Do you like fish?

Fish always seem rather harmless to me, swimming around in silvery schools, or they are solitary beauties just waiting for you to turn up for a ‘Kodak’ moment. They say you shouldn’t touch anything while diving, and there definitely are one or two that you need to avoid before you start hyperventilating into your facemask or breathing gear. Some might be found in Portugal’s deepest waters, and as a nation of travellers, one or two might be encountered on a vacation in foreign seas.

The Puffer Fish is one I would love to see – but not up close and personal thank you – it is also called a swellfish or blowfish, that inflates when disturbed or threatened. The pufferfish's skin is covered in spines and spikes, which are exceedingly hazardous, and carry a toxin called tetrodotoxin which is deadly to other fish and humans. Don’t touch, your hands could be damaged, and you could even die. Jn Japan, thrill-seeking is not the only reason that Japanese pufferfish are eaten, and aside from its distinct, subtle flavour and unique chewy texture, it is also low in fat and high in protein. Some brave souls will try them, but unless puffer fish are cleaned by a licenced chef and prepared in a special manner to carefully remove the organs containing toxin, the flesh of the fish will become contaminated with the toxin, which cannot be destroyed by cooking or freezing.

The Red Lionfish - this is a magnificent looking - but venomous - coral reef fish in the family Scorpaenidae. They have defensive spines on the top and bottom of their bodies that can cause painful stings. Symptoms develop within minutes to a few hours of contact, unpleasant to say the least, but it won’t kill you. Prepared expertly, it can be eaten - mild, moist, buttery and very tender, apparently tasting like a cross between lobster and shrimp. Lionfish are native to coral reefs in tropical waters and pose a significant danger to entire ocean eco-systems as they will invade, and warming oceans and the expansion of the Suez canal have played a role in their invasion from the Red Sea into the eastern Mediterranean. In their new habitats, lionfish have no predators and are also highly resistant to disease and infection. Females can lay up to 2 million eggs per year that largely escape predation due to a repellent occurring in the fertilized egg mass, which means that huge percentages of lionfish grow to maturity each year.

The Great White Shark – Well I think we know all about sharks! This one is known to be an aggressive predator and has an extremely muscular body, capable of chasing down some of the fastest swimmers in the ocean. Reaching lengths of up to 6m and weighing several tons, the great white's body is perfectly adapted to a life of predation. But they say that despite their scary reputation, sharks rarely attack humans unprovoked, and would much rather feed on fish and marine mammals. (I wouldn’t like to put it to the test!)

The Moray Eel - It is said that you should never touch a moray eel, being one of the most dangerous creatures you will come across while diving. You may not get bitten every time but there is no need to take unwanted risks. However, the one you should definitely steer clear of is The Electric Eel, Electrophorus, a neotropical freshwater fish from South America, which are known for their ability to generate high-voltage electrical pulses (as many as 400 per second), to paralyze their prey. Human deaths from electric eels are rare, but multiple shocks can cause respiratory or heart failure, and some have drowned in shallow water after a stunning jolt.

The Candiru – Men should definitely avoid swimming near this one or wear tight ‘budgie smugglers!’ There are some strong native anecdotes of the candiru implanting itself inside the human body through the human penis. This parasite fish reportedly swims through the urethra – upstream, which is an impressive feat for such a small fish, where it latches onto the inner walls with barbs - so they say anyway.

Marilyn writes regularly for The Portugal News, and has lived in the Algarve for some years. A dog-lover, she has lived in Ireland, UK, Bermuda and the Isle of Man. 

Marilyn Sheridan