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Have ‘biting fish’ returned to Cannes?

Seabream bites are becoming more common along France’s Mediterranean coast, with no clear explanation as to why the usually docile fish species is becoming aggressive.

Have 'biting fish' returned to Cannes?
Photo: Wikicommons

Over the past six years there have been numerous cases reported by swimmers at Cannes beach, with victims describing a medium-sized spotted fish as the toothy culprit. 

The latest incident, reported by local daily Nice-Matin, saw a 68-year-old bather from Paris bitten on the leg at the cinematic city’s Moure Rouge beach.

“I just noticed a fish with black spots on the flanks, it was about 15 cm long,” she told the Alpes- Maritime newspaper, adding that when she looked at her lower leg she noticed a mole she previously had there had been bitten off.

“Last year, we heard about biting fish on the beaches on the promenade of La Croisette, in particular at Bijou beach,” explains a local fisherman.

Biting fish have also been reported at the Lérins Islands and at La Bocca area of Cannes.

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A beach in Cannes. Photo: Bex Walton/Flickr

In fact, beachgoers in Cannes have been reporting similar scares since 2010 but it’s not just this strip of the French Riviera that’s affected but the Mediterranean as a whole.

Holidaymakers in other countries in the Med such as Spain, Israel, Greece and Turkey have posted warnings on travel sites such as TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet.

In 2017, Times of Israel also covered the spike in seabream bites along the Mediterranean coastline, suggesting global warming could be to blame for the species’ increased aggression.

“Some experts cite climate change as a major factor, and say the biting fish are only one, minor manifestation of the impact of warming temperatures,” the Israeli daily writes.

Diplodus sargus fish, known as sargo or white seabream in English and sar in French, are usually about 10 to 15 centimeters long (although they can reach 40cm) and are a common species in French waters, and for that matter on French dinner plates.

There is a risk of a bacterial infection fro untreated bite wounds but mostly it’s the fright that ‘victims’ have to get over

“[The fish] are seeking food. When they see our feet, they bite. They consider it plankton,” zoology academic Menachem Goren told The Times of Israel.

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FISH

Teenager dies snorkelling after venomous fish encounter off Costa Brava beach

A 16-year-old was killed while snorkelling off Platja d’Aro in Catalonia after an encounter with a venomous weever fish.

Teenager dies snorkelling after venomous fish encounter off Costa Brava beach
Stock photo: District47/Flickr

The boy, who has not been publically named, suffered anaphylactic shock and died on Saturday afternoon while on a family trip to the beach.

His parents raised the alarm after he disappeared while snorkelling and he was found unconscious nearby by bathers and brought to shore.

Initial post-mortem results show the teenager had a tiny wound on his neck, above his windpipe, and scratches on his face.

His parents told local media that he had been filming marine life with a waterproof camera and that footage retrieved by investigators suggested he had been stung by a weever fish.

“He had been following a jellyfish about 100 metres offshore which led him to a strange and colourful fish with a harmless-looking face,” according to a statement from the parents quoted in La Vanguardia.

“He was only able to film it for 30 seconds from a distance and at the last second it disappeared and stung him around the jaw area.”

A post-mortem has been carried out in nearby Girona where forensic staff are awaiting toxicology results.

The fish has been identified locally as a spotted weever (rachinus araneusa) a species that carries venom in its dorsal spines and buries itself in sand on the seabed.


Photo by Roberto Pillon/creative commons/fishbase.org

They are usually hard to spot and have been known to deliver painful stings to swimmers feet who unknowingly step in them when paddling in shallow water.

But although they can provoke a severe allergic reaction and in rare cases provoke heart attacks such stings rarely prove fatal because those who step on them can usually reach the safety of the shore before drowning.

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