SARASOTA - Theater-goers at this southwest Florida marine attraction and research laboratory (Mote) were attending a rare event: an all catch-and-release, big-money, science-centered shark fishing tournament broadcast from the water.
Photo: Sue Cocking / Miami Herald Staff
The scientists on the big screen -- Robert Hueter, director of Mote's Center for Shark Research, and colleagues Jack Morris and John Tyminski -- were busy fitting the shark with a satellite tracking tag the size of a large cigar. After they finished drilling and secured the tag, they removed a lasso from around the shark's tail and set it free. It hovered disoriented on the surface for a few seconds, then swam away.
"Outstanding,'' Hueter said later.