A fishing boat captain has died in Hawaii after apparently being impaled by the bill of a swordfish.
Randy Llanes, 47, was killed while trying to catch the swordfish with a spear gun, according to the Hawaii Police Department.
Llanes, who runs a deep sea fishing charter, jumped in the water at Honokohau Harbor on the Big Island after spotting the broadbill swordfish on Friday.
After being hit with the spear that Llanes fired off, the fish "thrashed about, leaving a puncture wound to his upper chest," said Lt. William Souther from Hawaii Police.
Another official, acting Sgt. David Matsushima of the Kona Patrol, told CNN affiliate KHON that "the fish got wrapped around a mooring anchor, came back and swam at him."
Emergency crews attempted cardiopulmonary resuscitation but Llanes died at a hospital from trauma caused by a puncture wound from the swordfish.
The fish was about 6 feet long, half of which was its bill, and weighed about 18.10 kilogrammes.
Hawaii is a major source of the domestic swordfish catch in the United States, according to a seafood industry website.
The swordfish is considered swift and ferocious, with a reputation of using its long, distinctive bills to slash prey.
"They are very aggressive animals," West Hawaii Acting Battalion Chief John Whitman said.
"If you mess with them, they defend themselves pretty good," Whitman said.
