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Fish are biting at Bat Galim beach: have you seen bathers jumping in the sea in a strange way? This is not a new sport

Small, bouncy bites

(lives here on the beaches) - Last Thursday (24/8/23) we published an article in Hai Fe about fish bites, when a man who was swimming at Bat Galim beach was bitten until his leg bled. We note that the biting fish are not only small fish, as in this case, and there are also other species of fish besides sparrows that tend to bite the flesh of humans. It is a school of sargus fish, which are about 15 cm long, that surround a bather and then bite his flesh. The bites tear small pieces of skin from the feet of the bathers. The tag continues to cling to the skin until it tears it. The wound is painful and bleeds and must be thoroughly disinfected for fear of infection. The bathers report that Once the encircling band takes a bath, he just can't get them off.

Sargos are waiting for the opportunity to "take a bite" • Friday 25/8/23 (Photo: Motti Mendelson)

Here, just last Friday morning (25/8/23), I came to dive again at Bat Galim beach, when already from a distance I noticed people jumping in a somewhat strange way in the water. It was immediately clear that those responsible for the "dance" of the bathers are small flocks of different sargos that bite their feet. When I asked why they jump, the bathers replied that they are trying to escape the bites.

Sargus fish - looks innocent but knows how to bite • Friday 25/85/23 (photo: Motty Mendelson)

Bite blister

From the archive of my documentation collection on injuries from marine animals, there is an unusual and really unpleasant case to say the least: several years ago, a woman who was swimming at the beach in front of the tank farm in Kiryat Haim, together with a group of people, suddenly came out of the water with cries of pain, while her leg was bleeding. According to her, something bit her. Following the incident, I entered the water to check what was the thing that hurt the woman's leg. In the same place I found an iron and concrete frame inside which were two puffy fish.

Nafuhit - "Abu Nafha" - archive photo • The biting fish was much smaller (photo: Motti Mendelson)

damage to fish

The puffer fish, which entered Israel years ago, causes damage to fishing, and caused damage, very rare it must be said, to that woman.

In any case, the same fish were caught, and in at least one of them it was possible to find a match between the structure of the wound and the size of its teeth. The fish were released on their way and the woman went to a medical center that evening and received antibiotic treatment for several days. Since the wound was not sutured, as is usually done in such cases, in order not to allow anaerobic bacteria to develop, she required a two-week recovery.

Abu Nafha fish bites, apparently disturbed (archive photo: Motti Mendelsohn)
A close-up injury (photo: Motty Mendelsohn)

The sea is theirs

It is important to note that fish bites are reported to me all the time, this is commonplace and we should not be alarmed by this.
The case of Abu Nefa is very rare. The sea first of all belongs to the creatures that live in it, and we are only their guests who enjoy it and sometimes also get bitten

Fairly large sargosus are waiting for the right moment to "give a bite" • Friday 25/8/23 (Photo: Motty Mendelson)

And with all that, we can remember again that this year at least we were spared the jellyfish,Admit that this is definitely a comfort...

contact: At watsapBy email

Motty Mendelssohn
Motty Mendelssohn
Marine researcher (diving, underwater photography) and marine and environmental ecology for 35 years. Lecturer in the field for about 20 years. You can order a lecture or a series of lectures accompanied by unique and spectacular photos, taken during many years of research, in Israel and abroad • 050-7271157 • [email protected]

Articles related to this topic

44 תגובות

  1. Check.
    Tie a meter rope near the foot. The rope moves all the time and looks like something dangerous. The fish don't come close.

  2. Hello to me.
    what
    Obviously in the sea there are lots of fish and different animals swimming near the bathers.
    In reference to the biting fish, then yes it is quite a rare phenomenon in terms of the number of injuries reported to me by large spruces.
    It's a shame that you give up the sea because of this because it doesn't happen everywhere.
    Shabbat Shalom

  3. hello man
    Any human intervention in nature is fundamentally wrong.
    The Indian species and the Dreros, also at the fault of man. And as on land also in the sea.
    Shabbat Shalom.

  4. As people are mean to each other so are the animals to us
    Once upon a time there were good people to each other we had a sparrow bird a shy bird for the sake of the heart today people are bad to each other they sent us the mind an evil and violent and bold bird

  5. Happy New Year Nicole.
    Glad you enjoy my articles and photos.
    This is a year of discoveries, and renewal at sea, and I will continue to provide fascinating articles.
    Thank you very much and Happy New Year.

  6. Amazing! I loved the article and am eagerly awaiting every piece of information, news and photography on the subject and in the space so beloved of me and close to my heart.. Thank you very much..

  7. Always worthy. remember. Good morning Motty Mendelssohn.

  8. It seems to me that maybe it depends on blood type because I always get bitten, while people around me don't get bitten

  9. With these fish, it seems it would have been better to stay with the jellyfish.

  10. It is a shame and disgrace that a Jew comes to swim here in the country and fish mutilate him.
    All fish if they have the chance will bite you, there is no difference between a big fish and a small fish, in general they are all pests and bring diseases.
    death to fish

    • Go to a supermarket, they sell kosher fish there that don't bite
      And a brain for those who talk nonsense...

