Big Mako Shark
Imagine for a second your standing up to your nipples in the surf with a fishing rod above your head. Attached to the fishing line you have a big fat hunk of fish dripping blood into the water. As you make your cast you're just praying that you make it back to the sand before something severs you in half.
Now imagine battling for over an hour to get this man eater in water shallow enough to grab him by the tail. It's not easy work and it's not for the faint of heart. Sharks are powerful and can turn in an instant. They are flexible enough to bite their own tail, therefore getting a rope on his tail requires a chicken bag sized proportionally to the shark you've managed to hook. Here's what you might see if you pull a pissed off Mako Shark onto the sand.
Sharks pulled onto the beach are only there long enough to snap a picture and retrieve the hook. This mako shark was around 9' and was caught by Oz who is the webmaster of Extreme Coast.
If you're planning a beach vacation this year why not try to hook one of these monsters? I've provided a Shark Fishing Guide to get you going in the right direction.
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Treehuggers, naturelovers etc. If you don’t understand the concept of catch and release, perhaps learn a little about it before commenting. catch and release of sharks and various other fish species has been the single most significant way of actually taking stock of how badly sharks are being over fished by commercial longliners. By tagging this mako for example valuable information is gathered the next time it is caught or even seen.
South Africa have been able to try and stop overfishing by commercial trawlers etc, purely because the recreational fisherman has been able to provide them with hundreds of “volunteer” “amateur” scientists out there tagging fish and gathering data.
It’s called eco-tourism, and it’s nature’s only hope.
Cheers.
@Marthin :
“catch and release”, This is simply nonsense and it has no credible basis in ecology.
You are trying to make me believe that if you want to tag a mako you must catch him?
Let me laugh! Every-body know that it’s better with a special speargun, this option is less stressful for the animal, you don’t need to catch him. It take 2 seconds. “imagine battling for over an hour to get this man eater in water shallow enough to grab him by the tail.”
Hooks inflicted extremely serious wounds; they are able to kill or maim for life; injuries had grave consequences on the animal rest of life.
thank you for helping nature, but I’m sure sharks prefer you leave them swimming alone.
“Here’s what you might see if you pull a pissed off Mako Shark onto the sand.” What’s the need to do that? You can’t be serious.
Your advocacy to the “catch and release” need to be revised..
To finish, It’s not eco-tourism, It’s a pretext to practice an immorality entertainment.
Don’t try to make us believe your propaganda.
An incredulous Treehugger and naturelover
Are you really that dumb? Compared to Great Whites, Mako is not possible to attract slowly to an under water cage(for example) to manage to use an harpoon in a safe way for the human because a Mako would only come close to attack and very viciously at that unlike Great Whites that come closely in a very slow way to first investigate and touch before it would attack. Makos are extremely more unreliable then Great Whites so to take chances with an harpoon against a Mako at a close range is very stupid as you risk shooting it in places other then the fin!
And first of you need to even get close to one yet alone have it in a non moving position and how do you suppose that would happen if not catching it first?
You think but you are thinking wrong, catch and release is the best way for everyone to do there part in protecting species and also learn more about them.
What I like about tree-huggers, environmentalists, biologists, etc.. is when they try to sound so intelligent that the dumb*** never takes the time read what they write before posting. With a proud sense of egotistical bs, they feel as if they have actually accomplished something other than making themselves look like an idiot. Maybe english should have received a larger devotion of your attention than worrying about fish that are caught and then released back into their habitat to go with their lives. Of course that isn’t very nice, oh my gosh, you hurt the fishes feelings because you hooked it and then tagged it. As if the fish isn’t going to be pissed just by shooting it with a speargun. What’s going to happen when you miss “Commando”? No doubt you are a friggin sniper with that special speargun, don’t try to sound so righteous. Jack***!
You call us treehuggers, naturelovers,etc…
Well i call you cruel and inhumane.
To bait and hook an animal merely for your enjoyment is wrong. You are an ass.
Sorry R. McCarthy but you kill animals and also tribes around the world perticularly in the Amazon just by sitting on the computer, switching the light switch, every time you buy a can of what ever, every time you use a piece of paper and a pen etc etc etc so what does that make you?
Problem with people like you is that you only think about what you want to think about to make you happy but others live in the real world and see and know what all have for consequences.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m an animal and nature person but I’m not living in a fantasy world.
