Why bring sharks to the dock?

[Barely Legal]

Anybody else hear about the 340# bull shark some 13 year old landed at sailfish marina? He also landed a 500+ bull last year. Im no Guy Harvey, i take fish to the table like all the rest of us, but why put these on the dock just to hang for pics? Not to take away from the kids catch ( I know i dont want to fight a bull for 3 hours) but we all know that bulls, hammers, and blacktips are fairly easy to target and are more of a pain than they're worth. Im not trying to start a debate or arguement, i just want to hear what the "pros" think.

[ballyhu]

It takes two to tango. The Capt may have that "Mark the Shark" mentality. At the least, he certainly didn't discourage the young man.

[RiskTaker]

Originally Posted by Barely Legal

Anybody else hear about the 340# bull shark some 13 year old landed at sailfish marina? He also landed a 500+ bull last year. Im no Guy Harvey, i take fish to the table like all the rest of us, but why put these on the dock just to hang for pics? Not to take away from the kids catch ( I know i dont want to fight a bull for 3 hours) but we all know that bulls, hammers, and blacktips are fairly easy to target and are more of a pain than they're worth. Im not trying to start a debate or arguement, i just want to hear what the "pros" think.

The boy probably wanted to get his line and fishing rig back.

Originally Posted by ballyhu

It takes two to tango. The Capt may have that "Mark the Shark" mentality. At the least, he certainly didn't discourage the young man.

I believe that Mark the Shark also uses shark carcasses to feed the crabs and other scavengers in the canal. I see shark parts all over his backyard and spinal cords of fish in the canal out back of his house. So I think he is getting some additional ancillary benefit besides the charter, touristy souvenirs and the photo-ops. Who knows, maybe he even fertilizes with fish parts too.

[d-a]

I dont see the need for reef sharks, but a mako is a different story.

d-a

[TTesterman]

If your going to eat it..take her home.. opps take it home... a shark like that is worth about 750 to 1200 bucks to charter crew if it goes to a mount... so basically there is a price on thier name so to speak. now in a case where all you do is kill it for fun... well you have to be a little warped in the head to do that. I do not mind someone mounting a shark people all over the world and here even kill them for fins so the shark fin soup can be placed on the table at weddings and special functions. thereal facts of the matter are that Gray sailfish mounts, king and everyone else has molds of many sizes that your mount can be made by. I charter fish and yes we have taken them before.. lots of fish.. now I have a rule on my boat that we take 'no sharks'. basically the fact is I don't want to mess with them anymore. for those that know me , my wife works with them and she loves them. I do like to see people catch , work and study them but to take one for just a 'picture' ... is plain stupid! take your pic in the water beside the boat. the risks of diving with them is up to you and feeding them into a frenzy is just plain stupid. this last year when we went to Bimini and did bull run I had a big ass bull think I was his or her best friend and stick right next to my right leg... the whole time your looking back to see if your friend is still there... yep ... ! when my 25 minutes of air was done (in 45' of water because you use all your air up!) I was glad to be my happy ass back in the boat.. did it done it and don't need to do it again! such a magestic creature just to kill it for a picture. you guys should watch "shark water" .. it will educate you on what the world also does .. I say it all the time 'we are the only country that has limits and enforces them'... (yes there is drama in the movie but then again you can see that on the news everyday).. it is a good thing to watch though. here is a cool link that just came out also.. have a great day and be a little wiser than the day before and things work out...
Today Show Video Player

[mneptune]

Whether fishing or hunting, I have always felt that if you are not going to eat it, then don't kill it. Every species has it's proper place in it's environment and plays an important part in the ecosystem. Thats just IMHO.

[ameristrat]

It's about respect. If you don't respect the ocean and its creatures it will catch up to you. I know this sounds stupid but seriously, any time we're out swordfishing, we're in a position where the ocean COULD became a fatal enviroment for us in a matter of minutes. Remember the story about the four football players a few weeks ago. I have a tremendous amount of respect for all pelagics. Then again, I rarely kill more than a few dolphin at most so I'm not a good one to go by (I just don't kill fish often) but I agree, if you aren't positive you'll eat it, why take its life? What I hate to see almost as much as senseless killing for a picture is when guys come back to the dock with 50 dolphin in the boat. One 10lb dolphin will feed my family of 5 for two meals. 50 dolphin equals a ridiculously large party or, more likely, a WASTE.

Use our resources sparingly. I want them to outlive me.

Ameristrat

[quack quack]

He got a bigger one last year. If he wanted a mount he could still have released it. I am no tree hugging shark lover. Maybe the fact that they think this is news worthy bugs me.

[Barely Legal]

Thanks for the feedback guys, glad im not alone here. Reef sharks.. no, Makos.. If they ate it fine, if the capt sold it fine... his choice, but there is no need to kill it for a mount or pic. Im sure Grays or King already mounted his 500# from last year so this one they should have let go, whatever. I agree with quack, giving this news attention seems to encourage them to keep killing I hope he gets whats comming to him at the beach. Maybe he will learn some respect if he ever jumps in the water with one. Anyone thats been in with one knows what i mean

[RiskTaker]

I hear that nurse sharks are very good eating, although they are no take in Florida. Any comments on that?

I tend to agree that wasteful killing goes against common sense judgment.

As far as the comment of catching 50 dolphin: every dog has his day. Dolphin are a prolific species and can recover very fast if over harvested in one season, unlike golden Tilefish for example.

So if a fishing crew of 5 catch 50 dolphin on a lucky day, I suggest to celebrate and enjoy the moment for there will certainly be many less productive days. Again, the key principle that I will agree with is to try to avoid needless waste.

