Weird Mako

[Chuck D]

I caught a Mako (I think) on the Yak the other day (La Jolla) and got a good underwater shot of it. The weird thing is that the Makos dorsal fin looked really strange like it had a big bite out of it and red strings dangling off the back. Has anyone ever seen this before? What do you think it is??? Heres the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTHJyuHMwSY

[MrM]

That looks strangely similar to photos of tail rot on halibut. Maybe the same thing here? What'd you do with it?

[Chuck D]

Yea, could be. Let him go, I don't kill sharks.

[dos ballenas]

parasitic copepods....you see them on most makos, but usually not that bad. poor lil guy!

[Drake]

Chuck, did you cut that line or did it snap?

[Chuck D]

Thanks Owyn, you always got the answers!
The Makos teeth eventually cut the line, I wasn't going near those teeth anyways:o He can keep the hook.

[BigBalsa]

Unusual to see a shark with fins of any sort these days...

[ashmoz]

Same red stuff on the one we caught on sat...

[smithers]

parasitic copepods....you see them on most makos, but usually not that bad. poor lil guy!

Good call.

Here's a video of them on great whites.

http://www.thedorsalfin.com/shark-news-stories/parasitic-copepods-on-great-white-sharks-video/

2:02 shows similar ones attached to dorsal fin.
I think the guy names the particular species but I'm not very good at translating aussie (or is it kiwi ?)

[Jimmyz123]

I caught a Mako (I think) on the Yak the other day (La Jolla) and got a good underwater shot of it. The weird thing is that the Makos dorsal fin looked really strange like it had a big bite out of it and red strings dangling off the back. Has anyone ever seen this before? What do you think it is??? Heres the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTHJyuHMwSY

Those things you're seeing as someone else said is very common. Check out the photos in this Google search. I alway thought is was some growth they had.
https://www.google.com/search?q=mako+shark+fins&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&oe=UTF-8&startIndex=&startPage=1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=3pXPT-SwGYiW2gX4v7XPDA&biw=1024&bih=585&sei=4ZXPT_3-COmW2AXUoajhDA#um=1&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=mako+shark&oq=mako+shark&aq=f&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_l=img.3..0l10.20875.22656.0.23531.5.5.0.0.0.0.1 40.467.4j1.5.0...0.0.bOJygazvsRo&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=189e17ae8562ba9a&biw=1024&bih=585