The dead two-foot shark a Michigan man says he found attached to a large fishing bobber in Lake Michigan likely is a hoax, a state expert says.

ADVERTISEMENT

Rich Fasi of Traverse City says he found the shark in about 25 feet of water Wednesday afternoon in West Grand Traverse Bay, the Traverse City Record-Eagle reported Saturday.

"I could see a fish down there about three feet down, but the last thing I expected was a shark on the end," said Fasi, who was alone at the time. "I could wiggle its tail, pry open its mouth, look at its teeth. It didn't look like it had any decomposition."

Fasi put it in a freezer and contacted the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Mark Tonello, a DNR fisheries biologist in Cadillac, surmised the fish, probably a young blacktip shark, is a "big fat hoax."

"We don't believe there was ever a live shark swimming around Grand Traverse Bay ... . My guess is somebody caught it out east, put it on ice, brought it back here and decided to have a little fun," said Tonello.

Fasi, an insurance company marketer, says if it's a hoax, he's not the one responsible.