Article Courtesy: yahoo.com | Originally Published: 12/11/2024 | Please click here for original article.

As surfers, we try to tell ourselves that Great Whites live “out there” and don’t come into the surf zone. Drone footage in recent years has dispelled much of that notion, and now a Florida fisherman has gone further in proving that the sharks are, in fact, “right there,” catching what’s estimated to be a 9- to 10-foot Great White straight off the beach.

Using the head of a black fin tuna for bait, fisherman Alberto Vanegas was casting from shore at Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, hoping to land a bull shark. But after a 30-minute fight, when Vanegas got the fish onto the beach it became clear it was a Great White shark.

“Yesterday was simply unforgettable,” Vanegas told First Coast News. “What started as a normal Tuesday, fishing at my favorite spot on Amelia Island, turned into a monumental catch for myself and for land-based shark fishermen.”

On Facebook, Vanegas explained that he “will continue to honor land-based shark fishing and conservation of these magnificent animals.”

It’s unclear if the shark was eventually released back into the ocean.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, in the ten years between 2008 and 2017, commercial fishermen harvested an average of 1,000,000 pounds of shark each year. An average of 477,000 sharks per year were caught on the East Coast and 723,000 caught on the West Coast during this time.

In Florida, anyone over 16 years old is required to have a free, annual Shore-based Shark Fishing permit to fish for sharks. It is illegal to catch or kill Great Whites in California.

Situated north of Jacksonville, Fernandina Beach and Amelia Island enjoy fairly wide open swell exposure and are home to dependable, scattered beachbreak setups. Too much swell and things start to close out, but when it’s in the playful zone, there’s fun to be had here.