A 100-pound sailfish jumped out of the water and stabbed a Maryland woman who was fishing with friends off the coast of Florida.
Katherine Perkins, 73, of Arnold, Maryland, was standing in a boat with two of her friends who were trying to reel in the fish when the attack occurred two miles off the coast of Stuart, Florida, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
Perkins told deputies the attack happened so fast that she did not have time to react, TC Palm reported citing the sheriff’s report. The 73-year-old received injuries to her groin area.
Louis Toth, 75, and Dominic Bellezza, 77, both of Stuart, applied pressure to the wound and brought her to shore, where she received treatment at the HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital.
It is unknown whether the boat’s occupants released or kept the fish.
“Sailfish are among the fastest fish species in the ocean and, like the swordfish, are recognizable by their extended, pointed bills,” according to the Associated Press.
The fish are generally released right after catching them, but Florida regulations allow anglers to take in “one per day with a minimum length of 63 inches,” TC Palm noted.
Sailfish can grow up to 11 feet and 220 pounds, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
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