A great hammerhead shark found lolling dead in the surf in Jupiter during the weekend is at least the sixth discovered this year in Florida, including one that wasbrutally mutilated with its fin and tail cut off.
The hammerhead spotted by Jupiter resident and musicianChristopher Ray on Aug. 1 had no obvious outward signs of trauma that could have led to its death.
But hammerheads are particularly vulnerable to dyingafter strugglingon a fishing line, and it’s not uncommon for their bodies to be found hours or days after being snagged by an angler.
“I see a lot of crazy stuff on the beach, but I never really expected to see this,” Ray said of the shark he found south of the Jupiter Beach Resort.
Dead hammerheads have also been found this year in Hobe
Sound, Juno Beach, Venice, Naples, and Atlantic Beach.
And while no blame has been assigned for the hammerhead deaths, shark experts and some conservationists worry that shore-based shark fishing may have played a role.
“A natural death is not something we can rule out, but I can say it’s very unlikely,” said Spencer Roberts, a University of Miami shark scientists, PhD student and director of the non-profit organization Fish Defender. “Sharks sink when they die. If every shark that died in the ocean floated around, they would be all over the beach.”
Even if a shark is released off a fishing line and swims away, it can be so exhausted from the fight that it may still die.
Can Florida cities and counties make their own rules about shark fishing?
Great hammerhead sharks are considered a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and are prohibited from harvest in Florida waters.
If a hammerhead ends up on an angler’s line, the shark must remain in the water with gills submerged and be immediately released, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. If removing the hook from a shark will delay the release, the hook or leader should be cut.
Saturday’s dead hammerhead comes as FWC has said cities and counties cannot make their own rules about people fishing for sharks from the beach:
- Miami Beach banned land-based shark fishing this year.
- Marco Island was considering a measure that would ban nighttime fishing from the beach, but was told in April it could violate the limits of their authority.
- Martin County was ordered by FWC to repeal its rules, which are aimed at protecting guarded beaches. Commissioners are expected to discuss it at a future meeting.
Roberts believes the move by municipalities to ban or restrict shore-based shark fishing was gaining momentum and FWC “saw the writing on the wall” and decided to overrule any changes in that direction.
Now Roberts is turning his attention to restricting the use of drones during shark fishing where the drone carries a fishing line and bait out farther than what could be traditionally reached by someone from the beach. The drones are also used to locate sharks.
Last year, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Departmentconcluded that the Federal Airborne Hunting Act, which was first enacted in 1956, prohibits the use of aircraft, including drones, to aid in fishing.
“It’s a big issue,” Roberts said.
Michael O’hagan, who posted photos of the mutilated shark on Juno Beach to social media, said while the disfigurement was awful, the base concern is the death of the shark.
He wasn’t surprised to hear another dead great hammerhead was found in Jupiter.
“Same species, same problem,” O’hagan said. “These aren’t dying out at sea and washing up on the beach. They’re dying in very shallow water.”
FWC opened an investigation on the shark O’hagan found and offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. It did not respond to a request for an update early Monday, Aug. 3.
Kimberly Miller is a journalist for the USA TODAY NETWORK FLORIDA. She covers weather, the environment and critters as the Embracing Florida reporter. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at palmbeachpost.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Hammerhead shark found dead in Florida as death toll grows to 6 in 2026
