UPDATED **Miss Maine USA Hopeful Leaves Lori Message About Shark Tagging Story

Miss Maine USA hopeful, Marisa Butler from Standish has a hobby of tagging sharks and has been criticized for how she does it. She is a volunteer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. I reported the story from ABC News, but she had some things she wanted me to know and left me a voice mail message.

First I owe Marisa an apology for stating she was Miss Maine USA. No she's not. Good grief, I know that. That title belongs to the current Miss Maine USA Heather Elwell. That was completely my error.

ABC News reported that two shark experts say she could be hurting the sharks by pulling the shark out of the water on the beach leaving little hope they will survive.

She wanted to clarify that the two shark 'experts' that ABC News quoted, do not have degrees in Marine Biology or any science. She disputes their titles as experts. She also pointed out that she has re-caught sharks that she has tagged - so they ARE surviving.

She works with a shark angler, Elliot Sudal off the coasts of Florida and Nantucket as part of NOAA’s cooperative shark tagging program which has been around for 50 years.

Yesterday, the 21 year old former Miss Sebago Lakes Region 2014 and Miss Maine National Sweetheart 2013, defended herself on her Facebook page.

She says that she is a recreational angler who is still in the learning process, but says there is no way she's doing this for the publicity. She says she wants to change public opinion about them.

She has tagged more than 30 sharks.