surfers injured by bluefish

[stripercrazy]

Boy that's gotta be some experience, you start out surfing and end up with a bloody toe.:scared:

http://www.27east.com/story_detail.cfm?id=224487&town=Sagaponack&n=Thousands%20of%20bunker%20chased%20ashore%20in%2 0Sagaponack


Thousands of bunker chased ashore in Sagaponack


Jul 23, 09 4:41 PM
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Thousands of bunker, a small fish related to the herring, were stranded and died on the sand at Sagg Main Beach in Sagaponack on Thursday morning, likely chased onto land by larger predator fish.

The bunker, also known as menhaden or mossbunker, were about 12 to 15 inches long. They are one of the staple baitfish for gamefish like striped bass, bluefish and bluefin tuna.
Bunker migrate along the northeast coast throughout the year, spawning several times in coastal bays and harbors. They are harvested by the millions for use in fish meal and fish oil dietary supplements.

[stripercrazy]

I'm wondering if they got bit by bluefish or if a shark was in the mix.:huh:
http://www.27east.com/story_detail.cfm?id=224532&town=Sagaponack



Surfers injured by feeding bluefish at Sagg

By Michael Wright (http://javascript<b></b>:{}) Jul 29, 09 1:06 PM


http://www.27east.com/articleimages/IMG00051.JPG The bluefish bite on Richard Spettell's foot required stitches.

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Thousands of bunker chased ashore in Sagaponack (http://www.27east.com/story_detail.cfm?id=224487&town=Sagaponack)
Jul 23, 09 4:41 PM
Massive fish kill near Flanders Bay caused by lack of oxygen (http://www.27east.com/story_detail.cfm?id=142539&town=Sagaponack)
May 9, 08 12:50 PM

At least two surfers were taken to Southampton Hospital on Friday afternoon with severe bites to their feet, and several other people in the water at a Sagaponack beach suffered less serious bites to their feet and hands from bluefish that were feeding on a large school of baitfish pushed toward shore by storms.
At least one surfer in Southampton Village also suffered a bluefish bite on Friday.
Witnesses said that a teenaged surfer at Sagg Main Beach was bleeding heavily from his foot when he came out of the water and may have lost a toe 
as a result of the fish bites. He was taken by Bridgehampton Fire Department ambulance to Southampton Hospital.
“There was a lot of blood,” said surfer Zachary Ducak, who saw medical personnel tending to the surfer at Sagg Main. “They had it wrapped up very heavily. He must have gotten chewed up really bad.”
Mr. Ducak said that he and other surfers saw bluefish swimming around them throughout the day. “I saw a couple that were big,” he said, spreading his arms nearly 3 feet apart. “There was a couple times where I was, like, ‘Is that a shark or a bluefish?’”
At about 3 p.m., lifeguards ordered all swimmers to remain inside the surf break to stay clear of the marauding bluefish, according to Southampton Town Department of Parks Superintendent Allyn Jackson.
Another man, who was body surfing near Road D in Southampton Village, was also taken to the hospital after being bitten in the surf.
“I’m in the water, and I felt something hit me in the side, and you always think of a shark or whatever, so I got out right away,” said Richard Spettell. “A woman said she’d seen fish splashing, and I figured it was bluefish and striped bass, so I got back in—and, all of a sudden, I felt something bite my foot. That was scary.”
Mr. Spettell suffered two semi-circular bite wounds to his foot and was taken to Southampton Hospital, where, he said, he was in the ER next to the surfer bitten at Sagg Main. He said doctors thought the other man’s bite wound would probably require surgery. “His foot was really ripped up,” Mr. Spettell said.
Bluefish biting surfers or swimmers is not unheard of. Ocean beach lifeguards frequently have to order swimmers out of the water as churning schools of bluefish move down a beach but he fish are usually small, plainly visible and move through a given area quickly. Friday’s events were odd because the fish were not readily visible, remained in the area for most of the day, and were very large—between 10 and 15 pounds, according to fishermen who caught them.
“It was unusual,” Mr. Jackson said. “Every once in a while you get an incident of a bluefish bite, but in my experience we’ve never had something like this, with multiple bites on the same day.”
The bluefish were apparently attracted to the beaches in large numbers by schools of bunker, a common prey species of fish. An adult bunker is yellowish in color and about the same size as a human foot. Bunker normally spend their summers in coastal bays, but they have been spotted off ocean beaches in large schools along the South Fork this summer.
During Thursday’s strong storms, thousands of bunker died after being chased out of the water by the hungry bluefish at Sagg Main. The dead bunker washing back into the sea with the next tide cycle or possibly remaining schools of the fish kept the bluefish in the area until Friday.
Thursday’s storms also kicked up high waves, attracting more than 100 surfers to the waters off Sagg Main starting early Friday morning.

[blitzhunter]

Peopel don't think being in the water in a bluefish blitz is a big deal. Any time they say that to me, I tell them to rub bunker on your hand and stick it in the middle of the blitz. Then let's see how tough you are.:moon:

[crosseyedbass]

I'm wondering if they got bit by bluefish or if a shark was in the mix.:huh:

http://www.27east.com/articleimages/IMG00051.JPG The bluefish bite on Richard Spettell's foot required stitches.

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IMG00051.JPG (http://www.27east.com/articleimages/IMG00051.JPG)0724091723.JPG (http://www.27east.com/articleimages/0724091723.JPG)


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I dunno there have been some monster bluefish around lately in the area. I think if a shark bit him it would have come clean off, and the chunk would be bigger. My .02.

[strikezone31]

I'm wondering if they got bit by bluefish or if a shark was in the mix.:huh:
http://www.27east.com/story_detail.cfm?id=224532&town=Sagaponack




Mr. Spettell suffered two semi-circular bite wounds to his foot and was taken to Southampton Hospital, where, he said, he was in the ER next to the surfer bitten at Sagg Main. He said doctors thought the other man’s bite wound would probably require surgery. “His foot was really ripped up,” Mr. Spettell said.
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Seems like that guy Spettell got bit by a bluefish. The other guy, I don't believe bluefish teeth could almost rip a toe off, though they wounds might be pretty deep. I say it could have been a shark, as well.