question about puffer fish

[shoelessone]

I have a question about puffer fish - is there ONE species, or many? I ask because I was in the Florida Keys and a dive guide would (gently) tap a puffer fish, and it would "blow up" with its spikes out, however the guide loosly made a ball around it with his hands (not actually grabbing it, just containing it in one place) and it didnt seem to actually be harmfull unless you were to actually squeeze the thing (which of course I would never do). are there any poisoness puffers, or puffers who are perhaps more agressive/dangerous?

Thanks!

 

[ReefGuy]

Puffers have a nasty bite. One guide who liked to play with them over on the east coast lost a finger recently to one - it was crushed so badly, they could not reattach it. Their mouth is like a beak.

There are a lot of species of puffers. I don't know that any are poisonous to touch, but they are to eat (if not properly prepared).

 

[humanFish]

I have a question about puffer fish - is there ONE species, or many? I ask because I was in the Florida Keys and a dive guide would (gently) tap a puffer fish, and it would "blow up" with its spikes out, however the guide loosly made a ball around it with his hands (not actually grabbing it, just containing it in one place) and it didnt seem to actually be harmfull unless you were to actually squeeze the thing (which of course I would never do). are there any poisoness puffers, or puffers who are perhaps more agressive/dangerous?

Thanks!

it's too bad that some dive guides set bad examples like this.

Puffer fish meat is VERY poisonous, deadly, in fact. In Japan, however, there are specially licensed chefs who can prepare the meat for human consumption. I hear that it is not as delicious as you'd think, considering you are putting your life on the line.

 

[humanFish]

Puffers have a nasty bite. One guide who liked to play with them over on the east coast lost a finger recently to one - it was crushed so badly, they could not reattach it.

Wendy's chili, anyone?

 

[mania]

In fact there are plenty of them. And most of them are poison to eat
Mania

 

[Vie]

Puffer fish meat is VERY poisonous, deadly, in fact. In Japan, however, there are specially licensed chefs who can prepare the meat for human consumption. I hear that it is not as delicious as you'd think, considering you are putting your life on the line.

The neurotoxin tetrodotoxin (which, if ingested, basically “jams the flow of sodium ions into nerve cells and stops nerve impulses dead in their tracks.” The symtoms begin with a tingling sensation on the tongue and lips, followed by “paralysis of [the] arms and legs, difficulty breathing, then, eight hours later—death.”) is present in the liver, ovaries, gonads, intestines and/skin of the puffer. The variety consumed in Japan is Takifugu rubripes and is known locally as fugu.

Fugu liver is considered a great delicacy in Japan and the liver and flesh is usually eaten and the ovaries, gonads, intestines and skin are discarded/removed during preparation. The sales of fugu liver have been illegal in Japan since 1983 and the number of death due to tetrodotoxin have declined significantly (but the flesh can still be sold by licensed fugu chefs and consumed by those who dare).

Recently, Tamao Noguchi, a resercher at Nagasaki University have successfully raised toxin-free fugus—with the potential of offering toxin/risk-free fugu in restaurants. Naturally, purists are horrified...

Information and quotes from National Geographic Magazine, May 2005, page 17.

 

[FreeFloat]

I have a question about puffer fish - is there ONE species, or many? I ask because I was in the Florida Keys and a dive guide would (gently) tap a puffer fish, and it would "blow up" with its spikes out, however the guide loosly made a ball around it with his hands (not actually grabbing it, just containing it in one place) and it didnt seem to actually be harmfull unless you were to actually squeeze the thing (which of course I would never do). are there any poisoness puffers, or puffers who are perhaps more agressive/dangerous?

Thanks!

Causing puffers to "blow up" is very irresponsible, as it's a distress response for the fish and stresses them. If the same fish is harassed too many times (by different DMs etc) it's possible it could die. Add the prevention of escape (by cupping hands around it) and the stress the fish experiences is beyond belief.

If you were the fish, how would you like it if someone poked you to cause a reaction, then prevented your escape, on the premise that the poking "isn't really hurting anything?"

I understand that it wasn't your fault at all, shoelessone, but I just wanted to express that harassing wildlife is never completely "harmless" to the wildlife in question.

 

[Corigan]

I agree it is irresponsible to harass fish. Also as stated they do have a nasty bite and beak. I used to keep a few small puffers in my aquariums. I would feed them snails to keep their teeth nice and sharp. This is also so the teeth don't overgrow. I've seen a little 2" puffer bite open a snail that is much more tough than a human finger.

Matt

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Homer Simpson nearly died from consuming pufferfish that a non-liscensed chef prepared. T'was a good episode.

 

[Vie]

Homer Simpson nearly died from consuming pufferfish that a non-liscensed chef prepared. T'was a good episode.

Yeah, it was great. Can’t believe it aired almost 15 years ago!