July 3, 2018 — A party of four fishermen looking for one brand of ocean predator encountered another — a great white shark — while fishing over a once-lost shipwreck 10 to 15 miles from the shoreline.
According to a crew member, the shark was hooked by accident Sunday with fishing gear and let go immediately.
Chris O’Neill of Little Egg Harbor said as soon as they identified the shark they cut the line and released it. O’Neill took a photo of the shark when it was near their 26-foot-long boat.
“There are a lot of rules and regulations when it comes to these sharks. As soon as we knew what we had we turned him loose,” said O’Neill.
Great white sharks are prohibited to be landed by fishermen and must be released if hooked.
O’Neill said they were not trying to catch a great white. His party was fishing for another species of shark called a mako, a popular game fish. In the video at the top, you can see all the giants of the sea that venture into the Jersey Shore’s waters.