Great Hammerhead Sharks of Florida: Old Fish Tales, Fact and Conservation

Most hammerhead sharks are thought to be deep in the blue-ocean waters, far away from shore, not lurking around inlets, or washing up to the shoreline of Florida's gulf waters. But they are out there.

During the red-tide scare of 1999, lots of little sea creatures had washed up to the shore at Bradenton Beach, including a dead baby hammerhead. I saw the baby hammerhead while shelling at the beach, and was taken aback by the little fish that if alive, would have grown into a feared, yet majestic predator of the sea. To think that adult-sized hammerheads were actually in the local gulf waters - for a baby shark was birthed from a possibly very large female - was enough to keep me from going out more than waist deep. According to the local anglers, there are Great Hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna Mokarran) lurking throughout the waters of St. Petersburg and Sarasota, not far from Bradenton Beach.

On Anna Maria Island, the fishermen often pull up stingrays, and some lucky enough to snag a large tarpon have actually tried to catch shark, for bragging rights, if anything. Are there really giant hammerheads swimming around in the pretty waters of the gulf? Call it a Florida urban legend, but one may liken old fish tales to the Lockness Monster, except for the odd catch of an over-sized hammerhead, which proves that stories of great hammerheads in the gulf might hold some truth, unlike a mythical sea-monster in Scotland.

How common is the great hammerhead shark of Florida? A world record great hammerhead was once caught off Sarasota Florida, in the gulf. The shark measured fourteen-feet long and weighed 1,280 pounds. Unfortunately the hammerhead caught in Sarasota was pregnant, with fifty-five mostly full term pups inside its stomach. The fishermen gave it to the Mote Marine Aquarium/Museum in Sarasota, but controversy over killing the pregnant shark was evident, regardless of the scientific study that went into this record catch. Another big catch in Florida was a 750 pound hammerhead shark caught in 2006 in warm gulf waters at Boca Grande Pass, which is in the Ft. Myers area. The shark was not handed over to any local ichthyologists, but was buried under an orange grove after it was photographed with its captors.

The sport of fishing has been around for centuries in Florida. If fishermen continue to pillage the ocean for these great sharks, one day the Florida great hammerhead may soon become extinct, just like the fated alligator almost became back at the turn of the twentieth century, when poachers hunted continuously. Many fishermen catch and release, some in Florida and Texas even eat the meat, frying it up like catfish. But sport fishing, even legal, should be adherent to the laws of nature, respect and necessity.

The great hammerhead feed on tarpon. Fishermen argue they are saving the tarpon being eaten by the shark, and that tarpon hold more value economically as a food source. Yet the ethical and moral question is evident: if a shark is not used for scientific or medical purpose, what purpose is there in killing these creatures of the sea? Where does the word "sport" if not being re-released back into the water, even come into the equation?

Great hammerheads are not overabundant in Florida waters. They are not like other big game fish, such as tarpon or marlin, or even smaller hammerheads. Hopefully Florida fishermen will respect the animal, and do the right thing by releasing. If ungentlemanly behavior continues, the recreational hunter may just wipe out a unique species that has survived in gulf waters for decades. Local legends that have filled the imagination of Floridians in wonderment may become just that, a myth.