Are you freaken kidding me? Thats like saying, if you were a chicken how would you like it if i came and killed you. I guess you dint know that the vast majority of sharks caught are release or eaten. Some of the released ones are tagged and help manage the species.
While i agree that animul luver was a little rash in his or her post, we are all entitled to our opinions, and this is mine. I still feel this is wrong IF the animal is eaten. Most sharks are endangered, and in my opinion endangered animals should not be eaten. Sooo, end of story there. I’m also not a HUGE fan of torturing it just for the sake of a good time and a good brag even if you are going to release it. The mention of blood makes me doubt this was done in a great and awesomely humane way. But, if someone such as a marine biologist captures and releases the shark in a humane way so they can tag the species I’m all for that.
And geez people (talking to fellow “tree huggers”) how about we ditch the anger and do the research before responding to this?
No reply! You are an idiot! You are more than welcome to come into my house and try to hook me if you like. Unlike people like you, I have a answer for your hook! I like how you say “I’m gonna kill u one day!” I have the most unfortunate “privilege” of working with d**che-bags like you. And all of you are the same…..spineless! Don’t worry Jared, I promise you this idiot won’t do anything even if you begged for them too. The problem with people like this moron, is they are wasting perfectly good oxygen and resources that could go to a much better cause!
damn, how many tree huggers are there. Look, we didnt get to the top of the food chain to eat rabbit food. Kill the sharks eat them. If you dont eat them then release them. Its not a big deal if you catch one and toss it back in the ocean. Whats wrong is gutting it and leaving it to rot. Even if you do this seagulls and crabs would probably eat the shark anyway so stop your whining and get real
i can agree with you however we do need to preserve our earths oceans because there in alot of trouble from over fishing i always practice catch and release now im not saying we need to be eatin rabbit food (maybe rabbits as food) however we need to learn to conserve for future generations to enjoy this sport
If the foto is a montage or not, doesn’t matter. It shows a very wrong understanding of submarine wildlife and an anachronisim in the way of respecting natures wildlife.
Is there anybody really thinking this crap of shark-killings is time-sensitive?
For me, such shark-killers are dirt-pussies and brainless douchebags.
IF guys, like little Oz-Desparado, would really have had guts and sense, he would present life-scuba-fotos of Mako’s in it’s habitat.
But guys like Oz, and in my opinion, are just a coward shark-lifters and as brainless as the rest of so called ‘big game hobby-killers’.
What a shame for modern human beeings, and in a world of harsh shrinking biodiversity!
Damn you!
no my friend you are the dirty pussy this is a sport the sharks are not harmed in any way shape or form unless taken home to eat. and you realy cant get on my back about it cus ive done both. so dont even try to go there and plus this is acctualy good for our understanding of how healthy a submarine echosystem is so shut your mouth until you learn the facts
HAHA, “beeings” huh! stop fu***ng your cat and use spell check you dumb***!
Mario you are a flaming douch- I have fished since I was a boy and have always eaten or released whatever I caught and will continue too. Although, It’s pathetic comments like yours which keep me interested in blogs and listening to sorry pukes like yourself rage out uncontrollably in stupidity is fantastic. Keep on splattering your crap comments cause I think us sane people get a kick out of it!
Wow. Just wow.
Seeing as I’ve taken a course in college that specializes in ecosystems, biodiversity, and health, I think I have a fair understanding of what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s harmless.
Marthin’s absolutely right. Catch and release has actually saved and protected quite a significant number of wildlife (marine and land based) by keeping track of numbers each year. For example, you catch 100 animals of each endangered or approaching endangered species in a set area, you count how many have tags each year, how many do not, and over a set amount of time and make scientific reports stating if the population’s gone down or if it’s risen. Actions can be taken accordingly. Yes, it isn’t the most accurate method because there’s no guarantee it’ll be the same 100 animals, or if you’ll catch enough to fill whatever quota you set (I said 100 and once a year as a basic example), but it’s the best thing that we have that doesn’t harm the animals.
A few minutes of trauma isn’t a huge deal, unlike human beings, sharks and other fish won’t remember the experience for very long in any case. They lack the ability to remember much outside of instinct.
I’m just as concerned about the environment as the next guy, but let’s be reasonable. Human beings eat meat and vegetables. We need nutrition from both to remain healthy, and I’m not going to eat a chemical additive that replicates the protein and other nutrients I need from meat because there’s no guarantee it won’t have long term affects on my health.
