By Jolene Ogle
A KEEN fisherman’s close call with a venomous stonefish in the Noosa River is a timely reminder to be on the lookout for dangerous marinelife this summer.
Alex Bye, 13, and his friend Jai Housley spend most of their weekends on the banks of the Noosa River, but when Alex cast his net on Sunday 13 November, he didn’t make the catch he was hoping for.
He felt something brush against his leg, but didn’t think it was anything serious until he was gripped by pain.
When Alex’s friend and fishing companion tried to pick up the stonefish, Alex pushed him out of the way before falling down in agony.
A woman from Noosa Boathouse and a man from Noosa Charters rushed to help Alex before calling an ambulance.
Stonefish are highly venomous and sting their victim through dorsal fin spines they erect when threatened or disturbed. They are found throughout shallow coastal waters of the northern half of Australia and are often camouflaged among coral, rocky reef, rubble and aquatic plants.
Alex’s mum Lea said she was shocked and didn’t realise stonefish were in the Noosa River.
“I’ll think of the river differently from now on,” she said.
Lea said Alex was lucky because he was only pierced by one of the stonefish’s spines.
“He’s OK now, recovering well,” she said. “But I wanted to let others know to be aware of stonefish in the river.”
Earlier this year, while walking along the foreshore, Lea was stung by stingray with the barb going through the top of her foot.
“I had to go to the hospital and I was on crutches for a long time. I couldn’t walk properly for four months. That’s how long it took for my foot to return to normal,” she said.
Long-time Noosa Main Beach lifeguard Isaac said the best treatment for a marine sting or attack was hot water.
“Get a bucket of hot water and put your foot in it, because it’s usually the foot or the ankle,” he said.
“If the pain gets worse, call an ambulance.”
Isaac said the best advice was to be wary of marine life in local waterways, particularly stingrays in the Noosa River.
“There are lots of stingrays in the river. If you stand on the bridge on a calm day, you can even see them clearly. Stonefish are more uncommon. In my 14 years of service, I’ve seen one case,” he said.
“But the best thing to do is be wary.”
