http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-36975850

What are the chances for the shark after being released. I am a bit pessimistic.

Depends where thy release it. At the side of the M4 it might struggle, but back in the sea it should be ok.

Sharks that have been caught for scientific purposes are often brought on board for tagging and weighing, before release. Judging by the subsequent gps data, they seem to do ok. That’s not to say I approve of sport fishing like this, but sharks are pretty hardy creatures.

Ok was thinking that the fight with a hook in its mouth etc etc

If they released in along the M4 it would be savaged by the carnivorous feral sheep we have roaming around, if you break down don’t get out of the car 😉

Sharks are caught and tagged all the time, right up to seven meter long Great Whites, and it never seems to cause any issues. Sharks aren’t what you’d call ‘highly strung’, prone to having a fit of the vapours and expiring just because they’ve been hauled out of their natural environment.
They’re apex predators, and the only thing at risk is the poor bugger who draws the short straw and has to put his hands near the mouth of a live shark to take the hook out!
While a sharks tooth isn’t literally ‘razor sharp’, with all the force of a heavy, powerful fish behind them they’re definitely knife sharp.
Catching a Thresher in UK waters is a rare occurrence, and one those guys will never, ever forget.
Beautiful fish, too, very streamlined with huge pectoral fins, stunning things, I envy them being that close to one.

It was a blue shark, not a thresher. I know they’re rock hard but that one must be a bit under the weather if they can pose with it like that.

the only thing at risk is the poor bugger who draws the short straw and has to put his hands near the mouth of a live shark to take the hook out!

I believe the hook is left in as it fairly quickly corrodes away.

sharkbait – Member
I believe the hook is left in as it fairly quickly corrodes away.

No doubt you’ll have plenty experience!

CountZero
…a fit of the vapours

How very droll; I love that such language still gets used.

My understanding is that sea fishing records are very difficult to prove now. Most fish like this would be harmed/killed by weighing, mostly they have to bring the fish on to shore to weigh. This is mostly frowned upon now, so they determine a weight by taking various measurements.

One of my mates is/was the national “record” holder for Tope according to a magazine. It was a lot more recent than the record listed on most websites. Of course they have no real idea if it was a record as it was based on photographs of the fish and photographs of the measurements taken. Still he got sent a t-shirt and a hat from the magazine!

Eat the thing,don’t release it.
**** perverse to anything else.

I’d rather the thing ate you sbob.

I believe that some scientists have also recently caught a thresher shark in a similar manner, tagged it and released it.

The shark will be ok if it’s been handled well and not kept out of the water too long. They’re not deep water fish so no issues with pressure changes.

Biggest ‘shark’ I’ve caught thought was 35lbs so I’ve nae idea about the biggies

I’m of the understanding that general scientific consensus now believes that a sharks body can’t support its own weight out of water. This can result in internal injuries that can kill the shark long after release. I have no idea whether these fisherman handled the shark correctly or not but I hope the shark recovers after its ordeal. It’s a very impressive fish.

It didn’t do “Mary” any harm: she has since done tens of thousands of km, but she was probably handled as well as can be expected, by experts in their field.

I must admit to worrying about fish handled in this manner, by fishermen; partly for reasons mentioned by piha, but they are hardy creatures so hopefully won’t suffer long term.

Hope the shark is ok. Just spent the last 10 days swimming with loads of reef sharks. Beautiful to watch especially the slimmer white tips. Can’t imagine wanted to kill or even catch one – ditto the turtles – as they are so wonderful to admire in THEIR environment. Still all a bit hypocritical when I have eaten caught fish every evening too!!

Still all a bit hypocritical when I have eaten caught fish every evening too!!

I do think it’s a little different when we’re talking about apex predators and endangered species (apex or otherwise), due to the affect their reduction in numbers has on the environment. It’s already been proven that reintroducing wolves into areas they had previously been driven from has a very positive affect on the ecosystem as a whole, and sharks have a similar position in the oceans.

Rob Hilton – Member
CountZero
…a fit of the vapours

How very droll; I love that such language still gets used.
😀
I’m very fond of such turns of phrase, they make me smile, and I like to use them where appropriate for other people’s enjoyment.
English is full of such phrases, which seem to die out over time, so it’s fun to retrieve them from the dark corners where dust bunnies go to die and bring them blinking back into the light! 8)

sbob – Member

Eat the thing,don’t release it.

Never tasted a shark I liked tbh.