Handling Sharks You Catch With Care and Safety

Catching sharks of all species is quite exciting, whether they’re your main target or you just happen to encounter one by accident. Either way, handling a shark is unlike handling any other species of fish. We all know these things are dangerous, so the need to act accordingly is obvious. But beyond that, many types of sharks are endangered and all play an important role in the ecosystem. So it’s also important to take as much care for them as we do for ourselves.

If you can remove the hook while the shark is in the water using long-nose pliers or de-hookers, that’s the best move. When this isn’t possible and you have to remove it from the water controlling the shark is job number-one, and grasping it firmly in front of the tail gives you a measure of control. But, just a measure. Many sharks have the ability to curl themselves 360-degrees and can still bite you if you have a hold only on the tail. So, controlling the head section of the fish is just as important.

As you take care to keep control over the fish, however, you need to keep your fingers and tools clear of its gill slots. Dig into one, and you may do serious harm. Another often-overlooked factor is how the shark is oriented when out of the water. A shark’s body is designed to be supported by the water. When it’s sitting on a boat deck or a sand beach, its internal organs can get pressured in unnatural ways that do damage. Making matters worse, sharks will often thrash around and do themselves even more harm. Again, the best way to avoid this is to release the shark without removing it from the water. If you’re fishing in the surf, it’s best to wade in a bit and try to get the hook out while the fish is still in the wash; orient it perpendicular to the waves, if possible, so it doesn’t get rolled by them.

With smaller sharks that can be held by one hand, it’s better to remove the hook while holding the shark up as opposed to holding it down on the sand or deck with pressure. And in the case of large, very dangerous sharks, if the hook isn’t easily reached and removed, most people recommend simply cutting the line as close to the hook as possible, and releasing the shark with some new “jewelry.” According to the biologists, the sharks will be able to get rid of it with less stress and potential harm than wrestling it aboard and man-handling it is likely to do.

When catching sharks we’d expect everyone to make their own safety the priority. But don’t forget to consider that fish’s safety, too, as you release it to fight another day.