“I caught a rare octopus” … It turns out that octopus is 10 times more toxic

A poisonous blue-ringed octopus caught on the seashore in Sinam-ri, Seosaeng-myeon, Ulju-gun, Ulsan on the 18th. [사진 울산해양경찰서]

Blue-ringed octopuses, which are poisonous, have been discovered one after another off the coast of Ulsan, requiring the attention of fishermen and fishermen.

Around 9:40 pm on the 18th, Mr. A, who was fishing off the coast of Sinam-ri, Seosaeng-myeon, Ulju-gun, Ulsan, caught an octopus. He thought that the octopus caught on the fishing line was seen as a rare octopus because it had a blue dot shape in various places unlike common octopus, and reported it to the Ulsan Maritime Police Station.

As a result of a consultation with the National Fisheries Research Institute on the 19th of the Ulsan Coast Guard, the octopus captured by Mr. A was identified as a blue-ringed octopus. An official from the Ulsan Coast Guard said: “It is confirmed as a blue-ringed octopus that kills people with a very small amount of venom because it is highly toxic and will be turned over to the National Institute of Fisheries Sciences.”

Based on the ocean view, the blue-ringed octopus lives primarily on reefs or coral reefs in subtropical waters such as Australia and southern Japan. Due to the high water temperature, it was recently settled on the Jeju Island shoreline and first appeared in 2012. It is now often found in some parts of the southern shoreline.

The blue-ringed octopus has a deadly venom in its jaws and teeth called tetrodotoxin, which pufferfish have. It has more than 10 times the toxicity of cyanobacteria, and even 1 mg of venom can threaten human life. When bitten or exposed to ink, it causes physical paralysis, vomiting, shortness of breath, and heart attack.

A poisonous blue-ringed octopus caught off the coast of Sinam-ri, Seosaeng-myeon, Ulju-gun, Ulsan on the 18th. [사진 울산해양경찰서]

The discovery of a blue-ringed octopus in Ulsan was the second time this year after it was caught by a fishing boat off Gangdong Sanha Beach in Buk-gu in May. At the beginning of November last year, the captain of a fishing boat that was fishing on board 3.3 km off the coast of Yeosu, Jeollanam-do, discovered a blue-ringed octopus that was 7 cm long and weighed about 10g and reported it to the Coast Guard.

According to the National Institute of Fisheries Sciences, when you discover a blue-ringed octopus, you should not touch it with your bare hands or step on it with bare feet. Also, if you are bitten by a blue-ringed octopus or infected with a poison, you should seek medical attention after receiving emergency treatment, such as CPR. The National Institute of Fisheries Sciences said, “You must wear gloves when collecting shellfish or creatures from the rocky beach.”

Ulsan = Reporter Baek Kyungseo [email protected]