Neurotoxins in this fish are deadlier than cyanide. DEM is warning fisherman to be careful

Anglers are again being warned about a poisonous fish in Rhode Island waters.

Smooth puffer fish, which have deadly toxins, are becoming more common in Rhode Island waters, and fishermen are catching more of them, according to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management's division of marine fisheries and the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association.

Some people eat smooth puffer fish, and some consider them a delicacy, but they're "a serious threat to your health if not cleaned properly," the DEM and anglers association said in a joint news release.

The agencies advise anglers who catch one to "take the fish off the hook carefully and release it."

The neurotoxins in smooth puffer fish, tetrodotoxin and saxitoxin, are deadlier than cyanide and have no known antidotes, the agencies said, attributing the information to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Toxins can be found in all organs of the fish, its intestines and skin, they said.

Anglers should not even use the fish for bait or chum, the agencies said.

Smooth puffer fish are usually gray to olive-gray, darker on top than bottom and "somewhat silvery," the agencies said. The bodies aren't scaled, but the belly and underside of the head are prickly.

The fish inhabit inshore and near-shore areas, over sand or mud bottoms, the agencies said.

Another type of puffer fish, the northern puffer, is more common in Rhode Island waters. Some scientists believe there are low levels of toxins in the skin and organs of the northern puffer fish, and anglers are advised to clean the northern puffer fish of all skin and viscera before eating.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: RI anglers warned about catching poisonous smooth puffer fish by DEM