Shark Attack May Have Been Mackerel

[not.a.sock.puppet]

No messin with them mackerels, ay!

A 10-YEAR-OLD girl injured in what was thought to be a shark attack may have been bitten by a mackerel.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/breaking-news/shark-bites-10-year-old-girl-in-nsw/story-fnihsfrf-...

The girl suffered "very minor injuries" to her hand when she was bitten on Tuesday afternoon while swimming off the main beach at Lennox Head, a spokeswoman at Lismore Base hospital told AAP.

Initially it was believed she had been attacked by a shark. But authorities say they aren't sure what is responsible for the injuries.

"They don't know if that's actually correct," the spokeswoman said of the shark attack theory.

Georgia Laddin, from the Lennox Head girls surfriders told News Corp Australia it wasn't a shark.

"It was a mackerel. She's been bitten by a fish," she said.

"She's fine, she's OK. She's one of the local girls who surfs down there."

A police spokeswoman told News Corp Australia the girl's thumb was scratched.

No further detail was available and the girl's family don't want to speak to media.

[not.a.sock.puppet]

[cherry*135]

Georgia Laddin, from the Lennox Head girls surfriders told News Corp Australia it wasn't a shark.

[joz*garage]

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@not.a.sock.puppet wrote:

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@joz*garage wrote:

wouldnt dream of swimmin' around there with no togs on hey mate?

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they reckon them mackrels go for little wrigglers mate ay!

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yea they sure do, and those beach currents would make it wiggle a bit too hey?!

[jimmy*part4]

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@am*3 wrote:
" A police spokeswoman told News Corp Australia the girl's thumb was scratched."

A no news news story. I can't believe any media outlet even bothered to publish that.

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The story made the "Weird but true" column in the New York Post yesterday.

[colic2bullsgirlore]

No messing with the mackerels.... and no eating the big Mackerels.... (over 10kgs)

My neighbor is a Pro fisherman and he has not sold one since this little bellyache

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-04/nine-victims-of-ciguatera-poisoning-from-fish-caught-off-scott...

Nine victims of Ciguatera poisoning from fish caught off Scotts Head

Updated Tue 4 Mar 2014, 11:15am AEDT

Photo: Sal Bartley (l) and Elliot Joyce (r), at Scott's Head boat ramp, Sunday March 2, 2014 Sal lan...

Map: Scotts Head 2447

A 25 kilo Spanish Mackerel caught off the mid north coast over the weekend sent nine people to hospital with Ciguatera poisoning.

The fish was caught near Scotts Head, south of Macksville mid morning on Sunday.

One of the fishermen Peter Joyce said he and the boy who caught the mackerel cleaned it and divided it up.

He said the fish was shared with family and friends, and those who ate it were then rushed to hospital early yesterday morning.

About six hours after eating the fish they nearly all landed in hospital

Peter Joyce, Scotts Head fisherman

"The people that are in hospital suffered from like tingling all across the body, cold water feeling giving them a hot sensation, vomiting, diarrheal and extreme lethargy. they were as 'weak as kittens' as one of the patients put it"

"About six hours after eating the fish they nearly all landed in hospital."

"Public health have been on the job and in NSW they recommend that you don't consume oceanic pelagic from warm

water."

"So you're talking about Mackerel, Mahi Mahi, Sailfish, Marlin, those kinds of fish that frequent the warm climates."

An irony was the fishermans family had not yet eaten the fish, had given most of it away to "friends" and were planning to eat it the next evening....