first aid while fishing

first things first

Make sure you and the group are safe before helping. In a serious case, call for help early: SAMU 192, Bombeiros 193 and, at sea, Navy 185. In a remote place, the hospital may be hours away. When in doubt, start heading back.

embedded hook

A barbed hook won't come out the way it went in if you just pull. The string technique works for small and medium hooks lodged shallowly in fleshy areas such as finger, hand, arm or leg.

DO NOT try to remove it if the hook is in or near the eye, on the face, ear, neck or genitals; near a large blood vessel; over a joint or tendon; very deep; if it's a large hook or a treble with several barbs embedded; or if there's heavy bleeding, numbness or loss of movement. In those cases, cut the line, immobilize the hook with gauze and tape so it doesn't move, and seek medical care.

1. Cut the line and free the lure. If it's a treble, cut the points that aren't embedded with pliers.
2. Everyone nearby should wear glasses: the hook can fly.
3. Rest the affected part on a firm surface.
4. Pass a piece of strong line (heavy monofilament or cord) through the bend of the hook and wrap the ends around your hand.
5. With one finger, press the hook's shank, near the eye, against the skin. This disengages the barb.
6. Keeping the pressure on, give a quick, firm tug on the string, along the shank line, in the direction opposite the point.
7. Wash well with clean water and soap and cover with a clean dressing.
8. Seek care if redness spreads, the area feels hot, or there's pus or fever, or if your tetanus shot isn't up to date.

stingray sting

Freshwater stingrays are common in rivers of the Amazon, the Pantanal and the Paraná basin, buried in the sand of the shallows. The serrated barb causes very intense pain, and the wound often becomes inflamed, infected and can necrotize. Every stingray sting should be checked by a doctor.

1. Get the person out of the water and let them sit or lie down, with the affected part at rest.
2. Rinse with plenty of clean water to remove sand and visible debris.
3. Immerse the affected part in hot water, as hot as the person can tolerate without getting burned (usually around 40 to 45 °C), for 30 to 90 minutes, replacing the water to keep it hot. The heat relieves pain.
4. Test the temperature with another person's hand or your unaffected hand. Extra care with children, older adults, diabetics and anyone with reduced sensation: they burn easily.
5. Don't cut, don't suck, don't apply a tourniquet and don't put ice, kerosene, urine, coffee grounds or any other substance on it.
6. Don't try to pull out a stinger or a large piece embedded deep: leave that to the doctor.
7. Cover with a clean dressing and seek medical care, even if the pain improves.

catfish and mandi sting

Catfish, mandis, jundiás and other catfish have serrated spines on their pectoral and dorsal fins, some venomous. The sting hurts badly, can leave a piece of spine behind and infects easily, especially a sea catfish sting.

1. Wash with clean water and soap.
2. Remove only visible, superficial fragments with clean tweezers.
3. Soak in water as hot as you can tolerate for 30 to 90 minutes, with the same precautions as for a stingray sting.
4. Cover with a clean dressing.
5. Seek care if the pain doesn't ease, if a piece of spine is lodged in, or if swelling increases, redness, pus or fever appear.

piranha bite and braided-line cut

A piranha cuts like a blade, and so does taut braided line. Both kinds of cut bleed heavily.

1. Apply firm pressure to the wound with a clean cloth or gauze for 10 minutes, without lifting to look.
2. If possible, raise the affected part above heart level.
3. Wash with drinkable water and cover with a clean dressing.
4. A small, shallow cut can be closed with an adhesive dressing.
5. Seek care if the bleeding doesn't stop, if the cut is deep or stays open, if it involves a joint, or if the person can't move the finger well.
6. Heavy bleeding that doesn't stop with pressure: call 192 and keep the pressure on.

sun and heat

On the water, sun comes from above and reflects from below. Sunburn and heat exhaustion take out more anglers than tough fish do.

drowning

Drowning is fast and silent. Someone who is drowning almost never yells or waves.

1. Call for help and dial 193 (Bombeiros) or 192 (SAMU).
2. Don't jump in without training or a float. Throw something that floats (life vest, closed cooler, empty jug) or extend a rod, paddle or rope.
3. From a boat, approach with the engine in neutral and shut it off near the victim, so the propeller doesn't injure them.
4. Out of the water, lay the person on their back on a firm surface and check whether they respond and breathe normally.
5. If they're breathing: place them on their side (recovery position), keep them warm and watch them until help arrives.
6. If they're not breathing normally: start resuscitation. For drowning, trained rescuers give 5 rescue breaths and then cycles of 30 compressions to 2 breaths. Without training, or if you can't give breaths, do compressions only, without stopping.
7. Compressions in the center of the chest, 5 to 6 cm deep, 100 to 120 per minute, letting the chest recoil. Continue until the person responds or rescue services take over.
8. Don't try to drain water from the lungs, don't hold them upside down and don't press the belly. If they vomit, turn them to the side and clear the mouth.
9. Any victim who needed resuscitation, or who had persistent coughing, foam at the mouth or shortness of breath, must go to hospital, even if they seem fine.