Angler takes ‘catch and release’ to the extreme; jumps overboard to revive 300-pound bull shark
Florida fisherman meant well, but his actions will be regarded as reckless by many, given the obvious danger factor
October 01, 2013 by Pete Thomas
Shark anglers who practice catch and release generally either carefully remove the hook or simply cut the line, then watch their quarry swim away.
But for an angler recently off Lee County, Florida, that wasn’t enough. Having noticed that the 300-pound bull shark he had just unhooked was still languishing beside the boat, he jumped overboard, placed his arms around the lower half of the shark and swam with the predator in what appears to have been a successful revival technique.
“Now that’s catch and release!” says one of the crew from aboard the boat, in the video footage.
Commendable behavior? Some might say yes.
Advisable? A resounding no!
In-water revival is a practice best left for wading trout fishermen.
A 300-pound bull shark, even if it’s exhausted by a prolonged struggle on hook and line, is still extremely dangerous.
Bull sharks are considered by many to be the most dangerous shark species in the world. They’re responsible for dozens of unprovoked attacks, several of them fatal, on humans.
But apparently, the Florida angler felt confident that he could help the struggling shark without too much risk. Thankfully for his sake, there were no painful consequences.
–Hat tip to Shark Attack News