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Flung catfish lands, lodges in 11-year-old girl's flesh

The dead fish, likely a victim of Red Tide, has a serrated spine that embedded in the girl's back. A doctor removed it.

By EILEEN SCHULTE and AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published July 1, 2005

[Times photos: Carrie Pratt]

A lifeguard had to cut away the body of the dead catfish shown at right after the spiny fish had become lodged in a girl's back after someone in her group flung it. A doctor had to remove the fish's serrated spine later.

	A lifeguard carries a dead catfish, likely a gafftop sailcat, that stuck in a girl's back at Clearwater Beach.

CLEARWATER - The purple flag was flying on Clearwater Beach Thursday warning swimmers of dangerous marine life in the water.

But instead of being stung by a stingray, an 11-year-old girl was attacked by a dead catfish - sort of.

At 1:45 p.m., witnesses say a group was playing around on the sand when a man in the party picked up a dead fish and started swinging it around.

Then he let it go.

The fish flew through the salty air and stuck in the back of an 11-year-old girl, another member of the same group.

Witnesses say the spine of the 2- to 3-pound catfish, probably a gaff-topsail, hit the girl between her shoulder blades.

She started crying. Her mother started cursing. And a team of lifeguards came running.

They administered oxygen to the victim and called for medical help. Firefighters and paramedics from Clearwater's Rescue 45 and Engine 46 responded, and cut off the fish's body. They left the spine attached because removing it would have further damaged the girl's skin and tissues since its edge is serrated.

She was transported to Morton Plant Hospital, where the spine was removed by a doctor.

"It sounds like it was a topsail catfish," said Gary Morse, spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "Those spines are very painful."

The dead fish was probably a victim of Red Tide, which has hit south Pinellas beaches in recent days.

Tides and changing winds have pushed the dead fish northward, although Clearwater Beach has a low concentration, according to Scott Willis, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.

"Red Tide hasn't been too bad until today," said chief lifeguard Joe Lain. "This morning, we buried a dead 40-pound grouper in the pet cemetery."

He indicated a mound of recently disturbed sand on the beach where people often bury fish and pets.

The algae bloom couldn't have come at perhaps a worse time.

Sheila Cole, the executive director of the Clearwater Beach Chamber of Commerce said hotel rooms this weekend are almost sold out. She expects thousands of people to travel to the beach over the long holiday.

Cole spoke with Clearwater lifeguards Thursday, who told her the dead fish are being drawn in from beaches further south.

"We're getting a bad rap because of the currents and the winds and the storms," Cole said. "There's no Red Tide. The dead fish are being pushed up here."

Bill Morris, the city's marine and aviation director, said city crews rake the sand clean each morning, picking up dead fish and other debris from the night before.

Lifeguards will caution beachgoers of the algae bloom, Morris said, but they have no plans to close the beach. He doesn't know how it will affect the typical stream of beach visitors.

"It's not really a good weekend to have this happen, publicity wise," he said.

--Eileen Schulte can be reached at 727 445-4153 or schulte@sptimes.com

[Last modified July 1, 2005, 01:24:21]