Fishermen hook monstrous Thresher Shark

NORWICH, Conn. (WHDH) -- Fishermen hooked a monstrous 15-foot Thresher Shark near Block Island on Friday.

“He’s big man, like he's 5-600 pounds,” said the fisherman.

After a 90 minute battle, the shark was pulled close to the boat and harpooned.

"We are all exhausted.... exhausted,” said another man onboard.

The catch was towed into port, where it was weighed and measured.

“That shark was 14 feet, 9 inches long."

The thresher tipped the scale at 568 pounds. The anglers don't know if they set a record, but said it's still a great fish story to tell.

Just a couple weeks ago, researchers off the coast of Cape Cod made history catching and tagging a great white shark.

7news was the only local TV station onboard. It was the first time a great white in the North Atlantic was hauled onto a ship.

The crew got an up-close look as they took blood and tissue samples and tagged the shark to track it.

Crew members said tagging the shark made the trip worthwhile.

More research needs to be done to determine if they can register the shark as a state record in Connecticut, but the fishermen said it will always be a record in their mind.