In Other News - giant Fish Attack Floridians

[Deeps]

Leaping Sturgeon Link

BRANFORD, Florida: "Lots of artillery out there," an old man hollered from the safety of the Suwannee River's edge, and he was right. The sturgeon were jumping high and fast, twisting their armored girth in midair and returning to the depths with a stunning splash.

On the water, there was reason to be anxious. Florida's season of "sturgeon strikes" - the law enforcement term for collisions between the state's largest freshwater fish and hapless boaters - was already well under way.

It may seem bizarre, but it is no joke. Leaping sturgeon have injured three people on the Suwannee so far this year, including a woman on a Jet Ski and a girl whose leg was shattered when one of the big fish jumped aboard her boat. Eight others were hit last year, and with traffic growing on the storied river, sturgeon are joining alligators and hurricanes on the list of things to dread in Florida.

cont'd

[paisley]

But with more people using the Suwannee, more farm waste flowing into it and urban regions eyeing it as a source of water, the sturgeon's future is uncertain, said Bill Pine, a fisheries professor at the University of Florida.

Pine would like to see speed limits on sections of river where sturgeon congregate. The state has imposed such limits along miles of "manatee protection zones," but with fierce objections from boaters who say the restriction spoils their fun.

fingers crossed more people get whacked by 200 lb. sturgeons while going 40 miles an hour

[Velvet]

Yes, that's the Suwannee River from the song. The musical notation is printed on the sign.

[timouse]

But with more people using the Suwannee, more farm waste flowing into it and urban regions eyeing it as a source of water, the sturgeon's future is uncertain, said Bill Pine, a fisheries professor at the University of Florida.

Pine would like to see speed limits on sections of river where sturgeon congregate. The state has imposed such limits along miles of "manatee protection zones," but with fierce objections from boaters who say the restriction spoils their fun.

fingers crossed more people get whacked by 200 lb. sturgeons while going 40 miles an hour

i hear that the sturgeon have resorted to activism in an attempt to save their manatee colleagues.

spoil their fun? and how much fun is it for a manatee to catch a prop in the back??

[AD]

the answer is none. none more fun.