sturgeons are dangeous fish

previously i had already blogged about a jet skier being slammed off his jetski by a flying sturgeon...now here's a new report of another sturgeon "attack"...

no laughing matter...these fellas hitting you at speed would cause some serious bruising not to mention the possibility of you being knocked unconscious into the water and drowning... =S



A sturgeon injured two boaters Saturday when it leaped from the water, knocking one girl from the boat and breaking the arm of another passenger.

Cheyenne Russ, 9, and Jennifer K. Sullivan, 31, both of Lake City, Florida were taken to Shands Hospital in Gainesville after the Saturday accident.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Officer Dorvan Daniel witnessed the strike. "I saw this vessel, operated by Scott Lockwood of Lake City, coming toward me at about 30 miles per hour. I watched as the fish jumped out of the water and heard the impact when it hit. The child was knocked out of the boat and into the water," Daniel said, who estimated the fish was 4 1/2-feet long.

The girl was not wearing a life jacket. Maj. Bruce Hamlin, regional commander for the FWC's North Centeral Region, said the commission is planning to post signs along the Suwannee River warning of the dangers.

"Boaters have been seriously injured when hit by these fish. This is the sixth reported sturgeon strike this summer. We want to make the public aware that these fish are in the Suwannee and they do jump. We recommend boaters reduce their speed to reduce the risk of impact."

The fish winter in the Gulf of Mexico and enter the Suwannee in the summer and fall months to spawn. They can grow to 8 feet in length and weigh up to 200 pounds.

original article HERE