Huge Mako Caught Off Destin

[santaman2000]

well, not exactly off Destin. The boat was from Destin and returned there with the shark, but the article says they were fishing between Navarre and Pensacola when they hooked it (about 30 miles or so west of Destin. Sorry I can't hyperlink to the article and pix so I'll have to copy & paste. I'll try to make it a little easier to read by posting each page in a separate post, so please wait unti there are 4 posts up before commenting.



Friday, April 4, 2014 at 11:49 AM.[h=3]Photo Galleries[/h]

• Mako shark on the Sure Lure

Nothing draws a crowd like a shark on the docks.
In a matter of minutes, the number of folks milling around on the docks went from about three to 300 as the crew aboard the Sure Lure backed in with a massive Mako shark at Fishing Fleet Marina Wednesday evening.
"They were coming from nowhere," said Jami Jones, of Destin Charter Services at Fishing Fleet Marina. And before you could blink an eye the docks were filled with people in hopes of getting a glance at the monster from the Gulf.
However, the crew aboard the Sure Lure didn't set out to lure in a shark, they were just out cobia fishing between Navarre and Pensacola.
"We had heard of two or three shark in the area," said Capt. Don Dineen.
About an hour before they spotted the huge Mako 30 yards past the breakers, they had reeled in what they came for, a 40-pound cobia. But then they spotted the shark in the shallow green water.
"We put about an 8-ounce ruby lip on and dropped it back. She took the bait instantly when we got it in front of her," Dineen said, noting Pam Dana hand picked the bait.

 

[santaman2000]

Randy Messer was the angler on the Shimano 50-wide loaded with 60-pound test when they hooked her in about 15-feet of water. "I knew I was under gunned and out manned," Dineen said when he got a good look at the massive Mako.
"She jumped 10 or 12 times, doing summersaults and everything right when we hooked her," he said.
At that point, the shark drew them about a mile off the beach and then jumped about six more times.
"She was tuckered out by then," he said.
About an hour into the tangle with the shark, Blake Bridges and crew on the boat Pool Shark from out of Orange Beach, Ala. was in the area and came over to help make sure the Sure Lure got their shark.
Bridges boarded the boat and helped to get a gaff in the shark as well as getting a tail rope on the shark.

 

[santaman2000]

Dineen said they hooked the shark about 12:30 and they had her tied to the back of the boat by 2:30 p.m. "It took us about five hours to come back," he said, noting they could only travel about 7 knots dragging the shark.
Once back at the docks, it didn't take long for word to spread as folks gathered around.
The crew at Fishing Fleet used a Lull forklift to hoist the shark up and onto the docks.
"It went from four or five people standing around to about 200 or 300 people. It was insane," said Capt. Eric Thrasher who drove the Lull. "They were running down the docks to see. Everybody was fascinated … in awe of it."
When the shark was finally hoisted on the scales, it clicked in at 720 pounds. Capt. Dineen said they didn't measure the length of the fish, but he guessed it to be at least 10-feet, noting that when he stretched his arm up it was a good two or three feet taller than his reach.
"I had one like that last year and fought it for about two hours," Dineen said before it got away.

 

[santaman2000]

You never know … they can tail whip you at any time," he said. As for the Mako they landed Wednesday, Dineen said, "The good Lord blessed me with the fish of a lifetime."

 

[santaman2000]

Last night on the local news they said they had intended to release it when they got it to the boat, but it was too exhausted to survive so they kept it. They also said the meat was shared among a large group of family and friends.

This is the fifth Mako over 700 pounds caught near Destin in the last year or so.

 

[Harvestman]

Wow, I wonder how old a fish like that would be?

 

[Trencakey]

what an absolute waste of a wild creature.

 

[JonathanD]

That is one big Mako.

 

[santaman2000]

what an absolute waste of a wild creature.

That's not an unusual reaction. But TBH, what's the difference between catching and eating a shark vs other fish?

 

[JonathanD]

That's not an unusual reaction. But TBH, what's the difference between catching and eating a shark vs other fish?

Well, I could never eat a whole shark. Trout... no problem.

