Rare Goblin Shark Caught In Florida Hasn't Been Seen More Than A Decade

Carl Moore/NOAAA rare goblin shark was released and swam away after it was caught by a shrimp fisherman off the Florida Keys.

On Wednesday, a Florida fisherman accidentally pulled up an 18-foot Goblin shark while he was going for shrimp, NOAA Fisheries Service reported.

This is only the second-ever goblin shark to be spotted in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the agency. The first goblin shark sighting in this area was nearly 15 years ago when commercial fishers captured one in 2000, David Shiffman at Southern Fried Science pointed out.

After the most recent shark was captured off the Florida Keys it was released and swam away, NOAA said.

NOAA

The goblin shark is a deep-water species, but not much is known about it since the prehistoric-looking creatures are rarely caught. The shark has previously been reported in the western Pacific, off Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, according to NOAA.

The sharks have distinctive features with a long head, flat snout, and protruding jaw. They are also pinkish in color and have blue fins.

"They don't have any commercial value, other than their jaws," marine biologist Charlott Stenberg told Southern Fried Science. "But, I have a Japanese friend who ate some of it and thought the tongue was delicious."

"Biologists encourage people to call and report these rare sightings and catches as the information they can collect allows them to know more about a species," NOAA said.

NOAAGoblin sharks are one of the rarest sharks in the world.