Passengers on a recent Florida sportfishing charter witnessed up close the raw power of voracious bull sharks as they attacked a sailfish that had been reeled to the stern.
The accompanying footage, captured by Rhonda’s Osprey on Feb. 26 off Palm Beach, shows the chaotic moments after at least two bull sharks appeared after one of the crew had grabbed the wire leader in an attempt to safely release the sailfish.
“Grab its bill!” Capt. Joe Drosey is heard saying, only to bemoan moments later, “Ain’t nothing to grab now.”
First mate Sasha Lickle was closest to the action, smartly keeping her arms raised as she held the leader, watching helplessly as the sharks devoured the catch.
Drosey told the Miami Herald that this type of dramatic encounter is occurring more frequently as sharks have appear to have discovered that a hooked game fish is a lot easier to catch as a free-swimming game fish.
“Sailfish swim 65 mph, so they can’t catch them on their own,” Drosey explained. “It’s a huge problem. Three years ago, I’d say sharks ate 5 to 10 percent of the fish we caught. Last year, it was about 10 to 15 percent. This year, 25 percent of every one we catch are eaten.”
–Video courtesy of Rhonda’s Osprey, via the Miami Herald
