A 67-year-old Elizabeth resident known as "Antonio" hauled in his biggest catch on Thursday morning: a 4-foot shark.
Fisherman Tony "Antonio" who heads out to Port Elizabeth every morning beginning at 4:30 a.m. where he catches fish as a sport, reeled in one of the largest catches since fishing in the Port.
An official for The Shark Aquarium in Hillside said the catch appears to be a species of Spiny Dogfish Shark that frequent New Jersey's waters and are not human prey.
"I mean, they're all up and down here. They're always there. The sharks don't bite people or else you couldn't swim at the beach." the official said.
According to sharkfacts.com, "The spiny dogfish is known primarily by virtue of its largest representative, the real spiny dogfish, Squalus acanthias. But the name "spiny dogfish" is not reserved for this one specific species alone. It covers an entire family of spiny dogfish including, for example, such different forms as Greenland sharks or cookie-cutter sharks. The name "spiny" shark is actually misleading since contrary to expectations, not all species of the group have the typical spines in front of the dorsal fin. Spiny dogfish reproduce in a way which makes them extremely vulnerable to fishing methods".
Fisherman "Antonio" said his love for Port Elizabeth brings him there daily. "I love being out here just as much as I love fishing". I spent much of my life in Elizabeth".
Source: http://www.sharkinfo.ch/SI2_99e/sacanthias.html