Great white shark hooked, set free on Manhattan Beach Pier

A great white shark measuring 8-9 feet was hooked Tuesday afternoon by an angler fishing for bat rays on the Manhattan Beach Pier, but the line was cut after the shark was reeled to the surface and the angler realized he had hooked a state-protected species.

Eric Martin, director of the Roundhouse Marine Studies Lab and Aquarium at the end of the pier, said the angler willingly cut the line to set the shark free.

In early July, a smaller white shark was reeled up from the same South Bay pier and Martin was able to persuade the angler to cut the line only after a heated argument and a call to local police.

Of Tuesday's incident Martin said, via email: "He actually kept it on the line long enough that I was able to click off a few photos. Then I told him I am cutting the line [and] he said go ahead!

"I also told him I will give him some photos. He was really happy then. So I guess the main thing was everybody came out ahead. The guy got to fight a great white shark. I got my photos, and the shark was free."

Martin added: "I have to say one thing that was funny: Seconds after the shark was set free a swimmer swam right in front of the shark and the shark went under the swimmer and the swimmer had no idea what just swam under him."

White sharks are protected in California. Unlawful take and possession is a misdemeanor and those in violation face possible jail time and hefty fines.

Juvenile white sharks utilize Southern California coastal waters as a nursery area. They feed mostly on small fishes and rays. White sharks are not considered particularly dangerous to swimmers and surfers until they reach about 12 feet and begin preying on seals and sea lions.

-- Image showing white shark hooked Tuesday from the Manhattan Beach Pier is courtesy of Eric Martin

Comments

[Online Nursery]

Wow, its good that you free the shark or else you will be pay for your sin. :D But still the shark is lucky because the man who caught it had sympathy to an endangered species. That's good job!

[geof]

stupid ignorant people who post how intelligent handling of dangerous animals (such as sharks) is "stupid" because our needs transcend ecological needs (with zero knowledge of how ecology works) need to become the shark bait for our next day of filming

morons, if anyone needs to die it's you pricks

[Gws]

Dude u swim with these sharks not fish all the time u jst dont know and by the sound of it your too stupid to understand what endangered species are and that they need to be protected

[Judd Dunning]

What a stupid Eco freak badgering the local fisherman.
Martin thinks its funny to protect this stupid fish when he put a swimmer in danger.
If he had any sense he would of got it out of the water and have it moved away from the swimmers or at least held it and cleared the swimmers first.
It's green Eco trash like Martin that thinks its funny that his bully Eco political correctness
is more important than local swimmers and children.
Pull it, clear the water responsibly then let it go.
Had that fish hurt someone he finds it funny. What an idiot .
Had I been there and my kids swimming nearby and his reckless actions enadangered my kids
they would have called the cops for a different reason.

[Lisa Thompson]

OMG. I swim in these waters every weekend. I can't believe how close it is. Scary. But yes beautiful & amazing creatures of the water.

[Gws]

Wtf I was surfing ten min away at hermosa pier around the same time and jst as I was ready to get out one of the various schools of fish jst all fly out Of the water and Iv seen fish jump before but never a six foot wide school of fish all at once so I got out amediatly and I'm glad I did lol

[ＥＹＯＮＯ]

Fantastic! Very nice photo too! As for the uneducated idiot stating GWS are pests, you need to get an education. Beyond ignorant. I　ａｇｒｅｅ　ｏｎ　ｔｈｅ　ｃｏｍｍｅｎｔ　ｏｆ　ｎｅｅｄｉｎｇ　ｃｏｎｔｒｏｌ　ｏｎ　ｓｅａｌｓ　ａｎｄ　ｓｅａ　ｌｉｏｎｓ！

[JSovacool]

Sharks deserve to live!!!! Stay out of their waters if you want no part of them!! They are not pests, they are beautiful creatures!! Sharks don't come to your home think they flipping own it and tell you to leave...get real!!! Shut your ignorant mouths and those who are being positive and sensible, kudos to you!!!! Stay out of the water if you have an issue with them or if you choose to go in don't bitch if you get bit you entitled whiners!!

[Pete Thomas]

Dano, Eric Martin called me with the story right after it happened. We know each other from way back. Local news has started to pick it up.

[Dano]

i don't understand why this wasn't on the local news ?!?!?!?

[ps lakey]

I don't get it...you cut the line of a great white while swimmers were near by? That is the stupidest thing I can imagine! I wonder if that swimmer had been attacked how this would have been handled? Any comments Eric?

[Robert]

That's awesome. Sharks are such an incredible animal. We used to fish for sharks off the 9 mile bank. Have had some fun days catching Mako's and Blue's. I would love to see a GWS in person. I am the proud owner of a Megalodon tooth. That tooth is what fueled my fascination with sharks. To answer the question about bait, I'm pretty sure he was using cut squid as that's what I use for ray fishing. To the idiot who says that GWS serve no purpose, you are close minded and ignorant. GWS are around to keep large marine life in check like seals and sea lions, something of which needs to be put in check down in San Diego.

[diowrite]

The Sharks serve little to no purpose and they are multiplying as a protected species. I think that there should be open-season on Coyotes and the Great White Shark for a while to reduce their populations. They are both useless and out-of-control pests.

[Adrian Meli]

Yikes! Good shot Eric, glad I wasn't swimming near-by :-)

[Qcsurf1]

Im curious of what the fisherman was using as bait? And what he was fishing for?

[kelly soto]

Thank you so much for making sure people set the sharks free! I only wish there were more people like you on every pier. And in our open waters, God Bless you!