Young anglers strange spiny balloon-like catch turns out to be rare

Young anglers strange spiny balloon-like catch turns out to be rare

By Aspen Pflughoeft

Source: modbee

7/26/2024

While fishing near a port in southern Italy, a young angler felt something tug on the line and reeled in an odd-looking catch. The sea creature turned out to be “rare” — and “toxic.”

Kevin Bibiche Nour caught the “strange spiny balloon-like fish” while fishing from shore near a port in Sicily in August 2023, according to a study published July 19 in the peer-reviewed journal Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria. Photos of the catch were shared on Facebook and caught the attention of co-author Bruno Zava.