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Penetrating wounds caused by needle‐fish in Oceania
Author(s) -
Barss Peter G.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1985.tb119973.x
Subject(s) - fish <actinopterygii> , subsistence agriculture , fishery , fishing , geography , coral reef fish , reef , archaeology , biology , agriculture
Needle‐fish are slender silvery fish with long pointed beaks. They are commonly seen swimming beneath the surface near fringing reefs in the Indo‐Pacific area. Such areas are also frequented by Melanesian villagers. The speed of needle‐fish, together with their tendency to leap out of the water when bright lights are used for fishing and at other times, occasionally result in deep, penetrating injuries to swimmers, waders, and, in particular, to fishermen who are working at night from small canoes. Injuries from needle‐fish are a relatively common occupational hazard of subsistence village life in Oceania, and probably also for some fishermen in other coastal environments, such as those in Japan and Malaysia.