Man Catches 12 Foot - 500 Pound Shark Off Of South Beach

[matcom]

<snip>

MIAMI -- It took five people to reel in a 500-pound shark and the size could be record breaking.

The longest hammerhead shark on record was 12 feet long. The one caught Sunday on South Beach was just a half-inch longer, weighing over 500 pounds.

Several fisherman on a chartered fishing trip say they caught a 12-and-a-half-foot scalloped hammerhead shark just a few hundred yards off the coast.

Mark Farmer said he was excited when he reeled in the huge shark. He said it's rare to catch one in the area during this time of year.

But marine biologist Neil Hammerschlag said fishermen in Florida have told him they've noticed a decline in catches and occurrences of hammerhead sharks.

The largest hammerhead caught in Florida was a 991-pounder in 1982.

http://www.wftv.com/newsofthestrange/3938046/detail.html

[teach1st]

1. I used to surf in Miami in the 60s and 70s...

..and large hammerheads weren't uncommon off the piers. The one that seemed to hang out at Sunny Isles pier became almost a pet. We'd see it cruising around the pier once in a while. The fishermen on the pier didn't like surfers much, and we heard that they dumped bait daily near the surf line when there were waves.

[2Design]

2. you surfed with sharks - not a problem ????

[teach1st]

3. There are ALWAYS sharks...

Always! At least in Florida.

While surfing near Shark Pit (Central Florida) one winter, I remember somebody surfcasting and beaching about fifteen young sharks.

Usually sharks aren't a problem. They do nip surfers accidently as they go after smaller bait fish. Occasionally they attack, occasionally they kill, but that really is rare.

Traffic in Florida is much more deadly.