Texas Woman Catches 11-Foot Hammerhead Shark Over Labor Day Weekend

A Texas woman spent her Labor Day weekend beating her personal best fishing record.

Fishing guide and conservationist Jen Merchant reeled in an 11 foot, 6 inch long hammerhead shark in North Padre Island on Sunday, September 5.

The shark's weight is unknown because Merchant released the hammerhead back to the ocean after tagging it, taking a DNA sample, and posing for photos.

Merchant, who is from Corpus Christi, wasn't the first fisher to go after this hammerhead. She and her team removed multiple hooks from the shark's mouth, including one that was "rubbing his jaw raw."

"I bet this fish was totally relived that we were able to get this hook out and that he was able to swim away without that hindering him any more," she said in a video chronicling her catch.

Hammerheads are native to the Gulf of Mexico and can grow to more than 15 feet long, according Texas Parks & Wildlife. These sharks are easy to identify because of their unique flat heads, which helps them hunt and see in the water.