4 Feet Shark Leaves Fisherman Badly Injured

A man on fishing trip got a huge shark of 4 feet on the line. Not having any other way to set it free he pulled the shark in on board. Another man on the boat attempted to unhook and all of a sudden the shark bit his arm leaving him badly injured, though not life threatening. The incident happened yesterday and the boy has undergone operations and is now recovering according to the hospital.


Photo: shark bites off a fisherman's catch in Addu Atoll, Maldives

Illath, the youg man who got bitten, works at a resort in Maldives. He says he is inexperienced in fishing and was following instructions from another man.

On this fishing trip they wanted to catch sail fish and wahoo. But, another man caught this big shark and asked for his help to set the shark free. It was then the inexperienced young man attempted to unhook and set the shark free. But, before that the shark bit him on his right arm which turned to a severe injury.

Because of shark protection there are so many sharks in the seas of Maldives. Fisherman often catch them while trying to get other fish. Setting them free is no easy thing.

In my experience what many fishermen do is cut off the line and let the shark go with the hook still on it. This may not be the best way to handle the situation, but it is definitely better than getting bitten or killing the shark. It seems even the experienced fisherman do not like attempting on live sharks.



After the incident many on the social media claims sharks are now over populated in the Maldives and the protection of shark needs to be lifted for some time.

Some years back shark fishing was quite common in the Maldives. But, animal rights groups criticized the act saying shark fining was unacceptable.

Back then the fishermen used to cut off fins and release the sharks. Animal rights groups say this kills them as they would not be able to swim without fins, hence no way to get fed.

Shark has a very flexible body. It could turn its head and bite its own fail fin if it wanted. While it is so flexible it could also perform very quick movements. That makes sharks dangerous when it is live and out of water.

If you want to unhook a shark you must restrain the animal first. I have seen people using jute bags to securely tighten them. Then they inserted a wooden stick in the mouth so that it could not close its jaws while fisherman attempts to unhook. This technique worked when hook was on the side of mouth, not deep in.

I have not known of any shark attack that happened in the sea in Maldives, except a few that happened as a result of feeding. Sharks have really bad vision and when you attempt to feed they mistakenly bite you. That's what happened to a guest who tried feeding baby sharks in the Maldives. Luckily he was in the shallows and was able to run quickly to the beach.

If you know a better way to set free a shark caught on fishing line please write to us. Otherwise click the share button and that may lead to someone know does know.



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