What I do think is wrong is unscientifically regulated harvesting of wild animals on the large scale for consumption, like fish trawling. Case in point, look at Cape Cod off of Newfoundland. Used to be so abundant with cod you could literally scoop a net in there, and every time, catch something. Now, it’s been fished to a dangerous level where animals have to compete for the cod and screwing up the natural balance of things.
The point being, it’s not impossible to live in harmony with the world, we just have to make some life style choices and not support things that involve mass harvesting for the sake of having anything left. It’s not like cattle and chickens where they’re bread for that purpose and have no place in the natural ecosystem, even one animal missing can seriously affect several dozen others. For example, say if bees disappeared, flowers wouldn’t be pollinated, thus they can’t reproduce, and animals depending on their nectar die out in the area, the birds can’t eat those bugs, so on so forth.
So, by all means, catch and release is good, fishing and hunting is harmless and in some cases, crucial to the economy, people just need to realize that if you over indulge and wipe out pockets of wildlife because of demand, you won’t have what you enjoyed any longer and likely be in seriously short supply of something else that also depended on it.
So, I think this is an incredible image and kudos to all parties involved!
Well Said. If addaptation is true, animals will find a way around these problems.Just like in the past, some make it, some do not but here we all are. World wide stuff has happened in the past, why do people think that the future will be any different. Then its just Gilligan’s Island all over again. Nice shark pic by the way.
Oz is one of the best shark fishermen on the Texas Gulf Coast (I am from Corpus Christi same as Oz). I know there are those out there that don’t believe in catching sharks for recreation period but Oz is a fierce protector of the resource and strictly practices catch and release and in the rare occasion that a shark cannot be revived and released it is not wasted. The pictures are real, he is one of the few to catch a mako from Padre Island (they follow schools of migrating cobia that come close to shore at a certain time of year). It was caught on a rod and reel, fought and landed with a tail rope once close to the beach. The pics aren’t fake. And for those out there saying he should confront the shark in it’s own element…he does. You can’t pull a shark that big in much past about 3-4 ft deep and you have to go in after them with the rope. Very dangerous (Oz has needed stitches from landing sharks) and it would be much safer and easier to just kill the shark with no risk but he goes the extra mile to make sure the shark is free to live on and suffers as little impact and harm as possible. So say what you will but if you really want to save the sharks as Oz and I do myself (I also shark fish), go after the foreigners/commercial fishermen who are taking them en mass for a profit. We do this because we enjoy it and we respect the wildlife and admire their majestic beauty. Without it we loose a part of us.
I never fail to understand how myopic and ignorant the average American is. I`m talking about the tree huggers, not the fisherman.
Nice catch.
All you greenies have no idea how much time and effort that guy probably had to go through to catch that beast. For most, a catch like that is once in a life time, also FISH CAN’T FEEL PAIN! No cortex = no pain. I’m against whaling, but that’s because they feel pain. I like to fish though, but if I knew fish felt genuine pain then I wouldn’t do it. I respect the fish I catch, and release most of them. This fish wouldn’t enjoy the ordeal but it’d get over it pretty quickly.
Complain to the commercial fishermen who take far more than recreational fishermen. Also illegal shark finning operations, that stuff shits me.
This guy has done nothing wrong and should be congratulated on not only catching this monster (which is no easy feat!) but also releasing it.
i am what you call a “greenie” and i agree with most of what you said except that sharks do feel pain,however they have no nerves in their mouth so hooks don’t hurt them. i am a fisherman who catches sharks too so i underderstand what a great catch that is. i always practice catch and release because shark populations are declining too rapidly (even though it is because of comercial fishermen). as a texas fisherman i respect oz because he is a good fisherman. as an enviormentalist or a “greenie” i have a greater deal of respect for oz because many shark fishermen now practice catch and release because of him and in that way, oz has probably saved hundreds maybe thousands of sharks. anyways, please don’t hate greenies just because they want to protect defensless animals.
Defenseless? Good one.
It’s incorrect to say that fish dont feel pain because they lack a cortex, because recent studies have found that other regions of the brain are capable of doing the same thing. The scientific evidence now shows pretty convincingly that fish feel pain. For instance, there are a bunch of research papers which have been published in the last decade which conclude that fish experience pain (e.g. Sneddon et al. 2003, Sneddon 2003, Braithwaite & Huntingford 2004, Braithwaite 2006), Chandaroo et al 2004, Ashley 2008, and Sneddon 2009), but the only papers published which claim fish don’t feel pain are those of one guy who, unfortunately, the fishing community loves to quote (Professor Rose).
