Three Florida Fishermen made the catch of a lifetime, an 805-pound shark, but it won’t be put in record books, according to the new rules of the International Land-Based Shark Fishing Association.
Joey Polk, along with his cousins Earnie Polk and Kenny Patterson spent over an hour reeling in the 11-foot-long Mako Shark on April 15, but tried to keep their discovery a secret.
"We just want to save our sport. The more people that know about it, the more people that crowd our beach, with hundreds of people swimming. That's not what we want," Joey Polk said to NBC West Palm.
The discovery was made after someone took a photo of Polk at a gas station with the shark in his trunk, the affiliate reported.
Polk and his cousins are avid fishermen; cousin Earnie Polk often posts to the local South Florida Shark Club documenting fishing tips and experiences.
Joey Polk says he has been fishing since he was little and fishing secrets have been passed down in his family from generation to generation.
“It’s probably the best feeling you’ve ever felt in your whole life a thousand times over,” Polk told NBC West Palm about the shark catch.
The ILBSFA, however wont credit Polk for his catch. In a 2012 release the association said they will no longer promote or accept applications for sharks that were not released back into the ocean after being tagged.
Naturally, Polk is upset by the associations decision, and called it “a bunch of bull” in an interview with the Houston Chronicle. Polk used the shark to feed his community. Polk said in a report with NBC West Palm, that about 95 percent of their catches get tagged and released.
The ILBSFA was the first, and remains the only organization to certify world records for sharks anglers release back into the wild.
NBC West Palm contributed to this report