Jumping fish caused another boat of fishos to move locations on same day man was killed

ANOTHER group of fishos — on the water the same day a man tragically died after being hit by a fish — moved due to the amount of jumping mackerel

The man was fishing at Six Mile Reef in the mouth of the harbour – a popular spot for fishos to hook a fish – when he was fatally injured on Friday. Photo: The Sunday Mail

ANOTHER group of fishos out on the water the same day a 56-year-old man died after being hit by a fish packed in their trip due to the amount of jumping mackerel at the spot they were fishing at.

Amateur Fishermen’s Association of the Northern Territory chief executive David Ciaravolo said the man was fishing at Six Mile Reef in the mouth of the harbour – a popular spot for fishos to hook a fish when he was fatally injured on Friday.

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Six Mile Reef is a well known spot for targeting pelagic fish and reef fish.

Mr Ciaravolo said the group were fishing further offshore and made the decision to leave due to feeling unsafe as sharks were chasing mackerel, causing them to jump into the air.

Mr Ciaravolo said he was aware of a few occasions in the past few years in which people had been injured by jumping mackerel, including a woman who had her neck sliced open and a fisho in a remote area of the NT who was injured by a jumping mackerel.

AFANT chief executive David Ciaravolo said he was aware of a few occasions in the past few years in which people had been injured by jumping mackerel. Picture: Justin Kennedy

“It’s not unprecedented. It does happen occasionally. I’d say if you are going to be injured or tragically killed it does seem like a mackerel is the one to do it,” he said.

Mr Ciaravolo said the freak accident had been a sad tragedy. “People go out to enjoy the day and expect to come home and it’s sad news,” he said.

“Even though it does happen from time to time it’s not something you expect to happen.”

Top End fisho and National Australian Fishing Annual editor Alex Julius echoed Mr Ciaravolo’s comments on the likelihood the man was hit by a mackerel.

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He said the most common scenario for a Spanish mackerel to jump out of the air was to avoid a shark while hooked on a line.

“When you hook a mackerel there’s a lot of sharks in the water and a lot of sharks will chase the mackerel because it’s handicapped,” Mr Julius said.

He said mackerel also jumped out of the water while feeding on schools of fish.