An American angler attracted online attention after encountering a nearly 3-meter great white shark, a top ocean predator, before helping to remove a hook from its mouth and releasing it back into the ocean.
The video quickly went viral when Elliott Sudal, an experienced angler and boat captain, shared footage of catching a giant great white shark from the shore of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, U.S., on 7 June via social media, demonstrating how to handle an accidental great white catch.
The shark measured nearly 9 feet, or about 2.7 meters, but since great white sharks are protected in the U.S., any accidental catch must be released immediately back into the sea.
However, the clip was tense and challenging as Sudal had to remove the hook from the mouth of one of the world's most dangerous shark species.
In the video, he grabbed the shark's tail and dragged it onto the beach, then straddled its back while using the ocean waves to support its body, removed the hook from its mouth, and dragged it back into the Atlantic Ocean. At the end of the clip, the great white shark swims back into the sea.
Sudal captioned the clip, "Removed the hook and released it within 15 seconds. Not sure how I could have done better," adding that he has worked with sharks for many years and tagged hundreds, but this was his first great white catch in over a decade.
Nonetheless, NOAA has previously scrutinized his methods, warning experts that approaching or handling great white sharks carries high risk since sharks may bite defensively when stressed or struggling, and lifting them from water can cause stress or harm.
In 2017, NOAA investigated Sudal’s handling of a smalltooth sawfish, an endangered species in Florida, advising that physical contact should be minimized and sharks should not be dragged onto sand or boat decks.
. Source:AP
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