A 100-pound sailfish leaped out of the water and stabbed a 73-year-old woman in the crotch while fishing with her two other companions off the Florida coast.
The Martin County Sheriff's Office reported that Katherine Perkins, 73, of Arnold, Maryland, was evacuated to a hospital after the boat reached land in Stuart, Florida, Tuesday.
She was attacked while standing in a boat with her two friends while trying to catch the fish on a fishing line so they could snap a picture.
A Somali fisherman carries a sailfish on his head to the Hamarweyne fish market near the port in Mogadishu, Somalia, on January, 5, 2018.
Sailfish Hits Old Woman's Groin While Fishing
An angler on board the boat captured the sailfish through a fishing line around two miles offshore near the mentioned Florida city on Tuesday, July 19, when the unusual fish assault occurred.
Louis Toth, 75, and Dominic Bellezza, 77, accompanied Perkins when Toth caught the 100-pound sailfish, Washington Post reported.
The sailfish "began to charge at the boat" as Toth attempted to reel it in and sprang out of the water, stabbing Perkins in the groin as she stood close to the boat's center console.
According to NBC News, Katherine Perkins informed the police that the assault happened so quickly that she did not have time to respond.
When Toth and Bellezza returned to land, the police claim that they "immediately put pressure on the wound."
Perkins was the only person from the event who was reportedly hurt, and she was brought to the HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital.
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Sailfish: Characteristics, Conservation Status
The long, pointed bills of sailfish, like those of swordfish, make them one of the fastest fish species in the water.
They are "known for their fast runs, acrobatic jumps, and head-shaking attempts to throw a hook," according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Although most anglers release the fish when they catch them, most giant sailfish ever taken in the state weighed 126 pounds.
According to National Geographic, sailfish are the sea's fastest fish and can reach speeds of 68 miles per hour.
Oceana mentioned that the most giant sailfish ever captured was 11.2 feet long and weighed 220.5 pounds. They like to stay close to the ocean's surface, although they may dive as deep as 1,150 feet to collect food.
Per the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the sailfish species was designated as "vulnerable" in 2021 by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN).
According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, no commercial US-flagged ships are permitted to buy, sell, or keep Atlantic billfish, which includes sailfish.
Despite the ban, recreational fishers can still capture sailfish in federal waters, but only with permission from NOAA Fisheries and under different state laws.
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