Dead hammerhead found on Bonita Beach

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Dead hammerhead found on Bonita Beach



By Andrea Stetson • special to news-press.com • September 22, 2010

A dead 6-foot hammerhead shark found Tuesday on Bonita Beach will become part of several studies by scientists at FGCU.

Bob Wasno, coordinator of the Vester marine lab field station for FGCU, believes the hammerhead was caught by fishermen, kept out of water too long, then released only to die.


“It was a healthy specimen before it was caught,” said Mike Parsons, FGCU professor of marine science and director of coastal watershed institute. “It might be rare in terms of encountering it right after it died. It must have died near shore, and the currents brought it right in.”

That perfect condition meant the shark could be used for many studies.

“It’s a beautiful fish,” Wasno said. “We’ll use what we can get out of him.”

FGCU scientists will look at what’s in the shark’s stomach.

“It’s a tool to help reconstruct what they are eating,” Parsons said.

They also will study its liver, guts and tissue.


Wasno said fishermen love to take pictures of sharks they have caught. The one Tuesday had a fishhook in its mouth, so it had been recently caught and released. But Wasno advises fishermen not to keep a caught shark out of water too long or it will die.


“I know it’s a great thing for them to have pictures,” Wasno said. “But take the picture quickly and put it back in the water as soon as possible. These guys don’t do well out of water for a long time.”