Record tiger shark caught near Marco Island

Mark Stock landed what he said is a record class tiger shark on April 25 while fishing off Marco Island with charter Captain Ben Olsen. The creature measured 14 ½ feet.

The current state record is a 1,065-pound tiger shark measured at 12 ½ feet and caught out of Pensacola waters in 1981. Stock’s shark was estimated to weigh more than 1,100 pounds, but its exact weight will never be known as it was immediately released.

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Olsen said he’s caught tiger sharks exceeding 12 feet but “this shark was truly special, and our number-one priority was to get her released in good shape, as quickly as possible.”

Beth Deacy, a biologist with NOAA Fisheries Panama City Lab and head of its shark-tagging program, told Stock that based on this shark’s length in comparison with similar sized tigers, she would most likely put its age between 15 and 20 years.

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