California Angler Reels in 736-pound Mako Shark Off Malibu

July 22, 2010

From this story on KABC TV:
A Southern California sport fisherman had an amazing catch on Sunday. Eric Downs of Northridge was sport fishing, about 30 miles off the coast of Malibu on Sunday when he spotted an 11-foot shark.

Downs went out to sea to track down and catch an often elusive, and always dangerous, prey. He found it just after 2 p.m.

Using tuna as bait, he soon drew the attention of a shortfin mako shark. As an avid sport fisherman, Downs wanted to claim his catch under the rules of the International Game Fishing Association. That meant he could only use the rod and reel to catch it. Using a 100-pound line, Downs battled the shark for more than an hour. It finally came close enough to be brought on board the boat.

The shark proved to be a formidable and hefty adversary. When the shark was finally hauled in to the Marina Del Rey harbor, it weighed in at 736 pounds. That's far from a record, but Downs managed a very impressive catch as he prepares for an upcoming mako shark fishing tournament in Oxnard.

Attacks on humans by shortfin mako sharks are rare, but by all accounts a mako shark is a pretty serious fish. It can swim at speeds of up to 46 miles per hour and leap 30 feet in the air.

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from countitandone wrote 5 weeks 6 days ago

Downs is at it again. He is THE IGFA living legend and enters tournaments he considers a challange. I saw him take first in Hawaii this past summer. Oh yeah, the prize money in the Oxnard competition...

My money is on him.

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from alohamaui wrote 5 weeks 6 days ago

These competitions are unsustainable. Catch and release is the only way... It's a terrible shame this amazing creature is dead now for some retarded competition. We don't have many sharks left and over 100 million per year are dying... How is this any better than shark fining?

I think anyone who cares about the planet wouldn't catch sharks for sport...

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from steve182 wrote 5 weeks 5 days ago

Nice catch. That's a lot of tasty Mako steaks

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from jamesti wrote 5 weeks 5 days ago

not sure where i stand on the issue of killing fish for tournaments. there should be another use for them if they are killed. i just don't know enough about something like this to condemn the fishermen.

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from Blue Planet Society wrote 5 weeks 5 days ago

I was extremely surprised that an outdoor sport magazine, that I assume wants to have sharks to catch in the future, does not condemn the fact that this shark was killed. Many sharks are on the verge of extinction and the shortfin mako is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN.

Saying that the shortfin 'are always dangerous' is misleading to say the least. They are fish eaters and there has not been one recorded attack by a short ifn mako shark on a human.

If you take a look at these pictures http://blueplanetsociety.blogspot.com/2010/07/protect-sharks-before-its-... they may give you an idea of the current plight of sharks.

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from Blue Planet Society wrote 5 weeks 5 days ago

Correction: There have been eight recorded unprovoked shortfin mako attacks on humans with only 1 fatality between 1580 and 2008 (428 years!). I believe the fatality was a spear fisherman, so I use the word 'unprovoked' with reservation.

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from jamesti wrote 5 weeks 5 days ago

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from countitandone wrote 5 weeks 6 days ago

My money is on him.

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from steve182 wrote 5 weeks 5 days ago

Nice catch. That's a lot of tasty Mako steaks

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from alohamaui wrote 5 weeks 6 days ago

I think anyone who cares about the planet wouldn't catch sharks for sport...

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from Blue Planet Society wrote 5 weeks 5 days ago

Saying that the shortfin 'are always dangerous' is misleading to say the least. They are fish eaters and there has not been one recorded attack by a short ifn mako shark on a human.

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