Alert: Deadly pufferfish wash up on Southern Coast beaches

Beachgoers are strongly advised to keep children and dogs away from any fish they encounter, as they are among the deadliest and most toxic creatures on earth, reports the Mossel Bay Advertiser.

There is no indication that the problem is related to a specific pollution event along the coast of Mossel Bay. Due to the fish washing up over such a large area it is not possible to remove all immediately.

Beach entrepreneurs contracted by the municipality said they would clean the beaches where possible.

Almost all pufferfish contain tetrodotoxin, a substance that makes them foul tasting and often lethal to fish. To humans, tetrodotoxin is deadly, up to 1,200 times more poisonous than cyanide. There is enough toxin in one pufferfish to kill 30 adult humans, and there is no known antidote.

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