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Tag: Gulf Coast

  • Mako Shark Landed in Gulf May Break Record

    Ernie Polk and his cousin Joey Polk landed a shortfin Mako shark off the Floridian Gulf Coast while surfcasting Tuesday, and the fish might be a world record catch. The two spent over an an hour reeling in the 11-foot-long, 805 pound beast directly onto shore, and didn’t disclose the exact location to ward off other fishermen.

    Ernie Polk commented to the The Pensacola News Journal, “That’s probably the best fish we ever caught.” The cousins already hold a combined three world records from the International Land-Based Shark Fishing Association. Ernie Polk captured his first shortfin Mako world record in 2009, reeling in a fish that weighed 674 pounds, at just over 11 feet long. In 2010, Polk landed a 10-foot-9-inch tiger shark that weighed in at 928 pounds, only to have his record beaten the following month by cousin Joey, who caught a 12-foot-9-inch tiger shark weighing 949 pounds.

    The shortfin Mako shark, or Isurus oxyrinchus, which means”sharp nose,” is the fastest of all sharks, and can swim at a sustained 25 miles per hour. They are also high jumpers, sometimes leaping up to 30 feet out of the water, making them highly sought after as game fish. Mako sharks are also prized for their meat, which is commonplace in supermarkets in the northeastern United States. The present world record of an offshore catch of a Mako is an 11-foot-long, 1,323 pound specimen caught off of Huntington Beach, California.

    Here is a clip concerning the record catch:

    The Polks typically release the sharks they catch, but in the case of the Mako, the fight to reel it in had left it too exhausted to swim back out to sea. The Florida cousins loaded the fish into the back of a pickup, and drove it home.

    After clearing some legal paperwork, they plan to sell the meat at market. Ernie commented, “It’s a $10-per-pound fish at the fish market. It’ll sell right along with tuna and swordfish. Between all of us, there won’t be a bit wasted.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Tropical Storm Karen Weakens En Route to Gulf

    Good news for Gulf Coast residents. Tropical Storm Karen has weakened and according to The National Hurricane Center Karen’s maximum sustained winds have dropped to 40 mph, diminishing its potential impact to the region. The center reported on Saturday afternoon that the storm was stalled about 130 miles south-southwest of Morgan City, La .

    A tropical storm warning is still in effect from Morgan City, LA as well as the Gulf region of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Though a storm warning is likely to be in effect through Sunday, forecasters expect the storm’s energy to continue to dissipate. Rain build up is expected to reach 1 to 3 inches over the central Gulf Coast and southeastern U.S. by Monday night, with scattered areas  reaching up to 6 inches.

    At the hurricane center in Miami, forecasters said the storm no longer had a chance of strengthening into a hurricane.

    On Friday at state of emergency was declared in  Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and Alabama. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Interior Department recalled workers, that were affected by the government shutdown, to assist state agencies in preparation for the storm. Mandatory evacuation were also ordered by state and local officials – but that was Friday.

    Now that the threat has diminished surfers at Florida’s Pensacola Beach, were taking advantage of the big waves that reached as high as 8 feet. Officials are however, still advising the public to exercise caution.

     

     

  • Rig Blowout Leads To Evacuation Of 47 Workers

    As of late, the gulf coast has become more well-known for oil spills and natural disasters than its natural beauty and once bountiful fishing and shrimping. A major oil spill in 2010 caused major damage to the area, damage that is still being dealt with.

    The latest event is this line of tragedy occurred today as a blowout on a natural gas rig off of the Louisiana coast lead to an unexpected leak. The blowout occurred 40 miles south and 15 west of Grand Isle at about 9:50 a.m.

    In the wake of the leak 47 workers on the rig were evacuated. No injuries or fires have been reported in relation to the leak and the gas released is expected to dissipate with minimal impact. The Coast Guard has been monitoring the resulting gas cloud from the air.

    The rig, which is owned by the company Hercules Offshore, was said to be working on completing what is called a “sidetrack-well” in the industry. “Sidetrack-wells” are used to reenter gas wells and are usually used when the original entry becomes damaged.

    Hercules has yet to release full details of the event, but it looks as if it will be less harmful to the area than past spills.