Catch of the day: Fisherman lands eight-foot shark after it leaps into back of his boat

It's the catch of a lifetime, but it's not clear whether a U.S. fisherman landed an eight-foot shark or it landed him.

Twenty-nine-year-old Jason Kresse of Freeport, Texas, says he and two crew members were dumping fish guts in the Gulf of Mexico at about 3.45am on Monday when they heard splashes in the distance and then something hit the side of their 25-foot boot.

A mako shark in an apparent rush to feed had jumped into the back and was thrashing around.


Kresse says the crew couldn't get close to the 375-pound fish to toss it back in the water.

It damaged the boat before dying of oxygen starvation several hours later.

Kresse says he went out looking for red snapper but he came back to his local dock with something he never could have dreamed of catching.

The mako shark is a terrifying creature since it resembles the deadly Great White Shark and its teeth are visible even when the mouth is closed.


Shortfin mako can reach speeds of up to 31mph, with bursts of up to 46mph. They can leap over 30ft in the air.

Kresse's catch is on display at a seafood business in Freeport, about 55 miles south of Houston.
The man says he plans to have it mounted.
Source:Dailymail