An angler who thought he had a state record bull shark learned he had a federally protected ridgeback shark during a weigh-in in Mississippi.
Ryan Bradley proudly stood by with his two sons as the 222-pound shark was raised for the weigh Saturday at The Blind Tiger Joes & Pros Trout Tournament in Bay St. Louis, The Sun Herald reported.
Moments later, weighmaster Mike “Buck” Buchanan said the fish was illegal and disqualified it from competition. Buchanan explained that the shark was a ridgeback, which is a species that includes dusky, sandbar and silky sharks.
The ridgeback can be identified by a raised silver ridge behind the dorsal fin. The sandbar sharks are often mistaken for a common bull shark, which are legal.
Tournament director Rod Ward said “It’s an honest mistake. A lot of people don’t know the difference between ridgeback and non-ridgeback sharks, Buchanan said.
