A deep-sea fisherman reeled in what is believed to be the first albino all-white shark from the depths. The fisherman took a quick photo of the rare catch before releasing it back into the water.
The fisherman, Jason Gillespie of England, was fishing with some friends near the Isle of Wight, off the coast of Britain, when he caught the three-foot tope shark. However, this shark was completely snow-white due to leucism, a condition where the skin loses all its pigmentation.
“I’ve been fishing for 30 years, and I’ve never seen one like that,” said Gillespie.
Although Gillespie admits that he would usually remove the hook and release the shark quickly, because it is a protected species, he made a slight detour. He brought the shark on board for a short photoshoot with the rare catch. The fisherman then released the shark into the sea to swim back down to the homey depths.
Gillespie said the shark was still in good health when he returned it to the water. He also adds how exciting it was to see the albino shark on the end of his line.
“What’re the chances? I have no idea. It’s the fish of a lifetime, one in a million.”
Rare Albino Shark
The Englishman is believed to be the only person to catch such a fish, but he says otherwise. Gillespie said that he has heard of a man off the coast of Wales to have reeled in a smaller white shark a few years ago. There is yet to be proof or documentary evidence of this, however.
Albino sharks generally do not live as long as their colored counterparts due to their lack of camouflage. They are seen as an easy target for hungry predators when swimming through the dark waters.
This shark has seemed to do well for itself so far, however.
[H/T TMZ]
