TOPEKA (KSNT) – Going fishing can expose anglers to all sorts of risks, including receiving a painful sting from venomous catfish.

KSNT 27 News spoke with a wildlife expert to find out more about the painful stings some catfish can deliver when threatened and what people can do to avoid them.

Venomous catfish are more common than you might think. In 2009, a study from the University of Michigan found that more than 1,200 freshwater and saltwater catfish species worldwide are venomous. Catfish carry their venom in sharp, bony spines in their dorsal and pectoral fins that induce symptoms like severe pain, reduced blood flow, muscle spasms and respiratory distress. In some cases, catfish venom can deliver a sting with deadly effects, but these usually occur in more dangerous varieties found outside the U.S.

The study goes on to state that the main danger faced by those who receive a catfish sting is from secondary bacterial and fungal infections. While this can sound intimidating, especially when considering how prolific catfish are in North American waterways, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) Fisheries Division Director Bryan Sowards says otherwise.

Sowards told KSNT 27 News that people are interacting with catfish on a daily basis in Kansas but reports of serious injury are sparse. As a man who has suffered the wrath of angry catfish in the past, Sowards said the effects of most stings wear off quickly unless the catfish’s spine becomes lodged in your body.

“It [catfish sting] causes a very immediate, very intense pain, but it goes away in about ten minutes,” Sowards said.

Even though the pain is temporary, Sowards said he was ready to consider any and all solutions to make it stop after he was hit by a bullhead. One such answer relied on what Sowards called an “old wives tale.”

“I don’t know if there is any science behind this… but there is a potential remedy,” Sowards said. “Bullheads hang out together and sting each other occasionally so they have these natural protections against it. When I got stung by a bullhead, it hurt so bad, I was willing to try anything, so I rubbed my hand on its belly.”

The unorthodox remedy soothed the pain of the sting, according to Sowards, lending some credibility to rubbing the stung area along a catfish’s belly to eliminate his suffering.

Sowards said Kansas is home to at least a dozen different catfish species, most of them being small madtom varieties not often encountered by people. Larger catfish like channel, blue and black/yellow bullheads are the most likely to be hooked by anglers and deliver a painful sting. The catfish rely on these stings to repel potential predators with the exception of flatheads which can weigh upwards of 100 pounds and have little need for protective spines due to their size.

“Once flatheads get big, they really have no natural predators, those toxins aren’t important anymore,” Sowards said.

As for recommendations on how not to get stung, Sowards said it depends on how you handle a catfish. He said if you plan to pick one up, you should make sure your hand is over and holding down the pectoral and dorsal fins on the catfish to prevent it from hurting you.