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After a string of injuries -- and one fatality-- officials say this is a record year for injuries to people caused by leaping sturgeons, WTSP reports.
"The fish jump up and it's like running into the brick wall," said Karen Parker of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "We had our first fatality and that was totally the most tragic thing I've ever encountered."
Five-year-old Jaylon Rippy was killed after being hit by a jumping gulf sturgeon while boating with her family over Fourth of July weekend. Her mother and 9-year-old brother also injured.
Dr. Ken Sulak told WTSP that when the river water gets low, the sturgeon congest in eight known areas, which leads to air collisions with boaters. The fish "need to come to the surface, take a mouthful of air, swallow that into their swim bladder and restore their buoyancy at depth," he said.
Parker said the state average for injuries started at a little more than four per year, but low levels in local rivers have caused a spike in recent years.
Read more at WTSP.
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