Sustainable Shark Fisheries? Yup!

Sustainable Shark Fisheries?

Kudos to Canada and The Marine Stewardship Council for exploring sustainable shark fisheries. It's an anathema to many within the shark conservation movement to even consider sustainable shark fishing.

In reality this weeks announcement is an arrow in the quiver of a total global approach to shark fisheries.

We cannot rely on bans, set aside areas, and tourism to complete the shark management story. Somewhere shark fisheries will have to be part of the equation.

In Canada the first step to shark management has begun.

Complete story in the Vancouver Sun.

San Agustinillo, Oaxaca Shark Fishing Video

A regional shark fishing boat comes back to Playa San Agustinillo, Mexico with the days catch.

San Agustinillo is known as an upscale tourism hub in Mexico on the Pacific coast. Most of these sharks will be finned and the meat sold as "swordfish" in local markets.

San Agustinillo, Oaxaca Shark Fishing Video

A regional shark fishing boat comes back to Playa San Agustinillo, Mexico with the days catch.

San Agustinillo is known as an upscale tourism hub in Mexico on the Pacific coast. Most of these sharks will be finned and the meat sold as "swordfish" in local markets.

Viva Honduras for the sharks!

Honduran President Porfirio Lobo Sosa will sign the sanctuary bill into law on Friday on a visit to the island of Roatan, the country’s top diving and snorkeling destination, his office said on Thursday.

The move makes permanent a moratorium on commercial fishing for sharks that Honduras announced last year in a joint declaration with the Micronesian island of Palau.

The march for sharks has reached all corners of the planet, and in the shadow of Mexico's recent ban on shark fishing this brings strong leadership to Latin America.

USVI Tiger Kill - Rare and Sad

Having lived in and been diving the USVI (US Virgin Islands) and BVI for many years I can attest that sharks are just not part of the eco system in this Lesser Antilles chain as elsewhere in the world.

Finding a juvenile Tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) in these waters is an exceptional and very rare event. Which makes the following video so sad to watch.

As a commercial shark diving operator I am frankly stunned at the treatment of this animal and the 1970's approach to filming and documenting sharks underwater. The death of this animal was unnecessary, ignorant, and a stark waste of a magnificent resource.

Ironically on exactly the same day this animal was being killed I was in the Bahamas with a Brazilian film crew (without cages) documenting the Tigers of Tiger Beach for an upcoming documentary about these wonderful animals.

We still have a long way to go to change minds and attitudes towards sharks:

Punta Gorda, Florida, lands 2011 Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge Tournament and Festival

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. - The Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge Tournament and Festival returns to Southwest Florida by making its Punta Gorda, Fla., debut May 13 - 15, 2011, at Laishley Park. The tournament, hosted by Laishley Crab House (www.laishleycrabhouse.com), combines the allure of competitive big-game sport fishing with cutting-edge science, practical conservation principles and informative entertainment. It is quickly becoming an industry leader and model for the next generation of shark-release tournaments. Teams will be competing for $15,000 in cash and prizes as they fish Charlotte Harbor and the Gulf of Mexico.

The Ultimate Shark Challenge festival at Laishley Park on Saturday and Sunday will complement the competition by broadcasting highlights on digital displays. Event sponsors will conduct product demonstrations and giveaways and a wide variety of merchant vendors and unique attractions, such as Mote's Mobile Aquarium, will be on display, along with shark-centric exhibits, interactive demonstrations and delicious food and cold beverages.

Admission into this family-friendly festival is free.

Guy Harvey, world-renowned marine artist, conservationist and tournament partner, will make a personal appearance during the weekend to meet with fans and promote the tournament's shared mission.

"The Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge Tournament and Festival will be a uniquely exciting event for participants, spectators and everyone who cares about the future of our oceans," Harvey said.

Teams will have the option of entering a two-day elimination competition with either two or three anglers. A dozen shark species are eligible for points, but finding and catching them aren't the only challenges teams will face. To qualify, eligible sharks must meet a minimum total length of five feet.

Sharks will be measured in the water using a device custom-designed and provided by the USC before they are research tagged by the team and released back to the wild. In some cases, candidate specimens may be outfitted with a satellite tracking tag. An observer professionally trained and certified by USC staff and the Mote Center for Shark Research in species identification, tournament rules and proper tagging and release procedures will also be placed on board each team vessel.

Mote Marine Laboratory's Center for Shark Research staff is USC's chief science and research partner, and will oversee those aspects of the tournament, including all tagging operations. Hammerhead and bull sharks will be the focus of the satellite tagging efforts, but other species, such as tiger sharks, may be tagged. Tags are designed to transmit location and other valuable information about the shark's travels. Once satellite tags are deployed, the public will be able to follow these sharks' travels online.

Additional information about the 2011 Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge Tournament and Festival including team registration, sponsorship opportunities and festival vendor inquiries, can be found on the event's website www.UltimateSharkChallenge.com.

Deadliest Catch - Hooking a Shark in San Francisco Bay

From UrbanDaddy.com:

Sharks.

It’s a constant debate as to whether they’re lurking in the Bay. But the definitive answer is yes, yes they are.

Which means: you need to catch them before they catch you.

Cue the Jaws theme song. Fire up the boat. You’re going fishing...

Behold Sole Man Fishing, a seafaring outfit at the ready for baiting and hooking sharks in the San Francisco Bay, now taking charters out of Fisherman’s Wharf.

Now, if you’re having visions of wrestling gigantic great whites with your bare hands as the sea whips your sturdy craft to and fro, you should know those beasts are rarely seen inside the Golden Gate. But there’s a slew of other prehistoric, big-jawed fish—leopard sharks, giant seven-gills, threshers and soupfins—ready and waiting.

And that’s where Captain Don and his trusty deckhand come into play. You and five of your closest angling buddies can charter a 32-footer with an ample fishing deck, onboard grill and even a heated cabin—and head anywhere between SFO, the Golden Gate Bridge and Vallejo.

The method for shark fishing isn’t all that different from regular fishing, but for the slightly more powerful fight you might have to get it onboard (hint: a bat comes in handy). Nearly eight out of 10 catches will be leopard sharks, with the occasional seven-gill at the end of your line, so with a per-boat limit of three, you’ll have to choose wisely.

But remember, the sharks are probably thinking the same thing.

Indian River commissioners reject regulation of shark fishing from shore

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A county proposal to regulate shark fishing from shore may be dead in the water.

After two months of debate, the County Commission majority voted Tuesday to reject County Attorney Alan Polackwich’s draft ordinance without asking for a revision.

“(Am I) disappointed? I can’t understand it,” Carlton condominium manager Doug Distl said. “This is Indian River County. We’re known for recreation, retired citizens and good things.”

Distl, who had sought an ordinance to ban the chumming and baiting for sharks off swimming beaches, said he didn’t want the county to gain new recognition as a shark fishing destination.

He said he would focus now on getting the Vero Beach, Orchid and Indian River Shores councils to regulate shark fishing through municipal ordinances.

In a 3-2 vote, commissioners approved a motion by Vice Chairman Bob Solari for “no ordinance,” effectively rejecting Polackwich’s draft.

Complete Story.