NEWBURYPORT, Mass., — August 20, 2013 — The North Shore had its own version “Shark Week” this past weekend, when fisherman Bob Cloutier landed a monster off the Cape Ann coast that checked in just a few pounds shy of the state’s all-time record for thresher sharks.
On Saturday afternoon, a Newburyport-based charter boat was about 60 miles off shore, beyond Jeffreys Ledge, when Cloutier said his nephew Zach Cloutier hooked a fish that instantly caught their attention.
“The fish took a lot of line, so I knew it was something out of the ordinary,” said Bob Cloutier.
It was indeed something that isn’t normally seen in these parts — a 609-pound thresher shark that the crew landed on the Newburyport waterfront.
In the world of sharks, it’s an unusual creature — it has an extra-long extension on its upper tail that is nearly as long as its body. It uses it to slap the surface of the water to herd its prey.
It also has an extraordinary behavior that the Cloutiers witnessed several times — thresher sharks leap out of the water, sometimes several feet in the air. It’s a sight that is stunning and frightening even to the saltiest of ocean fishermen.
“We saw it jump a few times. It gave a heck of a show,” said Bob Cloutier, of Dracut.