Fisherman Badly Injured After Being Bitten by Dogfish

The fisherman is recovering and plans to be back on water soon

A fisherman had to be rescued by the Coast Guard after being bitten on the arm by a dogfish off Cape Ann in Massachusetts on Tuesday morning.

The Coast Guard's Boston command center received a call from Roger Brisson, the captain of the 26-foot fishing boat Miss Molly around 10 a.m. saying he had been bitten by a dogfish while fishing alone.

Brisson, an expert fisherman with over 40 years experience, says he's used to catching all kinds of fish.

"I do cod, haddock, strip bass and blue fin tuna," said Brisson. "I also run charters in the summer."

But on Tuesday morning, Brisson hooked two dogfish which are small sharks that are abundant in New England waters.

"I was dealing with one of them and the other one twisted up around my arm," Brisson recalled." Before you know it, he stuck me real fast, went right inside my arm."

When his arm started to swell, he knew he needed help and called the Coast Guard.

A rescue boat crew from Gloucester and two Gloucester Fire emergency medical personnel launched to assist and arrived on scene at 10:45 a.m.

They took Brisson aboard and gave him medical treatment. He was then brought back to Gloucester where an awaiting ambulance took him to Cape Ann Medical Center.

Brisson says he is recovering well and plans to be back on the water Thursday.

Contact Us