Researchers sound the alarm after a very toxic fish species was discovered on several beaches in Mandal in Agder.
– This is simply shocking and not good, says one of the country’s foremost fishing experts, Asgeir Alvestad, to TV 2.
Hobby fisherman Ingunn Josdal was stung by the poisonous fish and ended up in hospital. The alarm has now gone off at several agencies.
Species fisherman Asgeir Alvestad received tips that an observation was made of the rare fish species dwarf face on a bathing beach in Mandal in early September. He therefore chose to go to the beach to try to find the species, and it did not take long before he got the first one on the hook.
– I got the first ones after only three throws, and it’s scary, says Alvestad.
Very toxic
Dwarf face is located in the Atlantic Ocean and is very toxic. Several experts TV 2 has spoken to say that the fish can be deadly. The fish’s venom glands are hidden at the top and pushed up when the fish feel threatened.
– Ingunn Josdal was stabbed by a dwarf face. Photo: Terje Frøyland / TV 2
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– The fish’s glands contain a cocktail of toxins that causes you to get extreme pain if you are stung. Being stung by a normal face is said to be 10 out of 10 on the pain scale, but a sting from a dwarf face should be even worse. Maybe the pain scale should be changed, says Asgeir Alvestad.
Intense pain
The hobby fisherman Ingunn Josdal in Mandal went fishing on 30 August, and she quickly caught a fish on the hook.
– At first I felt a small sting, but after a few seconds there was extreme pain. It was completely indescribable. It was like putting your hand in a burning fire where you can not get it out. The pain was so strong that I began to tremble and sweat cold. I tried to run from it, but you can not. The pain was burning, says Josdal to TV 2.
Shocking findings
Rudolf Svensen is department director at the Natural History Museum in Stavanger, and is among the country’s foremost experts on various fish species. He calls the find shocking.
– This is not good. Three fish of this species were found in Norwegian waters in 2018, but they were caught in a net at a depth of 200 meters. Now several fish have been found all the way inside the beaches in Mandal, and it is almost shocking. This is a fish that digs into the sand and lies still there. If someone touches the fish, it will immediately remove the venom glands that lie on top of the body, and you will be stung, Svensen states.
– What could be the reason that this species has come to Norway?
– Dwarf face is located in southern areas, but we also know that it has been in the UK for a few years. In Denmark, some specimens were discovered last year, which received a great deal of attention. It is uncertain why it came to Norway. There may be climate change and warmer water with us, but it may also be that fish eggs have come with ballast from ships. In any case, this is exciting for us who research this, says Svensen.
– Here you can see the black venom gland of the dwarf face. Photo: Asgeir Alvestad
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Popular beach
TV 2 went to Mandal together with Asgeir Alvestad to try to find more dwarf faces. At Trappestranda, close to the more famous Sjøsanden, the fish bit right away. After two hours, ten copies of the gift the fish had received in the bucket.
The species of fish was also found on the neighboring beach. Alvestad believes there is a high probability that the fish can also be on the most popular bathing beach in Mandal, Sjøsanden.
– Yes, it is not unlikely that the fish is also in the sand on Sjøsanden.
Will warn bathers
Fishing enthusiast Asgeir Alvestad is a so-called species hunter, and he has fished 153 different fish species in Norway. Although it’s cool to get a new art on the hook, he is most concerned with warning against the dwarf face.
– For me, it is most important to notify the municipality and bathers about this fish. A warning must be set up about where bathers should wear bathing shoes or find another place to swim, says Alvestad.
– A common face and a dwarf face. Photo: Asgeir Alvestad
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Will take action
The municipal chief in Mandal, Viggo Lütcherath, did not know about the discovery of the poisonous fish species before TV 2 made contact. Now he wants to look at possible measures.
– I was not aware of this, and it is not at all okay to get such a fish species into Norwegian waters. We know that stings from facial expressions are very painful. If you are stung, it is a good idea to put the injection site in very hot water. When I now hear that dwarf face is even more toxic than normal face, we should warn people, says Lütcherath.
– What do you want to do now?
– We have now notified both the state administrator and the Institute of Marine Research in Flødevigen and asked them to map the extent of this species, says the municipal chief.
Is taken care of
Several of the fish caught in Mandal are now being sent to researchers in Stavanger. TV 2 has also been in contact with the Institute of Marine Research, which describes the finding as sensational. They will also receive copies of the gift fish that have now arrived at Norwegian beaches.
– I shudder at the thought that children can step on these, because the pain is unbearable, concludes hobby fisherman Ingunn Josdal who still struggles with pain throughout the body.
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