I thought this was a good take on the situation. I wonder though how you could establish record status with catch and release. . . .here's the article:
Landed shark
Next time, captain, consider catch and release
It takes a big fish to pull a boat 12 miles.
The hammerhead shark that Bucky Dennis hooked Tuesday off Boca Grande and boated five hours later was a very big fish: 14.5 feet long, 1,262 pounds.
The 36-year-old charter boat captain is waiting to hear from sportfishing officials if the hammerhead is a new world record.
A 991-pound hammerhead caught in 1982 north of Midnight Pass in Sarasota County has stood as the record ever since.
Because Dennis didn't have anywhere to put the mammoth fish, he donated it to Mote Marine Laboratory. Scientists will study the shark, and visitors to the Sarasota facility's exhibits might get to see the awe-inspiring shark -- preserved.
Dennis says he now wants to catch an even bigger shark and sell it to the highest bidder on e-Bay.
If he catches a bigger shark -- or a smaller one -- here's a better idea: Let it go.
Many sportfishermen routinely release the fish they hook. Those anglers embrace a catch-and-release ethic that started taking hold decades ago. Smart charter captains reinforce that ethic to preserve both their careers and fish species.
To keep a hammerhead is not against the law. But why not let it go free?
More and more people release sharks they catch, the Fort Myers News-Press was told by Rob Kramer, president of the International Game Fish Association.
Some species of sharks -- including great whites -- are protected by law. It could be time to expand the list to include more species of sharks -- including the big hammerheads that arrive this time every year around Boca Grande to feed on tarpon.
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Topic: monster hammerhead shark caught (Read 3698 times)