceia are represented by the stonefish (common to the shallow, tropical waters of the western Pacific and Indian Oceans) and have stout, powerful spines with highly developed venom glands and a potentially fatal sting (which requires antivenom treatment). Although stonefish are not aggressive toward humans, their camouflage makes it easy to accidentally step on them.
  
  • Lionfish: It is important to note that lionfish (Pterois volitans and Pterois miles) — a beautiful, yet venomous, coral reef fish from the Indian and western Pacific oceans — have now established themselves in East Coast waters. NOAA scientists and others have found adult lionfish along the southeast United States, at depths of 20 to 300 feet from Florida to North Carolina. NOAA scientists anticipate that invasive lionfish abundance will continue to grow, increasing risks to divers, fishers and possibly competing with native reef fish. Lionfish, which were first sited off North Carolina in 2000, were likely first introduced off the Florida coast in the early to mid-1990s by intentional or unintentional release from the aquarium trade, including amateur home aquariums. Although there have been no reported human deaths attributed to lionfish stings, they are known to cause severe pain, swelling, numbness and occasionally paralysis in humans. Medical professionals urge caution to anyone who encounters these fish. Although lionfish have been observed in shallow waters along the East Coast of the United States, most lionfish occur in waters more than 100 feet deep suggesting that divers and deep sea fishers are most likely to encounter this fish. Researchers at the NOAA National Ocean Service’s Center for Coastal Fisheries and Habitat Research in Beaufort, N.C., have published an assessment of this lionfish invasion and continue to work with other federal and state agencies and academic institutions to conduct life history assessments, local abundance estimates, and the effect of lionfish on reef fish communities. As recently as July 2006, NOAA researchers, in collaboration with the Essential Image Source Foundation, embarked aboard the NOAA research vessel Nancy Foster to further study lionfish in the Atlantic Ocean. The NOAA Invasive Species Program has provided additional funding to the lionfish research team for an expanded public outreach and education campaign targeting recreational and commercial fishing communities, the SCUBA diving public, the aquarium industry and the medical community, as well as the general public.

  Other fishes armed with venomous spines include surgeonfish, spiny dogfish, weever fishes, toadfishes, stargazers, freshwater and marine catfishes and rabbitfishes. Needlefish (slender, lightning-quick surface swimmers found in tropical seas) often leap out of the water in fear or when attracted to lights. On occasion, they have leaped and collided with people, spearing them in the chest, abdomen or extremities, and in one case causing a brain injury by penetrating the eye.

• Jellyfishes: Jellyfish have gelatinous, semi-transparent, and often bell-shaped bodies with trailing tentacles armed with stinging cells known as nematocysts. Large specimens may have stinging tentacles that trail down as far as 100 feet into the water. Nematocysts can still sting even when the tentacles are severed from the jellyfish or washed up on shore, so beware of touching jellyfish washed up on beaches and/or broken tentacles floating in the water. Some jellyfish do not sting and others may cause painful stings and welts. Of about 2,000 known species, only about 70 can seriously harm humans. The most dangerous species are the box jelly, Chironex fleckeri, (also known as the “Sea Wasp”) and the tiny Irukandji jellyfish. This box jelly is the world's most venomous jellyfish and may possibly be the world's most venomous creature. An adult of this species has enough venom to kill three adults, mostly from acute respiratory failure. It is found mainly in the northern coastal waters of Australia and in the Indo-Pacific along coastal beaches and sheltered inlets and is rarely encountered on coral reefs.

NOAA believes that encounters with marine creatures in the ocean are a positive way to promote the conservation of and respect for marine resources. However, if not careful, humans can disturb animals, destroy important habitats and cause injury. Through proper awareness, people can learn the best practices for engaging with the marine environment, thereby preventing harm to the nation's living marine resources — and to themselves.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA National Diving Program

NOAA National Undersea Research Program

NOAA National Ocean Service

NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Aquarius

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The Lionfish Invasion!

NOAA Lionfish Pages

NOAA SCIENTISTS HELPING TO DEAL WITH YET ANOTHER INVASIVE SPECIES
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Media Contact:
Jeanne G. Kouhestani, NOAA Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, (301) 713-3431 ext. 220