  11. Anyone who suggests closing the beach with nets is probably not aware of the power of the sea, huge amounts of nylon grass and other vegetables will simply sit on the nets and the currents of the sea and the waves will exert pressure and collapse them
    There are 2 solutions
    A. long socks
    B. Sunscreen liberally

  12. Fish in the sea are attracted to dead skin (like on the soles of the feet) and clean it off. In Asia there are special massage baths with small fish that clean dead skin for those who immerse their feet in them.
    The trouble begins for patients with neuropathy in the limbs. A condition in which finger electrical pulses do not pass through the limbs. Biting fish are also attracted to these inactive areas

    • Not uncommon at all
      A common phenomenon on the beaches of Tel Aviv. If you have a small wound, the fish will feed on the wound.
      An annoying phenomenon spoils the fun in the water
      And painful.

  13. It doesn't just happen in Haifa, I was in Netanya at Sironit Beach and I was bitten many times while in the water, if you stand and don't move you almost get bitten...

  14. The worst is if there is a wound, they immediately bite into it. We swim at Meridian Beach and just walk around to drive them away.

  15. There is a simple solution to the problem
    enter the sea with black socks
    Van fish bites.

  16. Maybe because jellyfish that eat fish didn't arrive, all these bites multiplied and caused problems. The question is, what is better, jellyfish stings or stings?

  17. Putting a beach with nets in Bat Galim is an excellent solution, in fact, a swimming pool near the casino. It's better, it's really a sea-pool. Such a protected beach will undoubtedly become a sought-after attraction and will also make it possible to keep away algae, jellyfish and dirt from reaching the beach. I hope that the next mayor, whoever he is, Borovsky, Etzioni, etc., will lift the glove and make nets at Bat Galim beach, it is really possible between the breakwaters and the bottom is not very deep, so it is really possible to create an ideal beach

  18. Hi Raz
    True, this is nature and you should enjoy it and we are lucky that Bat Galim has a lot of creatures and a concentration that is not found anywhere else in Israel.

  19. Hi Ronnie
    The bites this time are actually from big fish, but that's nature.

    • People come to enjoy the sea, adults, young and children, and have to get bitten by fish, this is something that was not the case in the past, and the fish of the abu nafha, too, and you did not tell them about the hahron fish, the most poisonous fish in the Mediterranean, which was recently seen among bathers in Kiryat Yam, all these fish are invaders from the Red Sea that have found a place to grow here With no enemies and frighteningly prolific, it's only a matter of time before they hit the shores in numbers.
      And the Nature and Parks Authority gives them undisturbed breeding places and creates more places called nature reserves.
      Instead of making reservations in a controlled manner and thinning out the invading population.
      It's a shame that most things are run in this country for money reasons and not for real reasons like in the sand.

  20. All the best to you, my friend Motty Mendelssohn. Have a good week

  21. The bites in Bat Galim are not rare, almost every few minutes someone shouts in the water or jumps from a bite. What does the municipal veterinarian say, why aren't these fish thinned out around the beaches?

  22. Hi Jasmine.
    Definately not.
    These are very rare cases. I have been in the water since the age of six and have been diving for many years, everyone enjoys the sea and you too.
    The sea in Haifa is clean and fun.

    • Not uncommon at all
      A common phenomenon on the beaches of Tel Aviv. If you have a small wound, the fish will feed on the wound.
      An annoying phenomenon spoils the fun in the water
      And painful.

    • Not uncommon at all! Every day and it doesn't matter what time of the day you go into the sea and some feel how the fish are around you, it's not pleasant! You can't swim in the water and enjoy the sea, that's why I stopped going to the sea and it's a shame.

  23. It is certainly possible to install nets on Bat Galim beach between the breakwaters and create a very large bathing place without jellyfish and without biting fish and without algae.
    There is no reason not to allow safe bathing, just as nets are installed against the entry of wild boars in the wadis, this is how nets can be installed at the end of the breakwaters and those who want to swim past them will climb the stairs in the net and go to the other side and swim.
    These nets will also protect against drifting into the sea.
    One safe beach is a must.

    • Always worth remembering.
      When you go out into nature, you will probably meet different animals.
      This is their home and we need to respect and understand that.
      Learn how to behave to avoid unwanted situations.
      It's kind of a package deal.
      If we want to enjoy nature we must also respect it.
      There are enough swimming pools or other bodies of water without fish that can sometimes bite, sting, even electrocute and more...
      (In my opinion, part of the beauty of the Mediterranean Sea is the variety of species and it is very nice to have a kind of wild nature within touching distance).
      In short, not everything has to find a "humane" solution. The solution is simply to be aware and behave accordingly.

    • Preventing fish from reaching the coastline and moving freely in the different areas of the coast is a serious damage to the marine ecosystem. Every change, even the smallest, can have serious consequences, the sea has become barren anyway because of humans. It is better that we leave the sea to the fish and take care of cleanliness, order and self-discipline on our side.

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