MARK “The Shark” Quartiano boasts that he can catch something that swims – and judging by his monster trophies, he may very well be proper.
The grasp fisherman has seen bloody maulings and confronted down fierce animal rights activists – however says nothing may cease him taking out thrill-seeking vacationers.
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Mark has been reeling in big-beast sharks from the Miami Bay for 50 years – and claims to have caught extra sharks than anybody else alive.
He reckons he is hauled 100,000 aboard his yacht, Striker-1, over the a long time.
Folks pay to be taken on excessive fishing journeys the place Mark helps them catch the “fish of their desires”.
Mark informed The Solar that it is not simply midlife-crisis dads who come courageous the waves.
He usually hosts stag dos and hen events – and says it is the ladies who’ve essentially the most enjoyable reeling in whoppers.
Mark says: “The women go loopy for it – they love the massive sharks. They’re allowed to drink onboard Striker-1 – we’re within the occasion capital of the world in any case. So long as nobody will get harm.
“I am mainly on baby-sitting responsibility the entire time. I at all times joke round that subsequent yr we’ll be doing the divorce occasion.”
He is additionally welcomed the wealthy and well-known aboard his boat – counting the likes of Robert De Niro and Will Smith amongst his completely happy prospects.
Folks head to sea with Mark for all types of various causes.
Some wish to take residence an enormous trophy, whereas others simply wish to watch the specialists tussle a large hammerhead.
However Mark is the person who makes all of it occur. He has a long time of expertise, prime quality gear and a custom-built boat specialised for shark searching.
Mark has sparred with a ridiculous variety of sharks, however every one presents a special problem.
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He says: “Some sharks chew so much tougher than others. We had an enormous bull shark simply the opposite day, possibly 500lb, and he or she was on the road for a few hours. She actually didn’t wanna come into the boat in any respect.
“However you need to count on a problem – these are huge sharks battling for his or her lives, and so they have deep water on their aspect. However we at all times get ’em in the long run.”
One in every of his most intense showdowns got here a number of months in the past when he spent greater than six hours battling a fantastic white.
And the largest fish he is ever reeled was 2300lb – which is greater than a tonne.
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With sharks that huge, it is important to know what you are doing.
And even with so a few years of expertise within the locker, accidents can nonetheless occur.
Mark stated: “We have had a number of company get bitten, often as a result of they stand too near the sharks whereas they’re making an attempt to get an image.”
The sharks are usually nonetheless alive after they be part of the crew onboard – so are nonetheless able to chomping down.
“We additionally had one member of the crew get bit fairly dangerous on the foot,” he stated.
To provide him the sting over the beasts, Mark has kitted out Striker-1 with cutting-edge shark-wrangling gear.
He says: “My boat is the one one on the seas with the world-famous combating chair over the water. It has been my trademark for over 40 years.
“We are able to hoist any dimension shark into the boat utilizing all our winches and block and tackles.”
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Mark’s line of works would not go down properly with everybody – and he isn’t precisely delicate about it.
He reckons that “90 p.c of individuals are on board with what we do”, with the remaining made up of PETA disciples (Folks for the Moral Remedy of Animals).
“However even they have used to me,” he says. “There’s not a lot they will say – particularly with the donations I make.”
Mark is adamant that the sharks he kills do not go to waste, so donates something he can to homeless shelters.
He says: “I dropped an enormous shark off there simply final evening.
“I take many of the sharks all the way down to the shelters, particularly if it is one which’s good to eat. Greatest ones are mako, thresher, nurse, blacktip and tiger sharks.
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“Shark tacos are actually good, or it really works properly in a soup.”
And he helps out with analysis – although admits it most likely would not stretch to conservation.
“A couple of years again we began chopping the sharks open to see what was inside, and I’ve seen a large change. They by no means have any fish of their bellies today, as a result of there’s not sufficient left within the sea.
“I try to assist the scientists determine the right way to maintain a few of these fish from going extinct.”
Mark additionally generally get licences to catch endangered sharks.
“However conservation? That is an enormous phrase,” he says.
Reflecting on a life at sea, Mark says: “Regardless that I have been doing this a very long time, I nonetheless adore it. We nonetheless love watching folks catch the sharks and making recollections for them.
“I’ve received folks that also name me from 40 years in the past and say they’ll always remember the journey we took them on.
“It’s nice to see folks having a superb time, particularly when nobody even goes outdoors anymore. Folks solely know the right way to sit inside and watch the TV.
“However we do issues a little bit completely different down right here. We attempt to make folks’s journeys actually memorable and have a good time.”
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