Nice fish and a great picture.
I love to fish for shark. They taste Great!
great picture
oh my god you people are crazy.
1. it is obviously a fake.
2. what is all this macho crappolla of hunting big animals? you are just bullies. get a life!
I actually know the guy in the photo, I went to college with him. That photo is real. I’m a pretty competent photoshop user. If it is fake someone tell me what is fake about it, where are the shadows off, etc. etc.
Don’t worry Lewis! Bbc is an idiot!
No, it appears fake, because, the shark’s head is the only thing there is. How can you take out the hook and release it, if you decapitated it ? The guy is standing in the surf, facing a shark head for some reason. obviously the rest of the body isn’t there.
Ummm what do you mean decapitated and the body isn’t there… The body is there! You guys are some nutters on here seriously. I love animals and you know what? I eat meat. Most people eat meat… where the heck do you think your meat comes from? Specially steak… do you know how they kill Cows? People make no sense to me whatsoever. Most are just a bunch of hypocrits…Like vegetarians that say they won’t eat meat because it’s cruel to kill an animal for food but they wear leather boots and Jackets… where the heck do they think the leather comes from they are wearing. Last night I did have a mako shark steak for dinner. The meat to me was too tender in my opinion I didn’t like the texture but the flavor was good. I probably won’t have it again because of the texture but you know what? If I loved it all the way I would eat it again because food is a necessity and it was in the seafood section of the grocery store.
I don’t agree with “overfishing” I do think we need better laws and enforcement of them because we are actually damaging the eco system of the oceans by overfishing. I think I read an article that one of the reasons that jellyfish are getting so high in numbers is because of this. But remember people need to eat too and that it is hard for officials to enforce all the time because the ocean is a pretty big place. Shark fins.. I won’t eat them there are too many fisherman out there that cut the fins off then throw the shark back in the water to die a slow death. But I see nothing wrong within reason to fish for food even if that fish is a shark. I don’t think it’s ok to kill Dolphins for food they are too intelligent same with whales.
In general I think humans as a whole are like parasites(I don’t mean all people just generalizing) many waste things, they kill things that bother them or become pests to them not thinking about the consequences of their actions all living creatures are part of a balance for the world as a whole. Humans muck with nature’s creations then make something that is dangerous for the ecology. They litter… But for crying out loud don’t sit here and go off on something like this. Don’t go off on all fisherman… get mad at people that shark fin and dump the sharks, get mad at poachers, get mad at the people that use unethical means to capture dolphins and either sell them for food or sell them to sea parks that end up killing them way before their normal life spans would have been.
it’s fake, but still funny. the comments are even better. sharks don’t have a sense of self. i’m sure they aren’t thinking about getting back home to their family.
I AM SICKENED BY THAT PICTURE!!!
HOW U COULD KILL AN AMAZING ANIMAL LIKE THAT!!!
I AM DISGUSTED!!
I MEAN EVEN IF IT IS A FAKE THIS IS NO JOKE!!
3 SHARKS DIE EVER SECOND AND UR HELPING THEM TO BECOME EXTINCT!!!
U HAVE JUST MADE URSELF A POWERFUL ENEMY MATE!!
HOW WOULD U LIKE IT IF I CAME AND STUCK A GIANT HOOK THROUGH YOUR FACE AND HAULED U ACROSS THE FLOOR!!!
AND TRUST ME WITH THE WAY IM FEELING NOW I MIGHT JUST DO THAT!!
ID BE ALL TO HAPPY TO HERE YOUR REPLY!!
Hey STUPID, read before you comment. The shark was released ALIVE. The pic IS real. Oz has done more for shark conservation than any of you idiots sitting here insulting him.
My reply is you probably look like a fat Frodo and need a man. Put down your crack pipe and get a life. Get out and get some sun, vitamin D does wonders for your mood and tempermant.
just umm asking…, i dont think that shark in the picture is fake, when u said “even if it is fake” i dont gte what u mean but anyways when i fish i catch and release, well i go fish fishing not shark fishing i really wanna see sharks upclose on a boat, i release though and there’s nothing wrong with that..
ummmmmmm prety sure that its not true that 3 sharks die a second.
