Enjoying the sun and the beach on the Mediterranean Sea was and is certainly particularly beautiful for many this year. But an intrusive and extremely voracious species of fish is looking forward to the increased influx of tourists in its own unique way. 

If you chill comfortably in the shallow water, ideally on sandy bottom, and just enjoy the sea, it can happen that your legs suddenly tingle, sting or hurt a lot. The sea is neither a bathtub nor an indoor pool, but a habitat for many animal species. There are sometimes conflicts, but also win situations for the aquatic life.

But who is actually responsible for pain in the legs and feet on almost all Mediterranean beaches - whether Malta, Gozo, Mallorca, Italy, Spain, France, Israel, Croatia, Greece, Turkey and so on? These are not the Garra rufa known as “nibble fish” because they live in fresh water. Young sea bream (Diplodus sargus) are the “culprits”. Human calluses and other skin remnants find these extremely tasty and are very reluctant to miss this “delicacy”.

Young representatives of this species mainly stay in the shallow water near the shore and due to the fact that goat bream are very likely to reproduce, you can find them pretty much everywhere. The animals are not shy at all and so a group of people come and swim to “explore”. If you do not move or move only a little, the big eat is on.

Now it just depends on how young or small the animals are. If the specimens are small, you may feel a slight tingling sensation. The larger the sea bream, the more violently you can feel their bites. This can range from pinching, which can also be felt as a stinging, to severe pain and bleeding. The latter can occur when numerous animals want to “eat” at once and the representative is about to grow up. Envy of food and the fact that the teeth are already quite large lead to pain and injuries.

Researchers from Israel have found that billy bream has become significantly more “aggressive” in recent years. The animals have been around in the Mediterranean for ages, but so far they have been rather gentle and many holidaymakers have found “biting off” more like a free pedicure. For a few years now, however, the fish have been biting harder and harder and that is painful from a certain size. Doctors from various Mediterranean regions report that they regularly have to treat bite wounds of this fish species. Although the injuries are harmless, they are not exactly pleasant for the person concerned.

Young sea bream bite people - adults end up on the plate

Adult goat bream keep away from people, because there are no more scraps of skin on their menu. However, there is also another reason why they should avoid being close to humans, because the relationship between “hunter” and “hunted” is reversed. Goat bream are extremely popular food fish. 

So what can you do about hungry youngsters? Just keep moving and move your legs every now and then, even if you are standing or sitting around chilling, because the young goat bream can't stand that at all. It is perceived as a potential danger and people prefer to keep a respectful distance or get confused looking for the next “fast food place” (people's feet). If you have no problem with this species of fish biting off the cornea, for example, from the surfaces of your feet, you can endure it as a free pedicure. If it gets uncomfortable: just move around and scare away the group.

A doctor should be consulted in the event of bleeding

Children should be explained what the sea bream do and if they are afraid or find their visits painful, it is very advisable to accompany the offspring while bathing. But since young people tend to be much more active in the water, goat bream are more likely to look for an adult who can relax comfortably in the sea. You don't have to swim behind that.

But if you have a bite wound that is bleeding, you should visit the lifeguard on beaches that have a lifeguard service. They now know about the hungry fish species and can help or call a paramedic. If it is recommended to see a doctor, you should do so too, because severe bite wounds, even if they are small, can become infected. In the coastal regions, almost all medical professionals are now familiar with injuries caused by this species of fish.