April 19, 2012
By Dylan Polk
They're gonna need a bigger boat...and a new net.
Two Mexican fisherman hauled in a monster great white shark measuring nearly 20 feet long -- among the largest ever recorded -- and weighing close to 2,000 pounds, an extremely rare catch for that size.
The shark, caught by Sea of Cortez near Guaymas, was dead when it was brought to the surface by the commercial fishermen, Guadalupe and Baltazar, who thought they had merely netted a large school of much smaller fish.
However, they were shocked to discover the massive beast -- already dead when it was brought to the surface -- and towed the shark using their 22-foot skiff with a 75-horsepower outboard, reaching the shore two miles away nearly an hour later.
Advertisement
According to news reports, it took 50 people to haul the shark onto the sand. Reportedly the shark didn't go to waste either. Residents of the coastal village butchered the beast of the sea, providing shark steaks for many.
It's unclear what became of the shark at this point, but scientists say they would like to get a tissue sample for research.
According to the International Game Fish Association , the world record great white shark was a 2,664-pounder caught by Alfred Dean on April 21, 1959, in Ceduna, Sout, Australia.
Advertisement