Reality Check

“WARNING: DANGEROUS FISH”

How do you get someone to take you seriously when you warn them that fish might jump out of the water, into their boat, and attack you causing severe physical damage? This was just one of the dilemmas faced by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission where I used to work.

One of the biggest problems they had last year was an increasing number of boating accidents. Not just typical run of the mill boating accidents, though. These accidents were caused by FISH ATTACKS. In the Suwannee River, sturgeons commonly jump out of the water when startled by a passing boat. Sturgeons are tough, bony fish known to grow to lengths exceeding 12 feet long. Boaters hit by sturgeons often suffered broken limbs or severe abrasions as the heavy body of the massive fish collided with them at high speeds. I heard about a girl who was deeply cut and nearly died from a fish wound. This is an article written by the FWC on one of the sturgeon attacks. http://www.floridaconservation.org/whatsnew/06/northcentral/plantcitysuwannee.html I have lots of other stories from my days at the FWC but those will have to wait for later posts.