The Flying Carp: Fear and Loathing in the U.S.

As something of a follow-up to last week’s mention of fishermen living dangerously, we note Lee Hill Cavanaugh’s piece for McClatchy in which he quotes a USGS biologist on the terrifying damage that can be caused by flying carp. “‘Someone could fall out and even be run over by his own boat. There are times when a fisherman doesn’t come home, and who knows what happened to him out there on the river?'”
Personally, I have been hit by a flying ray, a spinner shark, a squid (serious ink), innumerable leatherjackets, and a client’s sandwich that nearly knocked off my sunglasses. My own guess would be that far more lives are lost and limbs broken when insects land in the human eye and temporarily blind drivers, riders and those out for an evening stroll.
Be that as it may, we applaud the folks mentioned by Cavanaugh who are trying to figure out how to net silver carp, and the Louisiana State University students who have created the YouTube videos “Flying Fish, Great Dish.”