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New state record set for largest common thresher shark after 2-hour showdown

PRE News & Ideas | By Ryan Shaffer
Published February 10, 2023 at 8:03 AM EST
Courtesy N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries
Steven Viltoft of Southport caught the 589-pound, 1-ounce shark near Knuckle Buoy off Oak Island last week.

The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries certified a new state record yesterday for the Common Thresher.

Steven Viltoft of Southport caught the 589-pound, 1-ounce shark near Knuckle Buoy off Oak Island on Friday. The shark was deceased upon landing after a 2-hour fight.

The previous state record Common Thresher weighed 185-pounds and was caught out of Oregon Inlet in 2005. Viltoft was fishing with an Oak Island Fishing Charters when he landed the shark using mullet, on 130-pound line.
PRE News
Ryan Shaffer
Ryan is an Arkansas native and podcast junkie. He was first introduced to public radio during an internship with his hometown NPR station, KUAF. Ryan is a graduate of Tufts University in Somerville, Mass., where he studied political science and led the Tufts Daily, the nation’s smallest independent daily college newspaper. In his spare time, Ryan likes to embroider, attend musicals, and spend time with his fiancée.
See stories by Ryan Shaffer