Great white shark tagger on hook-removal process: ‘Your first mistake is your last’

Large hook looks tiny inside the gaping jaws of a great white shark. Photo: ©Keith Poe

By Pete Thomas

A photo shared recently on Facebook shows a prominent shark tagger reaching into the gaping jaws of a large great white shark to remove a hook used to reel the shark close to the boat.

“It’s not for the faint of heart,” Keith Poe, who tags sharks for the Marine Conservation Science Institute, said. “Your first mistake is your last.”

The shark was baited off Point Conception, a newly recognized great white shark “hot spot,” Poe said.

Keith Poe reaches into the mouth of a great white shark to extract a fishing hook. Photo: ©Keith Poe

The image reveals some of the danger associated tagging sharks so their movements can be tracked, and more can be learned about the mysterious predators. “I try and keep my hand outside of its mouth,” Poe explained. “I also watch them very closely and can usually tell if they’re going to try to move on me.”

Poe sent me another image showing the gaping jaws of a different, extraordinarily large white shark, along with the remark, “Notice how small the big hook looks inside this shark’s mouth.”

Undoubtedly, Poe keeps at ready disposal a sturdy, long-handled pair of pliers.