guy in texas catches a 10ft+ hammer and what...it dies.
I don't think Texas has laws against hammer like we do here in Florida, Hammers are definitely the hardest shark to get revived... Trust me on that one, I've seen them die before. As long as the guy didn't leave it on the beach or make a huge mess or something along those lines and either disposed of it or harvested it properly than more power to him.
Just an average fisherman.
Some Unconnected Thoughts:
He was using a Penn 12/0, 20/0 circle hook, 100# test line ... Did he go wrong somewhere? It sounds like a good set up to shark fish with.
The fish did take 2 hours to land and the only other big variable missing in the report I read was how long the fish was out of the water on the sand. I'll admit that 2 hours does seem like a long time, but maybe there is something I don't know.
We all hate when a big fish dies like that. I know that all Hammers don't make it.
I'm very happy for the guy and his great catch. I'd be splitting with glee to catch a lifetime fish like that.
In Theory - I guess a reel with heavier drag and heavier line would have landed the fish sooner. (Although the added drag pressure could have caused the hook to pull.) Also, Instead of bringing the fish on the sand, keeping the fish's head in the water and just cutting the cable off short may have helped save the fish from expiring. At any rate, my above speculation is just second guessing the guy and playing Monday morning quarter back.
He caught a Monster he'll never forget! Many of us just dream of that - including me.
The fisherman was also good about not letting the meat go to waste. He took the time and energy to donate it to a church to feed the underprivileged. That tells you that the angler is a stand up kind of guy.
In the great game of fishing, sometimes. fish. just. die. Honestly, if we were all so 100% concerned about never killing a shark in our entire lives, we would never fish for them because you risk killing a shark every time you run a large bait out on a large hook. It is unpleasant when it happens, and when it happens within the constraints of the law it really isn't anybody's business whether or not their catch died and what circumstances may have lead to it dying. Everybody here that fishes with big hooks and big baits stands an excellent chance to one day accidentally kill a shark. You can do everything you believe you should of, and the shark still could die, and the only way to really prevent it from happening is to hang up the shark rods and to have never taken the bait out in the first place.