Frank Mundus (October 21, 1925September 10, 2008) was a fisherman and charter captain based in Montauk, New York who is said to be the inspiration for the character Quint in the book and movie Jaws. He started out as a shark hunter but later became a shark conservationist. Up until his death, he chartered out his boat Cricket II for those seeking the thrill of big game fishing. Mundus' early techniques, which included killing whales merely for chum and harpooning sharks (practices which are outlawed today), earned him criticism even at the time. In the last few years of his life Mundus had campaigned for shark fishermen to catch and release their prey, even going as far as to publish a conservation book titled White Shark Sam Meets The Monster Man. Mundus died on September 10, 2008, in Honolulu due to complications from a heart attack he suffered on September 6, the day he returned home to Hawaii after spending the summer in Montauk. According to his obituary he had spent the last night in Montauk aboard the Cricket II which had made him famous and had his heart attack in the Hawaii airport immediately after returning. Early life Mundus, was born in Long Branch, New Jersey and moved to Brooklyn when he was young. In 1945, he began a charter fishing operation in Brielle, New Jersey, with the Cricket. In 1947, he had the Cricket II custom-built. The Pelican Mundus moved to Montauk in 1951 saying he wanted to start charters for bluefish. In his first year at Montauk he played an important role in the rescue and retrieval of the Pelican, an overloaded party boat in which 45 of 64 on board perished after capsizing in a squall, including its captain Eddie Carroll. He was among the second wave of searchers, and helped tow the hull of the Pelican to port with ten dead bodies still trapped inside. The disaster was the worst in Montauk recreational history and led to numerous laws regulating the industry. Monster Fish Mundus soon discovered that bluefish were not plentiful in Montauk waters, but sharks were. Mundus started what he called "Monster Fishing" with boats leaving the port at Lake Montauk. Mundus with his colorful character became immediately popular. He further helped his reputation by catching a 4,500 pound great white shark by harpoon (the weight was estimated without the shark having been