Lmfao! Listen to this fat hooker rant and rave. A powerful enemy huh! Holy sh*t, look at everyone hurry up and turn off their computers. RUN EVERYBODY, THE KRAKEN HAS AWOKEN AND SHE IS PMSing! The shark wasn’t killed you dumb cun*! Go eat a salad you f*cking retard! The problem with people Katrina Bull, by the way the name is very fitting since you sound like a dumb fat cow, is that they never actually take any actions. They talk, cry, bitch, and complain, but they never actually do anything to protect, help, or preserve the environment. I unfortunately have to deal with environmentalists and it’s the same story. These motherf**kers have great a bunch of ideas, but they don’t actually implement any of them. The world would be much better off if if people like this ignorant b**ch would eat sh*t, die, and burn in hell where they belong.
OOOO U JUST maDe urSelf A PowErFul EneMee Maeteee
What a retard. Please check your miniscule brain at the door and learn to read. He caught and released it like all good rec. fisherman do. Why are you people bitching? These fisherman do more for the species than any of you do for sure, all you do is sit in your computer chairs and eat canned tuna and bitch about people that actually do research and get out in the environment. And whoever made the comment directly before me…please jump into an active volcano in a tuxedo made of dynamite. Thank you, that is all.
You dumb asses he didn’t kill this shark. He returned to the ocean and safely released it back to the wild. I know this cuz he’s my brother.
All you tree huggers should go down the beach area near the Jetties @ South Padre Island and clean up the beach. But, I’m sure you have something else to do like go to starbucks and get a triple latte soy or something. This picture is 100% REAL.
Hey folks… I am all for the nature thing but… that fish is part of the food chain and so are we… if we can eat it before it eats us… then hey I am groovy with it. Lets face it… I am sure they taste better and we are just smarter than they are… you would never catch me trying to eat something that had a line attached to it… Its the natural progression of things… as long as we don’t kill em all off… and the species is still growing… hunt, kill, eat em… just don’t think I am cooking that ugly stinky thing in my kitchen.
For sure! How come none of these sorry bastards cleaning up the beaches if they are so concerned with the eco system. Some people are just stupid! The world needs stupid people. Look at our government! Just a whole bunch of stupid people.
dont sharks live in dark alleys or tall buildings?
anyway..its a cool picture,nice ocean
I love sharks they are so awesome I won’t even care if I swam with sharks they are my favorite animal I love that pic by the way cool!=):)
Where did all those macho-treehuggers-bashers come from? Holy sh*t… Hmm… must be it! God must have had a diarrhea the other day and used the “matter” to form you all. Should have flushed it though…
), Weak, egotistic, humans trying to beat the nature in an uneven, unfair and unnecessary battle, just to prove themselves “powerful” and “mighty” is not, repeat: NOT!, repeat: F*ing NOT!!! a sufficient reason to kill or harass another magnificent creature like, say …that Mako up there, or many other beautiful fish that ended up on those pathetic photos of pathetic a*hole losers with big beer bellies and even bigger dick issues posing next to a dead shark. WTF does that prove? Think: If there was another “kind,” greater than ourselves, what would think of us based on such images? So keep smiling a**hole(s), and wait patiently: the shark will get their turn :]
IMO There shoul be no doubt about which side of the argument here is the only one truly reasonable (f*ing obviously!) and should be very easy to defend too. As mentioned roughly before many times by other people (mostly some self righteous vegetarian tree-huggers
Cheers!
PS still, technically.. it is a great photo..
im originally born and raised in texas and now live in hawaii i am dissapointed with my fellow texans on a few of these comments they are ignorant and very displeased with a few comments made on americans and my fellow texans…yes this picture is disapointing to the extent that you should not beach a shark..catch them sure and enjoy the sport with respect to the creaturs by bringin them close to the boat for a measure and a pic but this is a little much OZ i would have been just as easily impressed if you had taken a picture with it next to the boat and it is a great catch but a real southern gentleman does not boast a feat.. as so im am glad you practise catch and release…moving on the anti fishing extreamist this man has helped this environment by tagging these animals do i agree with the tactics shown here no but he has done plenty good so keep that in mind also…. i recently visited south padre for spring break for the first time and coming from a beautful place like the hawaiian island i must say i was very displeased with how my fellow texans were treatin our home land I WAS EMBARRESSED and a hawaiian born and raised friend who joined me litteraly was in tears about how we treated the land i cannot say i was proud to be a texan at that given moment…call me a tree hugger but in all the greatness that texas has to offer we should be ashamed of our behavior…and that should be the real discussion here…i was raised with strong southern morals as was a lot of my fellow texans and we have no right to not only treat the enviroment that way but OUR OWN LAND AND OUR OWN WOMEN…DO ANY OTHER TEXANS AGREE?
