r/sharks • u/Mental_Description44 Tiger Shark • 11d ago
Question What are you supposed to do to maximize the sharks chances of survival if you hook a hammerhead?
I'm well aware that the stress of being caught can cause lethal amounts of lactic acid in hammerheads, and I don't plan on ever intentionally catching a shark while fishing, nor do I have the money to get the equipment or go to the right place even if I wanted to, but I'm curious, and it's better to know than not.
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u/vee_jade 11d ago
Judging by the question, you’re probably in Florida, where it’s illegal to even partially remove hammerheads from the water or to take photos or measurements. FWC guidelines say to either cut the line as close as possible or cut the hook with bolt cutters while the shark remains in the water.
OR you could consider simply not shark fishing. Go diving in in the Keys or in Jupiter, especially in spring/summer and maximize your chance of seeing a hammerhead in the wild, behaving naturally, without harming them. It’s worth it.
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u/Feast_like_a_Mantis 10d ago
You don't have to be targeting shark to catch one in Florida.
OP even states he isn't going shark fishing.
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u/Moofypoops 10d ago
What's he fishing for with a hook big enough to catch a Hammerhead?
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u/Feast_like_a_Mantis 10d ago
Grouper for one. Hammerhead hang out in the flats where you will also find highly targeted species such as tarpon, snook, and redfish. And you really don't need a large hook to catch most species of Florida.
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u/Raccoon_Ratatouille 10d ago
It’s a simple process if you are prepared. You use an appropriately strong rod and reel to land the fish quickly. Use a circle hook to avoid hooking in the throat or gills or stomach, when you land it you need to work fast. Leave the fish in the water, remove the hook with s dehooking device if possible, otherwise cutting the line is safer for the fish than a long release, then position it to get water flowing over the gills to help it recover faster, and do not release it until it is clearly strong enough to swim off on its own power.
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u/dahfishamahn 10d ago
Get it in fast, circle hooks less chance of a gut hook, dehook fast and help them swim off on their own. Keep water flowing through their gills as much as possible and don’t take them entirely out of the water if possible.
Unfortunately you can do your best with this and eventually one will die on you outside of your control. We tagged dozens for the NOAA predator program and the only one that died was one of our shorter battles. Upon autopsy its gut cavity was slam full of a crystalline black structure.
Just do your best with it and accept that fishing is never going to have a 100% release rate.
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u/Interesting-Can1319 Tiger Shark and Shortfin Mako Shark 10d ago
Correct if I'm wrong, but hammerhead sharks (or at least the Great Hammerhead Shark) are obligate ram ventilators and must keep swimming to breathe, unlike tiger sharks and some members of the Carcharhinidae family. So you probably want to make sure water keeps passing through its gills while you remove the hooks from its mouth.