Watch: Rusty Hook Removed From 7-Foot Shark’s Mouth

A boat captain came to the rescue of a seven-foot shark with a rusty hook stuck in its mouth last month off Sanibel Island in Florida.

Elliot Grant Sudal, 29, came across the shark during an excursion with his girlfriend and two of his friends to the Sanibel Island in November.

As an NOAA Apex predator tagging program, Sudal is required to “tag” sharks, in order to track their migration routes, reproduction, and growth patterns. He was about to tag the shark seen in the video when he noticed a rusty hook stuck in its mouth.

That is when he guided the shark to the shallow waters near the beach and jumped into the water to remove the hook hanging inside its jaws. His efforts were captured by his girlfriend in a one-minute video clip.

"It is very common to catch sharks with old rusty hooks stuck in their jaws, most from commercial fishing lines, and I've removed up to five hooks from one shark before,” Sudal said, Inside Edition reported. “Hooks don't simply 'rust away' like people think and barbless hooks and 'circle hooks' are safer and easier to remove. Only experienced anglers should attempt shark fishing as it carries many dangers — for the fisherman and the shark."

Sudal said that there was a proper way to tag sharks so that these creatures are not hurt in any way.

“Shark fishing entails kayaking large baits hundreds of meters from the beach and dropping them off, as the rod and reel remain on the beach,” he said. “When a shark is hooked, the angler fights the shark from the beach, eventually getting them into the shallows where the hook can be removed and the shark can be tagged, measured, photographed and released.”

Sudal added that since “sharks are more active in low light conditions,” most of “shark taggers” prefer working in the night.