‘Tax man’ comes calling for angler battling giant tuna

A sportfishing guide in Fiji has provided striking evidence of what can happen if a hooked game fish puts up too long of a fight.

“The emotional rollercoaster of chasing doggies,” Jana Crossingham stated via Instagram , referring to an image showing the severed head of a giant dogtooth tuna. “So close yet so far…”

Crossingham told FTW Outdoors that a shark claimed the body of the estimated 110-pound dogtooth tuna, leaving only the head for angler Brock Harmer.

The image, showing an impressive set teeth and jaws, inspired one social-media follower to comment: “That would [still] make an epic skull mount.”

Many anglers around the world jokingly refer to a shark that chomps a hooked fish as the tax collector, or tax man.

Jaga Crossingham with what was left of his catch after pilot whales moved in.

Crossingham explained that sharks aren’t the only collectors and shared an image of the guide hoisting what was left of a dogtooth he recently landed.

In this instance the tax collectors were “a pack of pilot whales.”