Fishermen wading barefoot through a writhing ball of venomous serpents can pay a high price for participating in the Gulf of Thailand's (map) sea snake harvest. Some die from snakebites, according to a recent study that suggests the snake catch may be one of the biggest hauls of marine reptiles in the world.

Scientists published estimates of the catch size in the journal Conservation Biology in December, along with some of the first research documenting who's buying and selling sea snakes and the fishery's indirect role in rhino poaching.