Species: Bull Huss.
Location: Macduff, UK. 2015.
A unique opportunity arose during my role as aquarist at Macduff Marine Aquarium. Whereby a juvenile Bull Huss (Scyliorhinus stellaris) which had been foul hooked with a stainless steel barbed ‘J’ hook, was given to the aquarium. This type of hook is essentially one of the worst types of hooks to ingest. The J shape means it is more likely to lodge deeper down into the oesophagus and become embedded, something the barb also increases the likelihood of and to top it off the stainless-steel part means the hook won’t be corroding anytime soon.
Together with the fish vet group we were able to take X’ Rays and locate the hook and plan the best method of removal. Fortunately, we were able to remove the hook in its entirety and the juvenile bull huss nicknamed “The Captain (Hook!)” was feeding within 24 hours and made a full recovery. We wrote up this novel procedure and it was accepted for publication in the Fish Veterinary Journal.