KARWAR: A strange incident occurred recently, which claimed the life of 24-year-old fisherman Akshay Anil Majalikar. A fish bit or stung Akshay in a rare incidents, which probably has never happened earlier. Experts opine that the fish which killed him could be a houndfish — which is one of three fish species known to have teeth.
This incident has triggered a row, as family and friends are not ready to accept this conundrum. Following his death on Thursday, family members blamed doctors for the incident, stating that they did not administer treatment, which might have caused his death. According to them, Majalikar was discharged from the hospital stating he was fine, but was admitted again, citing severe pain, and he succumbed on Thursday.
Meanwhile, marine biologists, who analysed the dead fish, said it was a houndfish or crocodile needlefish that stung Majalikar. The houndfish or Tylosorus crocodilus is found in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean, with a range that stretches up to the Red Sea and African coasts. Fishermen fear this species, because of its ability to leap out of water and cause puncture wounds.
According to Nagendra Kharvi, a fisherman, such an incident caused by a houndfish is very rare. “We have seen this fish and have caught it, but there has been no death due to a bite from it,” he informed.
In 2010, a kayaker died of a collapsed lung, caused by a leaping houndfish.