no i don’t agree if you were from Texas and was an advent outdoorist you would know that certain laws are to be upheld yes sharks are amazing and beautiful but they plentiful for anglers to catch and their are laws to protect them like in Texas it states in the Texas parks and wildlife regulations sharks:all species, their hybrids and subspecies, daily bag limit 1, 24 inches- no limit. and besides people arnt going to fish them every day because the are other fish out their and if you want to bitch about a shark being beached and cause trauma. watch shark week scientist do the same thing they catch them with a line and hook drag them in the boat and measure and put their data down. so leave the anglers alone especially if you just surf the web looking for something to bitch about. and for all you tree hugging vegetarians so fuck a tree and eat a hamburger. god put them their for a reason and that reason was to be eaten.
AMAZING PICTURE!!!!GREAT WORK GUYS!!!
i am a tree hugger and am appalled (yet again) at the replies that you sons of the soil can manage to hammer out with your big hairy knuckles. it must have taken most of you 20 minutes to even pick them up off the ground.
i suppose if intelligence is the reason behind whether something deserves to live or die, then i want retards and babies on the menu.
and that picture is a fucking fake. although nicely done for a glance over, upon inspection, it doesn’t pass.
in fact, it looks like dude is skiing.
when i was about 13 my grandpa caught one of these on a fishing trip. my dad and i helped him unload it off the boat and into the trunk of our car. we took it home and threw it in the backyard. then we cut it apart, looked at all of his insides. At one point we cut off his gills and my brother held them up to his neck saying “look dad im a fish” he was like 7, it was cute. we were amazed at the things we found in his stomach (a shoe lace, a squid and what was left of a tuna). then we had a fish fry and ATE him…..he was delicious!!! we preserved his jaw including all of his teeth, i still have it today.
did i mention he was delicious? he was pretty smart too, i guess either that or there was just a whole lot of guts in his head. haha my backyard smelled like fish for a while, didn’t bother the dog though.
personally i don’t think i could do that to a dolphin, not because its an intelligent creature more like its not as threatening as a shark. a shark would bite you, a dolphin would try to have sex with you. i don’t know about you but that’s just funny enough to make me not want to kill it.
you abviously dont realise how fucking hard it would be to photoshop this. what exactly causes you to think its a fake?
Generalising, there are two kinds of people in the world – city people and country people. Country people look their food in the eye and slay it fair before cleaning it, sharing it and eating it. City people go down to the supermarket and buy fish fingers. The ones killing the millions of sharks a year are the city people, who indirectly pay the long-lining boats to go out and destroy sharks by the tons. But because they never looked their fishfinger in the eye while it lived, they instead look down on those who take their quarry on personally. Even worse is the commercial waste of sharks for just their fins for sharkfin soup. We could ban commercial fishing and things like intensive farming that also upsets these people but the city folk would have to eat each other instead…
that shark is fake right
Surprised no one has said so before, if thats a MAKO shark, I will show my balls on Mansfield Market. It is a reef shark, a nice one but still a REEF shark. Go take a look at picture of each. The teeth are vastly different, as is the snout, and tail fin.
uh oh tech talker!
I’d love to see the subject matter reversed in that picture… see how much of a ‘man’ that guy is
If you were a real man, you wouldn’t need to attempt to ‘show off’ in a way that causes pain and distress to a wild creature.
But as Franklin sid, intelligence has been man’s greatest burden, and his greatest handicap.
Me, I’ll go back to cataloguing star fish, a real job that involves actually helping widlife, not harrassing it
Looks like a mako to me, but what would i know, i only studied aquaculture and marine biology!
A few relevant comments for the mass of negative comments.
Makos are found in oceans all around the world. One was opened up and found to have both a tuna and a dolphin in its stomach. A tuna is one of the fastest fish in the ocean and the dolphin is one of the smartest and most manuverable. The mako is the top of the food chain anywhere it is and has a fearsome reputation among south pacific fishermen in outriggers. Known as very dangerous and super fast it has been documented jumping into boats and turning the tables on humans.
It is this mans right to catch this shark, and even to kill and eat it! Mako is one of the best tasting sharks that there is.
I find it rich that many here comment as if he is in the wrong, while they get a burger from macdonalds and think nothing of it. I say if you kill it you should eat it. And mako is not an endangered shark, it is fair game to those brave enough to try to catch it. Base the pro/con arguements on facts and not emotion
all sharks are endagered idiot, not just certain kinds
Gents,
Reading this post and subsequent replies leads me to believe there are a lot of misinformed folks.
