Sea lice on our doorstep
Bugs suspected of wounding Melbourne teen common in Corio Bay
FLESH-EATING sea lice believed responsible for leaving a teenage wader’s legs a bloody mess are at large in our bay.
Doctors have been bewildered by the case of Sam Kanizay, 16, who was hospitalised from the attack at Brighton beach in Melbourne, with sea lice or seas fleas the prime sus- pects. And the tiny parasites are common around Geelong, according to a Deakin University scientist.
Peter Macreadie, a marine scientist who has been working in Port Phillip Bay for 20 years, said it was rare to see sea lice behave like that.
“Crab fisherman will attest to sea lice stripping a whole chicken carcass within minutes, especially at night on nomoon nights in turbid waters,” he said. “They love meat. Being bitten to the point of bleeding, however, is rare.”
The little critters are appar- ently more active at night and are normally found on the surface of the sand in shallow waters where they can scavenge on dead and dying fish.
Social media users have reported seeing sea lice at the Lorne pier and some attested to seeing them eat “the bait off your hook in seconds”.
Sam’s dad, Jarrod Kanizay, did some of his own detective work — placing some water from the part of the bay where Sam was “attacked” with meat in a tank.
Mr Kanizay filmed the experiment, which shows sea lice devouring the meat and he said he believed it could explain what happened to Sam.
Dr Macreadie said he encountered sea lice regularly in his line of work.
“Moving helps keep them at bay, so does a wetsuit,” he said.
“Some people are more susceptible to lice attacks. Much like on a summer’s day on the beach, there’s often someone who bleeds from sand flies, but others don’t.
Dr Macreadie said there were a number of “crustacean taxonomists” who could help identify the species responsible but he did not think it was something beach goers should be worried about.
Sam also said the incident would not stop him getting in the water.