350-pound Blue Marlin Leaps on Boat, Nearly Impales Fisherman [VIDEO]

A group of Florida fishermen experienced a close call while fishing off the coast of the Dominican Republic when a 350-pound blue marlin leapt onto their aptly named boat the Marlin Darlin, nearly impaling one of them.

The video of the event, which has garnered more than 400,000 views on YouTube, depicts the massive fish jumping aboard, knocking one of the men to the ground, and then proceeding to thrash about as the fishermen join together to hold the creature down.

According to CNN, the fishermen said they had planned on releasing it back into the water but were unable to do so after it died due to "self-sustained" injuries, instead handing it over to local fishermen.

According to National Geographic, the blue marlin is one of the largest fish in the world. Female marlins, which are larger than the males, can reach as many as 14 feet and weigh nearly 2,000 pounds. The average size, however, tends fall around 11 feet and between 200 to 400 pounds.

Blue marlins are blue-water fish, meaning they spend most of their lives far out at sea, preferring the higher temperatures offered by surface waters. They feed on mackerel and tuna, though they are known to dive deep to get a taste of squid from time to time.

As one of the fastest fish in the ocean, they use their spears to cut through schools of fish, returning to eat the stunned and wounded.

Blue marlins are known to fight back once hooked, and while they are not currently endangered, conservationists have raised concerns that they are being overfished for their meat, which is considered a delicacy by some.