Family Catches Great White Shark During a Fishing Trip in Florida

A family from North Dakota went to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for a vacation. They went out on a shark fishing tour and had a close encounter with a great white shark.

Family Captured a Great White Shark

The family had a shark fishing tour with Good Hit Sport Fishing and had a rare encounter with the most fearsome shark - the great white.

In a clip from local news WSVN, the family's children can be heard saying it was the "best day ever." The footage showed the great white shark trailing behind their boat.

Shaun Jacobson, a member of the fishing trip, told the outlet that the shark hit the rod and took off. They knew that it was a huge fish, Newsweek reported.

The family reeled the shark for about 40 minutes. Jacobson said they alternated turns left and right, and after about 20 to 30 cranks, the next guy was on. Catching a great white shark is rare.

Boat captain Adam Reckert has been full-time captain for 20 years, and it was only the second time they caught one. His first great white shark catch was about 15 years ago.

Although it was rare to catch a great white only days ago, two fishing guides also reeled an 11-foot great white shark in Orange Beach, Alabama.

According to Joshua Moyer, an authority on white shark teeth affiliated with Yale University and the Atlantic Shark Institute, large fish like sharks are sought-after by anglers and are considered trophies. Many of the large white sharks have been fished out. Meanwhile, the population of white sharks around North America is still recovering thanks to the conservation efforts designed to protect them and their prey.

The family who caught the great white shark took photos of the monstrous sea creature. They then tagged, released, and returned it to the ocean.

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More About Great White Sharks

Florida is the shark attack hotspot of the United States. However, shark attacks rarely happen. The likelihood of being killed by a shark is only about one in 4.3 million. In fact, one is more likely to die from sun or heat exposure than by shark attack.

Great white sharks are huge and can grow up to lengths of up to 20 feet and weigh up to 5,000 pounds. However, they rarely reach that kind of size.

Meanwhile, the great white sharks are avoiding a certain spot in South Africa after two orcas — Port and Starboard — went on a shark-killing spree in February. The killer whales killed 17 sharks, all with missing livers.

The duo reportedly feasted on the great white sharks' livers because they are abundant with the compound called squalene, a precursor for producing hormones. The livers are also high caloric and can help them maintain their energetically expensive lifestyle.

Some experts are concerned that the absence of great white sharks due to the orcas attacking them would affect marine ecosystems. Without the great whites, seals can predate and critically endanger African penguins.