ORLANDO, Fla. -- Boaters and other watercraft riders are being hit and injured by giant jumping sturgeons at record pace within a 40-mile stretch of water in Florida.

---

PHOTOS: Jumping Sturgeon Caught On Tape

---

"People and sturgeons are colliding," Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission official Karen Parker said.

Sturgeon, which is one of the oldest genera of fish in existence, have been leaping out of the water without warning and striking people.

"If it hits you, it is like being hit with a brick," boater Karen Parker said.

Within the last 24 months, wildlife experts have documented more than 12 random strikes within a 40-mile stretch from the Suwannee to Manatee Springs.

Allie Katrick, 14, of Brevard County, Fla., was recently on a jet ski with her friend Kori Snitker, when a sturgeon leaped in front of them. The sturgeon's thick armor-like skin sliced into her knee, requiring stitches.

The teens said they had a close call with a 200-pound sturgeon the day before the injury in an area where the fish were not expected to be.

"Even the locals were commenting they had not seen sturgeon that far north," a witness said.

"It's pretty random," Parker said. "I can't tell you where the next sturgeon is going to jump as you can attest to."

Sturgeon have been making leaps from the water for 195 million years.

The increase in the collisions with humans can't be explained, Local 6's Mike Holfeld reported.

Experts said they spawn in the Suwannee until mid September then head back to the Gulf of Mexico until next year.

Sturgeon, which can grow to be 8 feet long, are protected by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. They can't be caught for sport or harvested.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.