A fishing trip in Florida turned into a nightmare on Monday when the spines of a catfish stabbed through the chest of a young child. As a result of the incident, a helicopter flew the victim to St. Joseph’s Hospital for treatment.
The child, who is under the age of 10, suffered the injury while on a fishing trip in New Port Richey. According to the U.S. Sun, the victim was suffering from a “shortness of breath” on the way to the hospital. The Pasco County Fire Rescue responded to a 911 call from the mother and considered the child a “trauma alert.”
Corey Dierdorff of the Pasco Country Fire Rescue said the child was in stable condition at the hospital. The department provided an update on the situation with a post on social media.
“The child was stabbed in the chest by the catfish’s stinger,” the post read. “The stinger entered the chest cavity approximately 1-1.5 inches and caused shortness of breath. We are hoping for a speedy recovery.”
Dierdorff told WTSP-TV that it’s not uncommon to hear of incidents involving fishermen and catfish. However, this type of incident is very unusual.
“I’ve never heard of something like that,” Dierdorff said. “You hear of fisherman that might be cut by a barb or hit in the back of the leg and get an infection, but never heard of one penetrating the chest.”
It’s Unknown If The Catfish Was Venomous
One detail that remains unknown in this case is whether or not the catfish that stabbed the child was venomous.
A 2009 study from National Geographic indicates that at least 1,200 species of catfish carry venom. There are more than 3,000 total species.
The findings also discovered that catfish in North America carry “mild venom.” Biologist Jeremy Wright said the pain would be similar to that of a “bee sting,” and that catfish use venom strictly in self-defense.
According to PondInformer.com, “Catfish have sharp spines on the edges of their pectoral and dorsal fins. These can cause mechanical injury to handlers, resulting in inflammation, possible infection, and severe pain.”
