A fisherman whose face was squirted with squid ink addressed concerns from social media users regarding his condition after a video of the incident went viral.
Fisherman Cris Anthony Rasping Rio, on Sunday, August 10, uploaded a video of him catching a large squid in Sibuyan, Romblon, which squirted a lot of ink in his face immediately after he retrieved it from the ocean.
“Unang kuha, unang buga,” he wrote on Facebook.
“Puro tinta [tumama] sa’king mukha,” Rio said in an accompanying text in the video.
“Unang huli ‘to!” the fisherman exclaimed after catching the squid.
The squid then squirted a large amount of black ink in his face.
Rio’s post has racked up 52 million views, 386,000 likes and reactions, and 20,400 comments, with many expressing concern for his well-being.
“Oh no… ingat,” a Facebook user wrote.
“Omg. ‘Di talaga biro manghuli ng pusit, ingat, ka-blessing,” another Pinoy commented
“Ok lang po kayo?” an online user asked, adding emojis in the comment.
“Sama ng tama, idol, masakit ‘[yun], ingat po,” another said.
It was later revealed that the fisherman has been catching squids for a living for seven years and documents his experiences through videos.
Because he often gets sprayed with ink from his catches, Rio sometimes wears a helmet for protection.
“Naisampa na po namin ‘yung pusit, at ‘pag angat mo nang ganoon, pataas, bigla po talagang bumulwak ‘yung tubig sa mukha ko,” he said in an interview with GMA Network.
“Eh, sakto po na nagre-record ako, marami po talaga akong nababasang comment na sabi ng iba, masakit daw po sa mata. Ang totoo po, hindi po talaga mahapdi po sa mata. Malagkit lang sa mukha,” Rio added.
Host and television presenter Kim Atienza, who featured the fisherman in his “24 Oras” report on Wednesday, August 13, explained that squids spray ink as a defense mechanism against predators.
When they sense danger, squids release ink from a specialized organ called the ink sac, which is meant to confuse or obscure the vision of attackers.
Atienza added that the squid’s ink sac contains melanin, the same pigment that gives human hair and skin its dark color, explaining the ink’s black hue.
Glenville Castrence, a faculty member at the Mindanao State University-Gensan College of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, also explained how squid ink sprays can affect people.
“Nahi-hinder lang ‘yung sense of smell and panlasa nung mga natatapunan nitong ink na ito na binubuga ng mga pusit, pero panandalian lang. ‘Pag nalinis mo na naman, nawawala na rin. ‘Yung environment lang, medyo dumilim ‘yung visual effect dun sa predators,” he said in an interview.
