Monday, July 4, 2011

Oh Carp! Now the Sturgeons are getting into “Carpe Diem!”


Let’s cut to the core, the Suwannee River has all the trappings you need to make your scene and never leave— hot bass pools, a clothing-optional inlet, slatted cabanas on the banks, cicadas serenading, sparsely attired bright young things, a cooler filled with mojitos.

Your headquarters for this 4th of July trip will be either a boating-up this lazy river (pack at least three inner tubes) or a trip to the ER.

Oh Carp! The sturgeons are taking up the sport of “Flying!”

We know, turn down the Michael Bolton playing for a moment and listen…

Just imagine a gulf sturgeon growing up to 8 feet long and weighing up to 200 pounds, leaping out of the water to smack you. It’s a nightmare.

"Carpe Diem" - Sturgeon seizing the day!
"They're really bony, hard fish," explains Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Officer Dorvan Daniel "It's like an alligator on the outside of their skin. They're really almost as hard as a rock."

As the Fourth of July approaches, public services announcements warn of firework and campfire dangers, but near the Suwannee River in Northwest Florida the message to the public is: Beware of flying fish.

"We don't want to scare anyone off the river," says Karen Parker, FWC spokesperson, "but we do want to make people aware that these fish they do jump and people have gotten injured by them." Click here to read more.

No comments:

Post a Comment