Sailfish Stabs Maryland Woman Off Florida Coast: Reports

ST. LUCIE INLET, FL — A 73-year-old woman from Maryland was stabbed by a 100-pound sailfish last week while on a fishing expedition off the Florida coast, according to multiple reports.

The woman, identified as Katherine Perkins from Arnold, Maryland, was standing near the center console when the sailfish, which was on the line of another person on the boat, charged and jumped into the boat, stabbing her in the groin.

The incident occurred about two miles off the Florida coast from the St. Lucie Inlet.

Two men applied pressure to the wound before meeting officers at Sandsprit Park in Stuart. Perkins was taken to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce, where she is in good condition, according to CNN.

Sailfish, which get their name from their dorsal fin, are the fastest fish in the ocean, reaching up to 68 mph. They are members of the marlin family and are also notable by their long, pronounced bills. Sailfish can grow up to 11 feet and weigh up to 220 pounds, according to National Geographic.