A 7ft mako shark shocked the crew of a fishing boat when it leaped out of the water and onto the vessel.
The Lady Anne was fishing for sharks off the Maine coast on August 27 when the mako shark took a bite of the bait. As it jumped out of the water to try and escape the fishing line, it suddenly flew through the air, landing on the deck of the boat.
"A once-in-a-lifetime experience! Thankfully, no one on board was injured!" said Sea Ventures Charters, which owns the Lady Anne, in a Facebook post.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), mako sharks can grow to lengths of up to 13 feet long, and weights of 1,200 lbs. Shortfin and longfin mako sharks, which are distinguished by the length of their pectoral fins, are both fast-swimming, migratory species, traveling at speeds of up to 20 mph, and swimming up to 30 miles in a single day. Makos have a reputation for their acrobatics when caught on a line, jumping and flipping out of the water, which has made them a popular game fish. They have been known to land on fishing vessels before.
This fortunate mako was tagged and released back into the ocean.
"Astonishingly, the mako was measured, tagged, nudged toward the transom door and released [...] We want to acknowledge Chris Kingsbury and his band of boys for their cool heads, assistance, and this awesome video," said Sea Ventures Charters.
Mako sharks are the worst-faring species of shark in captivity, even more so than the great white shark, which is famous for not being able to be kept in aquariums. All previous attempts to keep the sharks in captivity have resulted in them dying within a week, with the longest survival being seen in the New Jersey Aquarium in 2001, during which the shark refused to feed, quickly weakened, and died after a mere five days.
According to NOAA, shortfin mako sharks are significantly below their target population levels. Their main threat is overfishing, with CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) estimating that over one million mako sharks are caught and killed each year. They are actively fished to harvest their flesh, fins, oil, liver, and cartilage, as well as being victims of bycatch in other fisheries.
This population pressure, combined with their slow rate of growth and low reproductive rate, has led them to be classified as endangered on the IUCN Red list.
As of July 5, U.S. fishermen are banned from retaining Atlantic shortfin mako sharks, meaning that they legally must release them back into the water if caught.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Jess Thomson is a Newsweek Science Reporter based in London UK. Her focus is reporting on science, technology and healthcare. ... Read more
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