On November 13th, 2010, the R.J. Dunlap Program encountered a shortfin Mako shark in the Atlantic waters off of the Florida Keys. These majestic creatures are thought to be the fastest swimming sharks in the world and generally remain in temperate and cold waters. Seeing a Mako in South Florida was certainly a rare and special event.

While pulling in a baited underwater camera setup, Captain Curt Slonim spotted a Mako shark swimming around the boat. The crew quickly assembled an extra line and baited circle hook, which they threw overboard toward the shark. With some luck and quick thinking, we hooked the shark and safely brought it to the back of the boat. While still in the water, it was retrofitted with a SPOT satellite tag, soon thereafter swimming away in excellent condition. Since that day out on the water, MAST Mark Mako has transmitted dozens of signals with GPS coordinates.

To view the satellite tracks, visit rjd.miami.edu/learning-tools/follow-sharks/track-markmako.html.