When four local young fishermen set out to throw their lines and bring
back their catch yesterday, little did they know it would be an adventure of
a lifetime as they got more than they bargained for. 7NEWS got the call late
Wednesday evening. When our news team arrived at the Vernon Street Bridge Fish
Market, a crowd had already gathered. What caught everyone’s attention,
even that of seasoned fishermen was a very unusual shark. And as you hear in
this following report from Jacqueline Godwin this is no ordinary fish story.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
You are looking at one of the largest deep water shark species in the world;
it’s the big eye thresher shark which can easily be identified by its
unusually long tail. An exotic and rare animal, but when we found it yesterday
evening it was just the catch of the day at the Conch Shell Bay Fish Market.
What this rare specimen was doing in Belize’s waters or how many more
are around is anybody’s guess. Marine researchers say sightings are rare
– because this type off shark is only found way offshore. This thresher
was caught just after two on Wednesday afternoon in five hundred feet of water
just outside of English Caye.
Tristan Goff, Fisherman who caught Thresher Shark
“When I see it, when it came out, when it surfaced, first time I see
in my life, I told my brothers like this, ‘what kind of shark is this,’
but it is the first time I saw one like this in my life.”
It took the fishermen brothers Harold, Tristan, and Devon Goff and one friend
over an hour to reel the big fish unto their eighteen-foot skiff.
Tristan Goff,
“It took four of us to haul it.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
Were you scared?
Tristan Goff,
“No we weren’t scared because we are usual fishermen, nothing
scares us. When we caught it, because of the force with which it was fighting
us, we wanted to see what it was – because it was fighting us like that.
It was strong.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“How did you reel it in?
Harold Goff, Fisherman who caught thresher shark
“Actually by hand, hand line. We hauled it with our hands and we didn’t
realize the size of it most of all until we caught it and we got it up to the
boat side and we saw it was so big.”
They discovered that the shark was a female and pregnant. A total of six eggs
were removed from its carcass.
Jacqueline Godwin,
So what will you do with the shark?
Harold Goff,
“Well we will fillet it and sell it.”
Tristan Goff,
“We are looking to sell that and make money.”
And before we could holler shark the fishermen wasted no time in filleting
their big catch of the day. Jacqueline Godwin for 7NEWS.
We understand that a team from the Wildlife Conservation Society visited
the Vernon Street Fish Market where samples of the dead thresher were taken
for genetic studies.
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