Sharks on a Line 107 



The records are kept and authenticated by the International Game 

 Fish Association (IGFA), the arbiter of official, world-record catches 

 of all game fishes. The IGFA recognizes the Sawfish (Pristis pectinatus) 

 and seven species of sharks as game fishes. Of the 49 types of game 

 fishes listed in the 1961 All-Tackle Records of the IGFA, the only bony 

 fish which comes close to the record sharks in size is the Black Marlin. 

 (The record Black Marlin weighed 1,560 pounds and was 14 feet, 6 

 inches long. The record shark, a Great White, weighed 2,664 pounds 

 and was 16 feet 10 inches long.) 



The shark species recognized by the IGFA, and the common and 

 scientific names under which they are listed in IGFA records are: 

 Blue shark (Prio?iace glauca), Mako shark {I sums oxyrhynchus or 

 Isurus glaucus), Man-Eater or White shark (Carcharodon carcharias). 

 Porbeagle shark {Lamna nasus). Thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus), and 

 Tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvieri). 



The 1961 shark records as listed by the IGFA follow. They include 

 the All-Tackle Records for both men and women, the All-Tackle Records 

 for women, and records based on line size, the system the IGFA uses 

 in classifying catches according to the tackle used. The women's records 

 in all line-test classes are also listed. 



Note: All the following records are based by the IGFA on line tests. All records 

 where the name of the angler is followed by (*) were arbitrarily assigned to their classes 

 on a 3-pound wet test to a thread. No further claims will be accepted by the IGFA unless 

 accompanied by a sample for testing of the actual line used in the catch: 10 yards up to 

 and including the 30-pound class; 30 yards in the 50-pound class and over. Records in 

 the 180-pound class are kept, but not listed, except in All-Tackle Records. 