The general misconception that sharks as a whole are “man eating monsters” is false. They are predatory animals but thier purpose in the ecosystem is maintaining balance by weeding out weak and/or dieing marine life. They don’t set out to hunt down humans, they smell blood or see a slow moving animal splashing around in thier waters…it’s about that basic.
Also, though thier life expectancy is longer then most marine animals, they do not reproduce often (stress and habitat loss further less thier natural rate) which limits thier numbers. Irresponsible sport fishing, fining and commercial fishing drastically reduce thier chances of survival.
As for anyone who consumes shark meat or shark derived products, I have to ask you, why? Shark meat is quite possibly one of the most mercury rich flesh out there (not to mention other liposoluble toxins) with levels much higher then that of tuna, swordfish or bluefish. For any other product: by consuming, you contribute to a demand, and so, entrepreneurs cash in on an endangered species.
If we truely are the “dominate specie” then that puts us in a position of responsibility. I believe people should start taking a genuine interest in what they’re consuming, where it came from, how it was aquired, it’s sustainability, and transportation/handling involved. That goes for everything, and I mean EVERYTHING.
With that being said…
*Draws out his fishing rod and waits for the trolls to bite*
Jesse.
shocking how all of you have responded to this photo, There are many cultures that catch and eat shark, there are others that do not harm them and give great repect to them, people fish for them just for the sport and practice catch and release, or simply keep em for dinner, Now the pointless killing of them is completely wrong, I live in the islands in the pacific, our problem is commercial fishing vessels from asia catching them, cutting the fins off and throwing the darn things back in the water , still alive i must say, now that is something to be alarmed about. i am assuming this Mako was released in good condition. just my 2 cents
Jcaster
You are all mistaken. Sharks aren’t fish, they are classified as Chondrichthyes and fish (boned fish) are classified as Osteichthyes. Not all fish. I sport fish shark and I am a part of a shark tagging and study, I also on rare occasions eat one. I have strict limitations of size and breed that I adhere to. I am a proud Texan and enjoy my long an sometimes unfruitful excursions on the beack or in my boat bot none is in the name of ego or self gratification. I fish because I have a passion for the gulf coast and it is a part of my culture. Tree higher or not, I am a meat eating Man and I don’t buy into the idea that lobsters scream when they are boiled or trees cry when they are cut but I do beleive that there are evil people that catch and kill sharks just to leave them rotting on the beach. If you don’t know anything about what the gentleman in the pictue is doing or what he is about or don’t understand it you shouldn’t slander him. Thank you to all of the Texas Gulf coast sportfishing supporters and keep doing your thing.
By they way, I typed this whole comment on my iPhone while sitting on crystal beach at Port Bolivar sharking and praying for the tide to come In so I’d get a bite.
Thank you.
haha, so many tards in here… jeah just continue shark finning… till our ocean is DOWN
many shark fishers take part in catch and release tagging programs to track sharks, even sea world and other ocean research groups still catch sharks with a rod and reel for tagging and tissue samples. Just because a fisherman catches sharks does not mean he takes part in finning which is widely a problem with Asian fishing companies that fin for soups to be sold in Asian and very few specialty stores carry it in the States. Many shark fishermen look down on this practice as well, why don’t you research what your arguing don’t just go off your assumptions.
YES, GREAT ARTICLE! I’M GOING SHARK FISHING – GOT MOST OF THE EQUIPMENT , JUST NEED HEAVY LINE & BAIT. -PEACE-
For all tree huggers, read this and shut up.
http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/topics/s_pain.htm
There are also studies that in particular, makos and blue sharks will recover when fought to exhaustion. They’re probably a little stronger too for their next fight.
The reality is that being caught on a hook and line and released is one of the minor problems a shark will encounter. The major ones? Getting caught in a commercial net or long-line (where they WILL not be released in one piece), or getting stabbed by a dolphin or torn up by another, bigger shark.
It’s not like these things sit around in a circle and sing “Kuumbayya” with a a guitar and a peace-pipe like some of you.
Catch and release is the way to go unless you have a gigantic freezer and a gigantic appetite, but I refuse to hear some bleeding heart liberal say ANYTHING about catch and release shark fishing. You don’t have a fucking clue.
