Shark 1

A crowd observes a blue shark Friday afternoon at the Downeast Maine Shark Tournament at Camp Ellis Pier in Saco. The largest shark brought to the pier on Friday evening was 448 pounds caught 50 miles away from shore. A team of biologists weighed in the sharks for the tournament and quickly dissected each shark for testing.

Staff photo by Tasha Bjelic

Shark wide

James Sulikowski, a marine biology professor at the University of New England, looks at one of the sharks brought to the Camp Ellis Pier on Friday. Sulikowski said that the measurements and blood, tissue and organ samples taken from the sharks caught during the tournament help researchers assemble information on sharks and assist with the conservation of the species.

Staff photo by Tasha Bjelic