bertram31.com

I heard this on the news last night then found it on the internet this morning. The Gulf gets a little more strange every day. I have had sharks, big sharks, come up to my boat in our chum line but never actually attack our boat.

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. -- A crew aboard a shrimping boat were rescued after a group of bull sharks rammed and bit the vessel until it eventually sank off the Florida coast, according to an Associated Press report.

Captain Roger Schmall said a group of sharks had been slamming into the Christy Nichole's hull for four days. But then a 14-foot bull shark broke the boat's tail shaft, leaving Schmall and his crew of two adrift about 100 miles off the coast.

Schmall radioed for help, and another vessel picked the crew up about two hours later.
Schmall remained aboard his ship to pump water out while the other boat pulled it back to land. He said it was working for a couple of hours, but the waves eventually took their toll on Schmall's boat and the boat sank.


http://www.local6.com/news/10942485/detail.html

Harry Babb

sounds very sensationalized to me... I'm sure there was an incident, but this sounds like the media really hyped it up. A school of bull sharks trying to ram and sink a shrimper? Come on... They were probably slowly taking on water for days, and their catch/hold was leaking out making for a serious chum line... or something.
But the day bull sharks start working cooperatively to problem solve (like 'raptors' in Jurassic Park), is the day I quit going out in small boats- which is never.

And I've never seen or heard of a "14 foot" bull shark, especially one that could break a shaft.

Down here we, consider every wooden shrimpboat we see a snapper reef waiting to happen.

I don't think that was Bull Sharks...I think it is Bull S!*&

I gotta' agree with the others, it just ain't so...

On average, adult males are about 7 feet (2.1 m) long weighing 200 pounds (90 kg). Adult females are about 11.5 feet (3.5 m) long weighing 500 pounds (230 kg).

A 14 footer would be a world record for sure, but staring down on a 10 foot shark would be kinda' like looking down the muzzle of a mugger's gun; probably looks bigger than it is. And those guys ARE fishermen; fisherman lie; you can tell when by watchin' for mouth movement.

The only "co-operative" effort from a group of sharks is maybe balling bait.

The crew was probably high on weed, the reporter was gullible as hell, and the editor needed something to fill print space.

Assuredly a "Jaws" myth... Where's Roy Schieder, Robert Shaw,and Richard Dreyfuss when you need 'em?

Br,

Patrick

Been on a lot lof shrimp boats, few of which could not find drugs or party favors. even the small shrimp boats, 50 footers, I don't buy the sharks rammed my boat story. I heard the shaft was knocked out version of the story. It's called coral and yes, that could knock the shaft out. Short of that, if a 500-1200 foot pound diesel can't break the shaft a shark sure wouldn't. I will see if I can get the cooridinate for some good bottom fishing.