Dangers of Oregon Diving

[BLT]

Beware of Nutria Hunters!
Remember the "good old days" when all you had to worry about was whether your J valve was in the right position?

seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003564471_webshot09.html


Ore. snorkeler shooter says he thought man was a nutria

By The Associated Press

REEDSPORT, Ore. — The man accused of shooting a snorkeler in the head told investigators that he mistook the swimmer for a large, water-dwelling rodent, the authorities said.

William Roderick, 60, of Reedsport was arraigned Thursday in Douglas County Circuit Court on assault and other charges. The victim, John Chessman, 44, of Marcola, remained in serious condition at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital in Portland.

Roderick told detectives he saw what he believed to be a nutria swimming in the Smith River. He said he grabbed a rifle and shot at the rodent from a deck overlooking the water, sheriff's spokesman Dwes Hutson said.

After realizing that Chessman was not a nutria, Roderick helped pulled him from the water. Hutson said Chessman was conscious after the shooting.

[shackle]

Hey John, You better be pulling a Diver Down flag behind you in those rivers up there.

[SeaRat]

Wow, this is a first, I think. This guy must be kinda unconscious to shoot a snorkeler, thinking he was a nutria. I don't think that pulling a diver's flag would help that fellow--if he cannot identify and distinguish a nutria from a diver, he should not have a gun. Hopefully, this guy will be charged for reckless endangerment, if nothing else. Something is really "fishy" here.

John

[scubadiverbob]

Ok ... fill me in ... what's a "nutria"? Do nutrias attack divers in the rivers there?

[shackle]

Sort of a giant aquatic rat like varmit.

[SeaRat]

I have been posting on this incident on the ScubaBoard:

www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=177160

On page 12 of this thread, I've entered some links to what a nutria is, and why they are here.

I have never been "attacked" by a nutria, and I've been in the water with them. But they are a problem, and there is a bounty on them. Trappers and others can get up to $8 each for them, I believe, through the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

John Cheesman is doing pretty well, all things considered, at Oregon Health and Sciences University after some extensive surgeries to put his jaw and skull back together. He had no brain injury, but may have hearing loss in his right ear.

There is simply no excuse for what happened to him, and I hope the authorities hit this guy with jail time for what he did.

John

[JES]

Here's a link to website that contains everything you ever wanted to know about nutria but were afraid to ask: www.nutria.com/site.php