An Australian fisherman named Matthew caught a massive 18-foot tiger shark off the coast of Nine Mile Beach early last month. The shark caught the attention of social media due to its massive size, sparking conservationist groups to demand who the fisherman responsible for the catch was.
Many mistook the shark for a great white due to its enormity, but spokesperson Karl Goodsell of the Byron Bay-based group Positive Change for Marine Life says the animal is definitely a tiger shark, a species which can grow up to seven meters (22 feet) long. Although the shark’s great size sparked the photos to go viral, Matthew believes that his catch wasn’t hugely impressive. He tells The Northern Star, “I’ve dived with sharks bigger than that, it’s only a little one.”
Matthew explains that his original goal was to catch a hammerhead shark, which was instead swooped up by the tiger shark before he hauled it in. He says, “I was fighting the Hammerhead and he came up and swallowed it”—which explains the tiger shark’s bloated figure.
Karl Goodsell, from Positive Change for Marine Life, calls himself both a surfer and a conservationist. His goal is to reach out to the public and help them understand the impact shark poaching has on the environment. He explains,
Summer of 2015 has proved to be an impressive year for large catches. Earlier this month, a South Carolina fisherman hooked a massive 800-pound tiger shark while a Hawaiian fishermen hooked a 1,368-pound marlin off the coast of Hawaii.
[via The Northern Star]