07-22-2004, 03:54 PM
Man on charter fishing boat gets bitten by barracuda
The Associated Press - TYBEE ISLAND, Ga.
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A 65-year-old man on a fishing trip along the Georgia coast was injured Wednesday when a 30-pound barracuda jumped into his boat.
Ziggy Zablotny was aboard a charter fishing boat about three miles off Tybee Island when the fish bit him, according to the Coast Guard.
"They were fishing for Spanish mackerel and had stopped the boat to re-adjust the lines when this fish jumped over 30 feet from the water into the salon and hit this guy in the hand," said Judy Helmey, owner of Miss Judy Charters. "It broke his hand and cut his finger really badly."
One of the adults on board contacted the Coast Guard and reported that Zablotny was bleeding heavily as a result of the bite. Zablotny was taken by ambulance to Memorial Health University Medical Center.
"We see them jumping all the time, but you never see them jump straight into the boat," Helmey said. "It didn't have a hook in it or anything pulling it in. He was sailing like he had wings."
Peter Fischel, a marine biologist at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, said that barracudas are not usually aggressive toward humans.
"It's quite a myth that they go out and attack people," Fischel said. "Generally, it's a mistake by the fish when they bite someone."[/size][/#000000][/font]
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The Associated Press - TYBEE ISLAND, Ga.
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A 65-year-old man on a fishing trip along the Georgia coast was injured Wednesday when a 30-pound barracuda jumped into his boat.
Ziggy Zablotny was aboard a charter fishing boat about three miles off Tybee Island when the fish bit him, according to the Coast Guard.
"They were fishing for Spanish mackerel and had stopped the boat to re-adjust the lines when this fish jumped over 30 feet from the water into the salon and hit this guy in the hand," said Judy Helmey, owner of Miss Judy Charters. "It broke his hand and cut his finger really badly."
One of the adults on board contacted the Coast Guard and reported that Zablotny was bleeding heavily as a result of the bite. Zablotny was taken by ambulance to Memorial Health University Medical Center.
"We see them jumping all the time, but you never see them jump straight into the boat," Helmey said. "It didn't have a hook in it or anything pulling it in. He was sailing like he had wings."
Peter Fischel, a marine biologist at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, said that barracudas are not usually aggressive toward humans.
"It's quite a myth that they go out and attack people," Fischel said. "Generally, it's a mistake by the fish when they bite someone."[/size][/#000000][/font]
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