Scientists amazed by accidental Gulf catch of second-ever goblin shark

The extremely rare Goblin shark was accidentally caught up in a shrimp net off the coast of Key West, fishermen hoisted the ugly beast back into the water where it swam away. The extremely rare Goblin shark was accidentally caught up in a shrimp net off the coast of Key West, fishermen hoisted the ugly beast back into the water where it swam away. Photo: Carl Moore Photo: Carl Moore Image 1 of / 53 Caption Close Scientists amazed by accidental Gulf catch of second-ever goblin shark 1 / 53 Back to Gallery

Shrimpers fishing in the Gulf of Mexico have pulled up an incredibly rare, almost prehistoric looking goblin shark. It's only the second sighting of such a beast in the Gulf.

The freakish shark is one of the least-known of the shark family, usually living in deep waters off the coast of Japan. The goblin is so rare that the first Gulf sighting of one over 10 years ago resulted in a scientific paper being written.

The new shark, estimated to have been 18 feet long, was accidentally hauled up by shrimpers off the coast of Key West, Florida.

The crew had a net down in 2,000 feet of water and were shocked when they pulled up the usual barrel-load of shrimp. Mixed into their catch was the bright pink giant, which preceeded to thrash around on deck.

"I didn't even know what it was," said lifetime fisherman Carl Moore. "I didn't get the tape measure out because that thing's got some wicked teeth, they could do some damage."

Instead, Moore quickly hoisted the creature back into the water. It was only luck that any photos were taken as Moore had only just bought a cell phone with a camera.

"My 3-year-old grandson, he just loves sharks so I've been taking pictures of every one we find, when I showed him this one he said, 'Wow, Pappa!'" Moore said.

A Pink Giant

The goblin was picked up April 19, but it wasn't until yesterday that Moore got to report it to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administraion whose scientists were immediately desperate to know more.

"This is great news," said John Carlson, shark expert at NOAA. "This is only the second confirmed sighting in the Gulf, the majority of specimens are found off Japan or in the Indian Ocean and around South Africa."

The shark's pink color is unique in itself, but along with that it has a long snout that hides a rack of sharp teeth, which protrude out and give the shark its prehistoric look. That also earned it the nickname "living fossil."

The scientific community has been abuzz since news of the find came out on the NOAA website. Researchers are grafetul the shark was set free, but disappointed they won't get the chance to learn more about the mysterious deep-sea predator.

"We don't even know how old they get, how fast they grow," said Carlson. His best guess was that this shark was female and that shrimpers estimated it as 18 feet long, making it almost as big as any ever recorded.

Shark blogger and University of Miami marine biologist David Shiffman said at first he didn't even believe it would be possible that one would have turned up in the Gulf.

"At first I wasn't sure if it was even possible for this to happen, but then when the photos came through, it is undeniably a goblin shark. It's a shark ... that's pink!"

A Deep Sea Enigma

Shiffman said it's unclear exactly what causes the fish to have such a unique color but noted that at depth the color red appears black which would make the shark impossible to see. It would be ideal for sneaking up on unsuspecting dinners.

Among the few other details that researchers know is that the long snout contains electrical sensors so it can find prey even when it can't see or hear. Its most distinguishing feature has to be its jaw, which snaps out like a venus fly trap when unlucky fish get near.

"They are a very rarely seen animal that has not been studied enough, as soon as the news got out, I got more than 2 dozen requests for different measurements," said Shiffman noting that he also was very grateful it was released but at the same time sad that the details of the goblin will remain a mystery.

For Carl Moore, after 50 years of shrimp fishing, the shark is the highlight.

"The guys at NOAA said I'm probably one of only 10 people who've seen one of those alive," Moore said adding that there was no question in his mind about whether to release it.

"That's my ocean out there and anything in it concerns me..I know the value of trying to preserve things," Moore said.