 

[santaman2000]

Well, I could never eat a whole shark. Trout... no problem.

LOL. Nor could I. Not in a single sitting anyway. But then again, divided among several people (family and friends) with freezers is another story. Sort of the same analogy as killing a bunny for a single meal for one person vs killing an elk (or a cow) for several meals for several people.

 

[david1]

Killing sharks is just like cutting down the last tree...

http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/easter/sentinels_in_stone3.php

But on Easter Island, once the trees were cut down, the islanders no longer could build a canoe and sail onward, looking for another island in the sea. They were trapped in a degraded environment, and then further impacted by European explorers who brought disease and, in many cases, outright death.

What can we Expect in the Future for the Mako Shark?

Conservation Status: Vulnerable

 

[santaman2000]

Killing sharks is just like cutting down the last tree...

http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/easter/sentinels_in_stone3.php

But on Easter Island, once the trees were cut down, the islanders no longer could build a canoe and sail onward, looking for another island in the sea. They were trapped in a degraded environment, and then further impacted by European explorers who brought disease and, in many cases, outright death.

What can we Expect in the Future for the Mako Shark?

Conservation Status: Vulnerable

What about a world without tuna? Without flounder? Without mullet? Without catfish? Without rabbits? Without white-tailed deer?

Thing is though that none of them are in any particular danger of extinction; neither are Makos. In fact around here they're fairly plentiful. As I said, that's the fifth one over 700 pounds caught in the last couple of years.

That said, usually Makos are released. That one was kept because she was too exhausted to survive when boated. The shark species normally retained here (in Florida, not nationally) are:

-With no minimum size:
--Atlantic Sharpnose
--Blacknose
--Blacktip
--Bonehead
--Bonnethead
--Finetooth
--Smooth Dogfish

-With a minimum 54" to fork:
--Bull
--Spinner
--Nurse
--Common Thresher

Legal limits are managed as an group (again, in Florida, not nationally) That's to say that the limit of 1 shark per person per day, or 2 per boat (whichever is less) is for the total of all species.

 

[david1]

What can we Expect in the Future for the Mako Shark?

Conservation Status: Vulnerable

sorry but I think there are less Makos than flounder..
but some just wont be educated,but if you think five is a lot....

 

[tent peg]

That's not an unusual reaction. But TBH, what's the difference between catching and eating a shark vs other fish?

Do you really believe they saw this as food and not a trophy?

We have alternative sources of food - not just fish.

If they wasted one mouthful of that beautiful creature it is a tragedy.

 

[santaman2000]

Here's a better picture

 

[British Red]

If they wasted one mouthful of that beautiful creature it is a tragedy.

Personally I don't think the value of a life is judged by its beauty. I wonder why a shark has more right to life than a fly that is casually swatted or a spider squashed? As for wasting a mouthful, its no more a tragedy than wasting a mouthful of McDonalds or a bit of a Greggs pasty - creatures died for them too. Come to that if you eat cornflakes, millions of creatures were killed to keep that field free of insect and mammal predation - you may not eat them, but they died for your food none the less.

 

[santaman2000]

What can we Expect in the Future for the Mako Shark?

Conservation Status: Vulnerable

sorry but I think there are less Makos than flounder..
but some just wont be educated,but if you think five is a lot....

Not "five" Makos; rather, five Makos "over 700 pounds" that were "caught" within 50 miles of Destin in "less than 2 years." I believe that the number of fish (any fish) caught is extremely small compared to the total population.

I accept that they may be classified "vulnerable" on a global level; but not here locally. Not as of now anyway.

 

[santaman2000]

......If they wasted one mouthful of that beautiful creature it is a tragedy.

The tv news the day they caught it (the local Destin channel) showed the pix of the meat being prepped for the freezers.

 

[david1]

Not "five" Makos; rather, five Makos "over 700 pounds" that were "caught" within 50 miles of Destin in "less than 2 years." I believe that the number of fish (any fish) caught is extremely small compared to the total population.

you do realize they need to be of certain size to breed,once you have killed off the large ones its much harder for the population to recover. I am all for killing and eating things but not at the cost of such wonderful creatures.