GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - An Alabama man has set a Mississippi shark record, beating the old one by nearly 75 percent.
The Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources says in a news release that on Tuesday it certified the 354-pound, 4-ounce (nearly 161 kilogram) bull shark caught by Brett Rutledge of Mobile, Alabama, as the new state record for that species.
The previous record was 203 pounds (92 kilograms), set last year.
Rutledge caught this one July 3, during the Mississippi Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo.
According to the Florida Museum , bull sharks average 200 to 290 pounds 200 (91 to 131.5 kilograms) and prefer shallow waters like those in bays, river mouths and estuaries.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature lists them as near threatened.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.