Sharks in MS: Fifteen biggest caught in Mississippi and some are giants

Mississippi's list of record-size sharks include some impressive fish weighing hundreds of pounds.

Mississippi Clarion Ledger

The Discovery Channel's Shark Week is here and for shark fans, it's sure to be hit. After all, with segments called "Makozilla," "Deadliest Bite" and "Shark Attack Island," how can you go wrong?

One thing you won't see in this year's lineup is a title that includes Mississippi and that shouldn't come as a surprise. Mississippi doesn't exactly have a big reputation for sharks.

As far as unprovoked attacks on humans go, there have been amazingly few. According to a database on the website Shark Attack Data, there are three unprovoked shark attacks on record in Mississippi. The earliest on record happened in January 1879 when a man was fatally attacked after the boat he was in capsized.

In July 1906 a swimmer in Bay St. Louis was fatally attacked. In 1960 a person was involved in a non-fatal attack near Mississippi City, which has since been annexed by Gulfport.

So, when it comes to attacks, Mississippi just doesn't make headlines very often.

Giant sharks in Mississippi waters

But Mississippi has been making headlines for big sharks in recent years. In 2018, a tiger shark weighing almost 700 pounds was caught during the Mississippi Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo. Earlier this year, a great white shark outfitted with a GPS tracking unit was located in Mississippi waters. The shark is named Keji and weighs 600 pounds.

In March, a giant of a great white shark came through Mississippi waters. LeeBeth is a great white measuring over 14 feet and weighing in the neighborhood of 2,600-2,800 pounds. She's also outfitted with a GPS tracking unit which at one point revealed her about 20 miles south of Biloxi and Gulfport.

She became a reader favorite in Mississippi then and continues to make news as she travels into Canadian waters.

Mississippi record-book sharks

Mississippi has its fair share of sharks. Some species such as blacktips are frequently caught for sport and food. Others have federal protections, so they are released and don't make the state's list of record sizes.

While none of Mississippi's record-book sharks are of the monstrous size of LeeBeth, there's still a number of them that are big enough to make some people look at the water differently.

Here are Mississippi's record sharks according to the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.

Atlantic sharpnose shark

• Weight: 15 pounds, 4.6 ounces
• Year caught: May 19, 2013
• Angler: Steven J. Bracknell

Blacknose shark

• Weight: 20 pounds, 13 ounces
• Year caught: July 3, 2009
• Angler: Andrew B. Odom

Blacktip shark

• Weight: 98 pounds, 9.6 ounces
• Year caught: April 20, 2005
• Angler: Thomas W. Barnes

Bonnethead shark

• Weight: 15 pounds, 2.4 ounces
• Year caught: Aug. 31, 2019
• Angler: Tucker House

Bull shark

• Weight: 377 pounds, 4 ounces
• Year caught: July 1, 2021
• Angler: David Rodgers

Finetooth shark

• Weight: 46 pounds, 10.4 ounces
• Year caught: April 22, 2017
• Angler: Shiloh Turner

Great hammerhead shark

• Weight: 436 pounds, 14 ounces
• Year caught: July 5, 2002
• Angler: Robert J. Garrett

Lemon shark

• Weight: 83 pounds, 2 ounces
• Year caught: June 30, 2012
• Angler: John Mayne, II

Nurse shark

• Weight: 98 pounds, 7 ounces
• Year caught: July 3, 2006
• Angler: Tony Deltatorre

Sandbar shark

• Weight: 125 pounds, 8 ounces
• Year caught: Dec. 16, 2006
• Angler: Strom Smith

Scalloped hammerhead shark

• Weight: 268 pounds, 0.0 ounces
• Year caught: Aug. 8, 1998
• Angler: Warren V. Jones

Shortfin mako shark

• Weight: 550 pounds, 0.0 ounces
• Year caught: Jan. 8, 2012
• Angler: Tim King

Spinner shark

• Weight: 164 pounds, 7 ounces
• Year caught: July 5, 2014
• Angler: Jordan Mathews

Tiger shark

• Weight: 675 pounds, 0.0 ounces
• Year caught: June 30, 2018
• Angler: Michael Garrett

Unclassified shark (no species recorded)

• Weight: 885 pounds, 0.0 ounces
• Year caught: 1983
• Angler: Bruce Bartling

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