Watch Fishermen Battle 8-Foot Shark for Swordfish

While fishing for swordfish in Australia's Coral Sea, fisherman Captain TK Walker and his crew came up against some unexpected competition.

As they hauled the swordfish out of the water, an 8-foot mako shark lunged after it, gnawing at its tail.

"Getttt off my fish!" crewmate Andy, of TK Offshore Fishing, said in an Instagram post. "Mako having a good munch."

The post has been viewed more than 21 million times and received over 100,000 likes. But Walker, a commercial fishing veteran from New Zealand, said it was actually quite a common occurrence for them.

"I target yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna and swordfish in Australia's Marine Stewardship Council certified sustainable Eastern Tuna and Billfish fishery," he told Newsweek. "Mako sharks are very common in the area and it is their standard tactic to bite the tails of the swordfish first so they can the eat at their leisure. This is almost a daily occurrence for us and quite often we will have sharks camped under the boat."

This particular incident took place about 200 miles offshore from Queensland, between Lord Howe Island and New Caledonia.

The shortfin mako shark is considered to be the fastest shark species in the world, capable of reaching swim speeds of up to 43 miles per hour, according to the Florida Museum's Shark File. They can be found in tropical and temperate waters around the world.

Adult males grow to an average of 9 to 9.5 foot long while the females tend to come in at around 7 foot. However, the largest shortfin mako on record was an impressive 13 foot long.

The sharks feed on fast-moving fish like tuna, smaller sharks and, of course, swordfish.

Due to their speed and power these sharks can pose a potential threat to humans. However, the species has been implicated in only 10 unprovoked attacks on humans, only one of which was reported as being fatal.

For an experienced fisherman like Walker, events like this are common place. Walker, whose father and grandfather were also commercial fishermen, has been in the business for over 40 years and regularly shares his encounters with these animals on his social media and YouTube page.

Often, the fish Walker and his crew catch have already been attacked by the local sharks. For example, another swordfish from the expedition was covered in the circular bite marks of the cookie cutter shark.

For Walker, sustainability is always at the forefront of his fishing practices. "It's not just about the catch," he said. "We care about the environment too. By fishing sustainably in the Marine Stewardship Council's fishery, we're doing our part to protect these incredible fish for the future. Let's learn about responsible fishing and why it's important to take care of our marine ecosystem."