I fish for food.. When I catch a shark that I cannot legally keep because of restrictions to preserve the species (I.e. My 3 ft blacktip I released the other day) I throw it back to mate and get bigger so next time I can keep it..
Love shark fishing!!!! Screw you tree huggers. And yes Bambie taste pretty good too…
wow, that shark looks awesome its a very decent size , and also its very clean (no blood) awesome shark if i had a huge aquarium in my house id choose that mako out of the whole world its very well good looking. awesome catch Oz!!!! , i havnt gone shark fishing yet but i really want to though, <3 the coast !
“and whoever is asking, NO I DON’T WANT TO MARRY THE SHARK.”
Sad to see you make a macho thing out of killing a shark.They are needed in the sea.
The only animal who are ower populated..are sadly humans….
There is not a population issue with humans, just a way of life/ big buisiness issue. Money. Have you been to starbucks lately? Think of all of the cups people use every day-into the trash, do you do this? LIFESTYLE.Has anyone been bowling? A bowling ally….why is that part of our lives? Fun? Well, shark fishing does not have to be about pride or macho flaunt, just interacting in nature. Man’s habitat is out there, not the city. Starbucks(even though I love the coffee-because my biology is weak to it)Walmarts, mcdonalds, shopping malls,rotating fashion in clothes, all of this stuff is divorce from our health and our natural ways, just a perversion.Do not get me wrong, there is enjoyment in all of these things, but we are playing jenga, and sooner or later you run out of moves and your blocks are stacked. We have to go back slowly yhe way we came or topple over. Shark fishing is natural, shark killing is natural.But, everything has a formula, and there is balance. Getting on here and swearing only shows lack of ability to talk things out, and use reason to come to conclusion. I like to fish for sharks, should we be inside on facebook for hours…..thats good for the environment……?
The more people argue about this subject, the more I want to go down and catch me one of these! I love eating shark!
Catch and release animal lovers. Catch and release. We catch them. We photograph them. We release them. I’ve never killed a shark in my life.
How come you don’t get bent out of shape about plants dying? Or cockroaches? Do all living things not have feelings? I guess it’s not “animal cruelty” when a cat kills a cute furry mouse by crushing it’s neck.
Some of you cry for a fair fight between man and beast. I got rushed by a coyote and after getting bit got the advantage. I strangled it with my bare hands. No gun, no knife, no weapon. How’s that for fair? I’ve got the doctor bills to prove it.
Stay in the city and eat tofu. Leave the rest of us normal people alone.
I understand killing for food, I understand the catch and release concept (although why would you want to photograph a caught animal when it’s most beautiful in the wild is beyond me, but maybe you have to use that cellphone camera for something), what I don’t understand is getting cocky for killing something out of pleasure. As for the sharks, I love them, I dive with them, so I’m biased and I’m not gonna go there.
Firefighter, I bet you felt mighty big when you strangled that coyote. Jeez, now that’s a tough animal! I heard it’s the new king of the animal kingdom… But he might lose that title in favor of a kitten. Try that next time, I’m sure it’ll give you a rush. And you might review the idea of “animal cruelty”. It’s not the same as “laws of nature”. Don’t worry, you, “normal people” are gonna be left alone, to eat each other in the future, you’re on the right track.
Underwater photos of them out in the sea would probably get your nipples harder than standing in the surf. Makos are extremely beautiful, I have to much respect for them to hook’em.
started out on animal(fish) rights activists/ protesters. moved on to the real/ fake pic, then back to the save the fish, or is it shark, or was it tuna? id like to save some bass from extinction. kind of wonder which direction it’ll go next. maybe start a human fishing tournament? we already shoot each other with bb’s why not hook us through the mouth, wait already been done with steve o. just proves that shark are curious, selective in their meals, put up a good fight, need to be protected, and never had the privilege but i heard from more than one person taste really amazing. its one of those things that should be done in modesty with any large predator if we want our children to carry on these conversations
WOW………….
THAT’S GREAT FOR THE SHARK AND U ARE SO LOVELY BOY
k tree huggers you need to back off not like hes standing there with a knife held over his head saying die sucker he let it go it all good
OH MY GAD, you faught an animal that hadn’t done you anything!!! WOW you’re like my hero!
As humans (the most intelligent species)we create beautiful art, music and invent and yet we are capable of cruelty to both animals AND other humans. People who feel like they have to do this to animals are just ignorant, red-neck,sickos with psychological issues. Also, for people who ‘don’t care’ what the treehuggers say, you guys sure are taking this personally.