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Fish-spine punctures

Punctures from fish spines can be serious and even life-threatening. The sharp, toxic spines of dogfish, ratfish, rockfish, and sea urchins can cause infection, tissue destruction, and loss of mobility. Here you'll find information to help keep you safe and healthy on the job.

  • How to reduce the risks
  • What to do for puncture wounds

How to reduce the risks

For any catch, always pay attention to what’s happening around you. Wear the right personal protective equipment for the job, and take the following precautions:

  • Wear durable gloves, steel-toe boots, hard hat, rain suit, and safety glasses (to protect your eyes from flying bits of spines).
  • Use clean, dry gloves that are in good shape, and change them often so your hands stay dry. Throw away torn gloves, especially if you already have a wound that could become infected.
  • Wash slimy, bloody gloves in soap or antiseptic to avoid the risk infection the next time you wear them.
  • Be wary of slippery surfaces when you move across rafted vessels waiting to unload.

The following are some ways to reduce the risk of injuries when harvesting different types of fish or seafood.

Fin fish harvesting
  • Keep an eye out for unexpected spiny by-catch.
  • Wear appropriate gloves when removing spiny fish from fishing gear like nets and hooks.
  • Don’t kick fish into hatches, because spiny fish may be hidden in the catch.
  • Wear a hard hat when fleecing nets through the power block.
  • Stand back when spilling the cod end to avoid contact with fish spines.
  • Handle spiny by-catch carefully to avoid inadvertent contacts.
Seafood harvesting: Divers
  • Wear flexible gloves that spines can’t puncture, and check your gloves often to ensure they’re not damaged.
  • Use rakes long enough or with appropriate guarding to protect your hands.
  • Use adequate knee padding.
  • Wear commercial, heavy-duty dive suit boots with adequate padding on top.
Seafood harvesting: Tenders
  • Wear steel-toe gumboots and durable raingear that’s reinforced at the knees.
  • Don’t try to stop a bag from swinging.
  • When shifting or moving bags, wear solid, durable gloves to prevent spine punctures.
Seafood harvesting: Unloading
  • Before unloading, discuss the work with the crew so everyone knows what’s happening.
  • Don’t wear sandals or other open-toe footwear while you are unloading or near the load.
  • Stand clear to avoid getting hit when the urchin bag is lifted or swinging, or when urchins are falling. Don’t try to stop a swinging bag.
  • Wear good gloves, thick and durable puncture-resistant clothes, and a hard hat.

What to do for puncture wounds

If the injured person is in shock, call for help immediately.

Seek medical attention if:

  • A spine punctures a joint space (between bones)
  • Signs of infection appear — including fever, redness or discolouration, warmth, swelling, pus, increasing pain, or altered sensation around the wound

For other puncture wounds, consider the following:

  • Rinse the wound with soap and water.
  • To relieve pain, soak the wound in hot water (40–45°C). Continue soaking for 30 to 90 minutes, or longer if the pain continues.
  • Remove any visible spines.
  • If the spines break, leave the fragments in tissue — do not try to dig them out or apply pressure to the wound. Keep the wound clean, and get medical attention as soon as possible. A doctor may x-ray to find the fragments and then remove them.

A tetanus booster shot may be recommended.

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