 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Floridians
and wannabees
06/15/07 - Most boaters think of flying fish as those graceful three or
four-ounce creatures that can skim the surface of the water for a
hundred feet or so, and occasionally even land on board. But a new
species is joining the flying fish category, the giant Gulf sturgeon.
The sturgeon isn't actually a new species, it dates back 200 million
years or so. It has rock-hard armor plating (that might have been
useful to fend off dinosaur attacks) and can grow as long as eight
feet with a weight of 200 pounds.
This year, the sturgeon have been jumping in the Suwannee River
and other areas. That's not a problem unless a boater is going by at
the same time, and the fish and the boater try to share the same
space. When this happens, it's the boater who usually loses.
Various injuries, from being knocked overboard to broken ribs and
amputated fingers have resulted from these encounters. A
speeding boater running into one of these armor-plated fish is
essentially hitting a block of concrete, with comparable results.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission's Major Bruce Hamlin
explained "These fish don't mean any harm - it's not an attack so
much as a collision. At times they are jumping quite frequently and
with the low water conditions, people in boats are more confined
and the fish are more confined on the same pathways."
four-ounce creatures that can skim the surface of the water for a
hundred feet or so, and occasionally even land on board. But a new
species is joining the flying fish category, the giant Gulf sturgeon.
The sturgeon isn't actually a new species, it dates back 200 million
years or so. It has rock-hard armor plating (that might have been
useful to fend off dinosaur attacks) and can grow as long as eight
feet with a weight of 200 pounds.
This year, the sturgeon have been jumping in the Suwannee River
and other areas. That's not a problem unless a boater is going by at
the same time, and the fish and the boater try to share the same
space. When this happens, it's the boater who usually loses.
Various injuries, from being knocked overboard to broken ribs and
amputated fingers have resulted from these encounters. A
speeding boater running into one of these armor-plated fish is
essentially hitting a block of concrete, with comparable results.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission's Major Bruce Hamlin
explained "These fish don't mean any harm - it's not an attack so
much as a collision. At times they are jumping quite frequently and
with the low water conditions, people in boats are more confined
and the fish are more confined on the same pathways."