I would love to have 10 dolphin on a fishing trip, with the 10 distributed on an individual basis. The key factor actually resides in the shear amount of work involved to fillet all the fish. Typically, that is a limiting factor for a days fishing. Many times I am the fillet monger, so I will been keenly aware of the work involved to fillet and take care of the fish properly. Although 50 - 40 lb. bulls is probably an exaggeration if it is even possible to happen in one day. Enough said on Dolphin harvest,except that there is a big difference compared to other species of fish.

[mneptune]

This just my personal opinion. I understand that Dolphin grow fast, but personally I would rather catch 5 fifty pounders than 50 five pounders. The only way to have fish like that for everyone is through conservation.

Again just my .02

[tunaman81]

Originally Posted by RiskTaker

I hear that nurse sharks are very good eating, although they are no take in Florida. Any comments on that?

That is incorrect. It is perfectly legal to harvest nurse sharks in Florida.

Originally Posted by RiskTaker

Dolphin are a prolific species and can recover very fast if over harvested in one season, unlike golden Tilefish for example.

And unlike sharks, which have much slower growth rates, take longer to mature, and have few young relative to most bony fishes. IMHO, there is no need to kill sharks, especially in Florida. There are many fish that are much better to eat and more sustainable to harvest (dolphin and swordfish for example). Additionally, I especially dont see any need to kill a shark over 200lbs (even makos). Smaller ones are better eating and the big females are best left to reproduce.

[ameristrat]

I wouldn't necessarily call swordfish more sustainable to harvest.
A mature female swordfish weighs in the neighborhood of 150 lbs. The easiest way to see what we have done to the swordfish population in the last 50 years is consider thew average sized fish. In the 70s I believe it was either 175 or 225. A 175lb sword today is considered a very large fish. Anything over 200 hundred can be once-in-a-lifetime. Swordfish take (and correct me if I'm wrong I'm trying to remember this) 5 to 10 YEARS to reach this sexual maturity. That is no different from sharks. The difference is that sharks lay fewer eggs, however, the survival product of those eggs is relatively similar as far as in comparison to adult fish. Well of 99% of fertilized eggs laid by a mature female do not reach sexual maturity and most of that number are killed before or hortly after hatching. This is why I personally try to kill very few swordfish (that and I just won't eat it all). 1 per trip is my aim and only in a rare occasion would I take 2 (if say I killed a 50" and then caught a 400 lb fish). I am not trying to sound elitest, I honestly do not like killing pelagics if unless I'm positive I'll eat it all (you can call me tender-hearted if you like), I am just letting you know how I act on the information I know. As long as you don't break the law, do what you like but remember, one more fish on the dock, is one less fish to make hundreds more for the future.

Ameristrat

[Capt. JJ]

The only shark that i've ever killed was one mako, around 400lbs. I was fishing commercially. On charters, no killing the sharks. I don't care about the mount money. The entire deposit goes to the charter crew, but putting a big bull shark in a center console is asking for it. Nurse sharks taste like lobster, the staple of their diet. It was offered to me, and I said what the hell? Don't judge me.

[tunaman81]

Originally Posted by ameristrat

I wouldn't necessarily call swordfish more sustainable to harvest.

Swordfish are definitely more sustainable to harvest. They grow much faster, mature quicker, and reproduce more frequently. Most bony teleost fish are more sustainable to harvest when compared to long lived, slow growing sharks.

Originally Posted by ameristrat

Anything over 200 hundred can be once-in-a-lifetime.

A fish over 200 is a spectacular catch, but certainly not once in a lifetime.

Originally Posted by ameristrat

Swordfish take (and correct me if I'm wrong I'm trying to remember this) 5 to 10 YEARS to reach this sexual maturity. That is no different from sharks. The difference is that sharks lay fewer eggs, however, the survival product of those eggs is relatively similar as far as in comparison to adult fish.

This is not entirely correct. Male swordfish begin to mature at as young as 1 year and all males are mature by age 5. Female swordfish begin to mature around age 4, with 50% or females being mature at age 5, and all females maturing by age 9. Swordfish are believed to have a life span of about 12-15 years.

This is in stark contrast to maturity in mako sharks. Male mako sharks mature at around 7-9 years; however, female mako sharks do not mature until they are 19-21 years old. Makos may live 30 years.

Bull sharks, sandbar, and lemon sharks do not mature until 12-18 years of age. In addition, while female swordfish may spawn several times a year, sharks typically only reproduce every one to two years.

Most sharks do not lay eggs and produce live young. Litters are usually less than 20.

Originally Posted by ameristrat

remember, one more fish on the dock, is one less fish to make hundreds more for the future.
Ameristrat

Very, very true. Words to live by.

[RiskTaker]

Originally Posted by tunaman81

That is incorrect. It is perfectly legal to harvest nurse sharks in Florida.

Good catch. Thank you for the clarification, Tunaman. (I confused those with Night sharks, a common swordfishing by-product.)

Ok, so Captain JJ says they taste like crawfish... Hmmm.

Maybe the next time one tries to muscle me out of crawfish or fish in the ditty bag, I may stuff one in the bag to do the taste test experiment. Arrgh, Shark for dinner.

But don't worry I won't get any of those crazy ideas if the freezer is full of dolphin, swordfish and snapper fillets.

[TTesterman]

good on ya.. they make really good shark bites at panama city dock also .. mako was good when I ate it but I like to think "I don't eat them .. they don't eat me.".. were those nurse sharks growing up around the stink holes???...

[Power Fisherman]

You know, catch and release is not something new. Some people have been doing this for decades.

[down-rigger]

well if they want it mounted they can get the reel teeth from the shark and get them put in their,because fake teeth suck

[truebluefishing]

As of the first of July 09 down here in Queensland Australia it is now illegal to kill sharks over 1.5 metres long (5 foot), i cant really see the point of killing them, you can get a few pics boatside and then release.