Jason Kresse, 29-year-old of Freeport, and two crew members had been fishing for red snapper about 50 miles into the gulf at the time. They were dumping fish guts into the water at about 3:45 a.m. when they heard two big splashes in the distance.
The 8-foot shark landed in the back of the boat and was thrashing around. Kresse and the crew members couldn't get close to the shark, and it ended up dying several hours later.
Kresse, who has been fishing since he was a child, said the unplanned catch was a shock. Just unloading it was a challenge because it was so heavy.
"We had to use a forklift to get it off the boat when we got to the dock," Kresse said.
The shark is on display at a seafood business in Freeport, about 55 miles south of Houston.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
