Nurse shark trapped in reef by fishing line rescued

LAUDERDALE BY THE SEA BEACH (FOX 13) - A photographer from Hallandale Beach said he was taking photos with some friends when he saw a nurse shark trapped in a reef, so he gave his camera to a friend and went to the animal's rescue. 

Szilárd Jankó was free-diving at Lauderdale by the Sea Beach, near Commercial Pier when he spotted the shark, stuck in a hole. When he swam closer, he saw it had a hook through its mouth, and the line from the hook was wrapped around the reef.

Jankó posted a video, shot by Julia Sheffer, on Facebook a few hours after he rescued the shark.

"I managed to untangle the fishing line and remove the hook from his mouth," Jankó wrote on the post. 

He told FOX 13 News it was his first wildlife rescue, but not his first encounter with the impact trash has on the ocean. 

"First time rescuing wildlife, but we do pick up trash during most of our dives," he said. "It is sad to see how much trash is out there."

In spite of efforts by some companies to eliminate non-biodegradable plastics - like beer can six pack rings, made from barley and wheat, by Saltwater Brewery in Delray - the World Economic Forum predicts there will be more plastic than fish in Earth's ocean waters by 2050.

Feeding into that possibility is the equivalent of 136 billion milk jugs-worth of plastic making its way into the ocean each year, according to estimates in a study published in the journal Science.

Thankfully for this little nurse shark, Szilárd Jankó and Julia Sheffer were nearby when he came into contact with some of that ocean trash. They said he swam away after being released.