Video of a rare catch off Nantucket is drawing notice after a shark angler and boat captain said his first-ever great white was released only after he climbed onto it in the surf and removed the hook with his bare hands.
What happened?
Elliot Sudal, a shark angler and boat captain, was tracking sharks from the beach off Nantucket last weekend with his teenage apprentice when something took the line, ABC News reported. The two did not realize what they had hooked until they brought it close enough to see.
Online footage posted by Bryner Oliveira (@bryner_oliveira) shows Sudal and his apprentice getting the shark close to shore, after which he goes into the surf, gets on top of the animal, and removes the hook by hand while waves break around them.
Although Sudal has spent more than 10 years fishing around Nantucket and has already caught and tagged species such as sandbar, sand tiger, and dusky sharks, he told ABC News this was the first great white he had ever landed.
"By no means expected this to happen," Sudal said. "Definitely not."
He added, "Out of 2,000 sharks, I caught one great white. This is the first one."
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Sudal said an animal like this is simply "catch, release," and ABC News reported that once the hook was out, his team returned the shark to the water.
Why does it matter?
According to shark experts who spoke with ABC News, warmer ocean temperatures are bringing more sharks to the Eastern Seaboard and into additional feeding grounds.
Sudal has said he often emphasizes that sharks are essential to a balanced ocean ecosystem.
In May, scientists at the New England Aquarium urged the public to stay vigilant after the season's first confirmed white shark sighting near Martha's Vineyard. ABC News also reported that a juvenile white shark was spotted off New York and New Jersey that same month.
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How was it handled?
Sudal said he saw the encounter as a responsibility rather than a trophy moment.
"This is the most taboo shark. This is endangered. You have to do everything perfect," he said.
He also described the release in direct terms: "You have to open the mouth a little bit, get the hook out, and then just do everything you can to get them back safely."
After the shark swam away, Sudal said what he felt most was relief.
"I'm just really, really glad that it just went smoothly and perfectly. We were able to get her back [into the deeper water], and the shark was safe."
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