Unusual catch and release: Naples fisherman hooks endangered sawfish [VIDEO]

A fisherman on the Naples Pier had the surprise of his life when he accidentally hooked a huge carpenter shark. The endangered sawfish was too large for the fisherman to get to shore where he could remove the hook. Several men were needed to assist after he towed the line from the pier to the shore. Alex Pino recorded the entire incident, which has become a viral sensation on YouTube.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, sawfish can grow up to 18 feet long and 700 pounds. Although not that large, this fish was huge. It came completely out of the water at one point as the men tried to avoid the razor sharp teeth in its long snout while they attempted to remove the hook. “That’s when we all got to see how huge this sawfish is! I’ve never seen anything like it in person,” said Pino.

Once freed, the fish pushed back into the water and swam away. The crowd’s response was heartening after a highly publicized incident in February in which a rare baby dolphin that was beached in Australia was mobbed for selfies and then left to die.

The smalltooth sawfish is found only in the shallow coastal waters around Florida. It is a year-round resident and larger specimens are commonly found closer to shore in the spring.