Porbeagle Shark Saved off Maine Coast from Deadly Plastic

According to CNN.com, Dr. James Sulikowski was off the coast of Maine looking to tag porbeagle sharks for research, but what they discovered was heartbreaking. Sulikowski and his team came upon a porbeagle shark that was nearly 7 feet in length that was slowly being cut by a plastic strip that circled her neck. Dr. Sulikowski believes that the plastic ring had been wrapped around the shark’s neck for years.

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As she grew it kept cutting into her flesh and eventually into her muscle around her gills. Luckily for that porbeagle shark, the right researcher discovered her. They were able to cut away the plastic ring, which appeared to be from a commercial bait box according to the CNN story. Sulikowski and his team were able to collect samples and tag the shark and he tells CNN that she “is alive and well and transmitting like a champ.”

The team was out doing research because Sulikowski said “Due to the state of their population, we are collaborating with [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] fisheries to provide updated information on the biology, ecology, and movement patterns of the shark,” per reporting by CNN.com.  The team has named the porbeagle Destiny and will continue to track her movements and activity. Dr. Sulikowski is a professor of marine science at the University of New England.