THERE is an email doing the rounds over the Internet claiming this giant ''great
white'' shark was hooked just off Rottnest.
Under a heading Rottnest, Western Australia, the email
starts off: "While the ocean vessel 'Pirate' was commercial fishing for dhufish,
this Great White Shark was hooked in the mouth.
"It only resisted
slightly for 5 minutes before it came up alongside the boat to have a look; just
long enough for one of the crew members to slip a rope around it's tail!
"And that's when the fun began. The shark took off towing the 35-foot
fishing boat backwards through the water at an estimated 7 knots.
"Just
like in JAWS, the boat was taking on water over the stern and the crew watched
in horror as the shark would actually jump completely out of the water at
times.
"This went on for an hour before the shark finally drowned. She
weighed in at 1035 pounds It is suspected she followed a weak El Nino current
into local Perth waters in search of food. Although mid 20 degree water is
considered ideal for these sharks, the larger ones can tolerate water in the low
10s.''
It looks genuine enough, but thankfully, this shark was not
caught in WA waters.
According to the website Hoax-Slayer, the shark is a shortfin mako, caught off
Nova Scotia, Canada in 2004.
NOTE: The tail fin compared to the size of the man.
http://www.surfcontestinfo.com/