MORE Bull Sharks Caught in Potomac River

During Shark Week, I posted about the fact that bull sharks have been caught in an unlikely place: the Potomac River.  That post was based on a 2010 report about a fisherman who’d captured one of these aggressive sharks in the Maryland portion of the river, not far outside of my home, Washington DC.

Well, guess what?  This week he caught two more.

From the somdnews.com report:

“Scotland waterman John “Willy” Dean caught two bull sharks Tuesday morning in the lower Potomac River….

They discovered the first shark at 6:30 a.m. and found another swimming in the pound net enclosure at the same time. They pulled out the first shark, which was already dead, and the other fish in the net. They went back later at 11 a.m. to pull up the other shark, which was dispatched on board….

Both sharks were male, weighing about 220 pounds each, Greg Dean said. One was 8 feet long, the other 8 feet, 3 inches, he said.“

Bull sharks are considered one of the more dangerous species, due to their high levels of testosterone, their habit of hunting in murky waters close to shore, and their ability to live in fresh and salt water (hence they’re ability to survive in the Potomac River). They account for a signicant portion of shark bites.

That said, your chances of being bitten or killed by any shark are extremely small.

It’s not about the animals. It’s about the way animals make us feel. Watch the latest Animal Planet videos and full episodes. Surprisingly Human.

animal.discovery.com/videos/http://animal.discovery.com/videos/