Bucky Dennis. This name was synonymous with an outpouring of anger last summer as professional angler Bucky Dennis hunted down and killed a 1060lb pregnant Great Hammerhead.The second biggest of his fishing career.
Enter the Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge and industry lead change to the perception of sport caught sharks and regional shark tournaments.
Shark conservation initiatives take many forms and are often lead by industry leaders willing to step out from traditional molds to create new conservation paradigms. The team behind the GHUSC are a unique group of thinkers and industry folks, from Mote Marine Labs, The Humane Society, to well known oceans advocate Guy Harvey who are trying to change the way we catch sharks, run tournaments, and ultimately treat the resource as a sustainable effort.
After three decades of protests and efforts to educate fishermen, shark kill tournaments are still the tournament of choice in the sport fishing industry.
Having Bucky Dennis become an early adopter and ambassador for this new kind of shark tournament is a good first start.
Controversial? You bet.
With recent dead sharks washing up again on beaches in Florida (great coverage) attributed by conservationists to "shark fishing from shore" the need for some sort of industry change is now. This effort is the first of what will inevitably be a series of efforts to change the sport caught shark model, evolving, and educating along the way.
As we have long said. Shark conservation begins with "One."
One person. One idea. One initiative at a time.
Full coverage.
3 comments:
Guy Harvey is my hero I think this is a good idea for stopping sharks kills if you cannot beat them make them another offer!
at least people are trying something new, well done
Awesome just awesome guys sure beats waving protest cards at fishermen from the sidelines.
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