{"id":22534,"date":"2015-04-10T07:21:22","date_gmt":"2015-04-10T11:21:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.iloveshelling.com\/blog\/?p=22534"},"modified":"2020-01-21T13:13:41","modified_gmt":"2020-01-21T18:13:41","slug":"catching-jawnonia-the-sanibel-shark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iloveshelling.com\/blog\/2015\/04\/10\/catching-jawnonia-the-sanibel-shark\/","title":{"rendered":"Catching A Sanibel Shark With The Shark Wrestler"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Pam<\/a><\/p>\n

I caught a 200 pound LEMON SHARK!<\/p>\n

\"Pam<\/a><\/p>\n

Oh yes I did… and I reeled her in from about 500 yards from the beach.<\/p>\n

\"pam<\/a><\/p>\n

I may have reeled it in but…. Okay, to be fair… my friend Elliot Sudal- aka – “The Shark Wrestler” did everything else.<\/p>\n

\"Elliot<\/a><\/p>\n

Now don’t think because Elliot’s been named “The Shark Wrestler” and “The Shark Wrangler” by national press like National Geographic, CNN, Fox News and ABC News that catching this beast is “mean” or dangerous for the SHARK. He’s a SHARK conservationist.<\/p>\n

Elliot is part of a research team that tags SHARKS for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Since 1962, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)<\/strong> <\/a>Cooperative Shark Tagging Program (CSTP) has been a tagging study for shark and ray species in the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlantic Ocean to better understand their movement patterns, abundance, when\/where they use coastal habitats, what distances they migrate and where they migrate to. Once he catches a SHARK, he tags, measures and records valuable information for NOAA’s scientific research then releases the SHARK back into the water all within just a few minutes.<\/p>\n

\"shark<\/a><\/p>\n

Tagging SHARKS is an excellent way to study their habits to help ensure balance in the ocean\u2019s ecosystem… so why not have fun doing it! Check out this Fox Connecticut video interview with Elliot having fun catching and tagging SHARKS … CLICK HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

So what’s this got to do with shelling? Well, he might look a little familiar since he is one of the captains on our Captiva Cruises shelling trips<\/strong> <\/a>to Cayo Costa- remember the Shellphone guy (CLICK HERE<\/strong><\/a>)? Yes, he’s a sheller too and laughs every time he finds a nice shell like the BANDED TULIP in his cast net.<\/p>\n

\"Elliot<\/a><\/p>\n

Clark and I were shelling at Blind Pass Sanibel one evening and ran into Elliot setting up his reels for a night of SHARK fishing. Before I even got to reel in that awesome LEMON SHARK, Elliot had already done a lot of work to get the bait in place.<\/p>\n

\"Sanibel<\/a><\/p>\n

He wrangles bait fish like this SHEEPSHEAD by cast net.<\/p>\n

\"Elliot<\/a><\/p>\n

He also throws a few smaller rods out to catch fish like this LADYFISH to put on a circle hook (the preferred hook for marine conservation) with gobs of heavy duty line…<\/p>\n

\"Elliot<\/a><\/p>\n

Then he paddled his kayak out to the deeper water around 500 yards out while friend CJ Floyd watches the line.<\/p>\n

\"CJ<\/a><\/p>\n

So don’t worry! This line with the bait is nowhere near where we are shelling in the water. He paddles it waaaay out.<\/p>\n

\"Elliot<\/a><\/p>\n

I’ve gotta tell ya, this is one of the most amazing things Ive ever experienced. Finding a JUNONIA is truly a spectacsheller moment but feeling the exhilaration of Mother Nature’s most incredible creatures tugging on the other end of this fishing pole was FINtastic! I caught a SPINNER SHARK too but that one got away. Just after Clark snapped this photo, that fella shook the hook.<\/p>\n

\"Pam<\/a><\/p>\n

But that’s ok because the next bite was my 7 foot LEMON SHARK. Can you believe it? And yes, in person you can see that there is a yellow tinge to her… hence the name “Lemon”. (Thats for you, Rachel… heehee xo)<\/p>\n

\"Pam<\/a><\/p>\n

Elliot tagged her…<\/p>\n

\"Elliot<\/a><\/p>\n

Along with CJ, they measured and recorded her…<\/p>\n

\"Recording<\/a><\/p>\n

Then Elliot safely released her back into the water.<\/p>\n

\"Elliot<\/a><\/p>\n

I got to fill out all of the valuable information to send off to NOAA … and I got to name her!  Her new name?<\/p>\n

\"Shark<\/a><\/p>\n

Introducing….. Jawnonia!<\/h2>\n

Hahaha … and of course I had to see what she would look like with some JUNONIA spots on her- LOL<\/p>\n

\"Jawnonia<\/a><\/p>\n

Okay y’all…  I don’t want you to freak out about SHARKS being in the areas where we are looking for shells. First of all, most SHARKS Elliot catches are at dusk or later at night so most of us aren’t shelling off shore at those times. Secondly, the odds of you getting eaten by a SHARK are slim to none (and “Slim” just left town- as Clark would say). SHARKS are very smart creatures and humans aren’t what SHARKS want for dinner.<\/p>\n

SHARKS have gotten such a bad reputation since the movie Jaws<\/em> so I know that some people have a deep fear and\/or concern for SHARKS so let me answer some of the questions you may have.<\/p>\n

Yes- SHARKS live in the waters of Southwest Florida. We love to see all types of Sealife in the Gulf Of Mexico and we shouldn’t feel like it’s taboo to talk about SHARKS being there too. They are an important part of our healthy environment that we need to respect and protect.<\/p>\n

Yes- It is safe to swim in the Gulf Of Mexico. Honestly, I was a little afraid to write this post because I didn’t want people afraid of the water. If you know the truth about SHARKS then you will respect them more without being afraid of the “unknowing”. Knowledge is power. So if you look at the statistics of only 9 SHARK fatalities in Florida from 1959-2010, hopefully you will still respect SHARKS but will understand the safe odds you have with SHARKS when you go for a dip in the water in Florida. As George Burgess, curator of the world shark attack data housed at UF\u2019s Florida Museum of Natural History says “beachgoers are far more likely to win the lottery than to (unintentionally) encounter a shark”. For more statistics – check out Florida Museum Of Natural History<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

And here are a few fun facts about SHARKS to sink your teeth into…<\/p>\n