Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced on June 29, that anglers broke two state records in last weekend’s Ocean City Shark Tournament. The first was a 642-pound thresher shark caught by Brent Applegit of Golden, Colorado and and Jim Hughes of Ocean City, Md. caught the second, an 876-pound mako shark.

Applegit's catch on Friday night broke the previous record of 613 pounds set by Don Lorden in 2003. It was his first shark catch. He and his brother were spending the Father’s Day weekend with their dad, an Ocean Pines resident. On Saturday, Hughes landed his mako shark, and shattered the old record of 766 pounds set by Frank Gaither in 1984. The shark was so large that Hughes needed a larger boat to haul it back to the Ocean City docks.

"These records are evidence of the great fishing opportunities Maryland has to offer,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “You don’t need to catch sharks in the ocean, but everyone should enjoy a day of fishing in Maryland's waters."

The 2009 Maryland Fishing Challenge is a great opportunity to do just that, and more. Designed to promote recreational fishing in Maryland, recognize angler efforts and inspire environmental stewardship, the challenge began May 29th and runs through Labor Day, September 7.

In May, DNR released specially tagged striped bass – one genuine Diamond Jim and 49 imposters – into the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Diamond Jim is worth $10,000 and his imposters $500. This Wednesday, July 1, fifty more tagged fish will be released at an event in Baltimore, and the new Diamond Jim will be worth $20,000, while the uncaught one will become another imposter. To learn more about the 2009 Maryland Fishing Challenge, visit http://dnr.maryland.gov/fishingchallenge/.