IGFA - lame lame lame!

The IGFA keeps defending unethical trophy fishing - not cool!

Remember David's paper about trophy fishing?

As a reminder, here's a nice synopsis, and I cite

“To us, ‘don’t kill IUCN Red List Threatened species for fun’ should be a part of any ethical angling policy, and many IGFA member anglers that we’ve spoken to agree,” Shiffman said. “We can only hope that the IGFA leadership decides to take the simple step that we propose.” 

Well said - totally agree!

And here is the answer by the IGFA.

Well, nobody really expected that they would fully endorse the paper's recommendations - but this?

This is unprofessional demagoguery at its very worst, to the point that one really has to ask the question whether the Conservation Director (no less!) is just simply hopelessly out of his depth? Nobody disputes that the principal cause for those collapsing fish stocks is not the recreational anglers but commercial (and subsistence!) fishing, at least when it comes to the marine species - but this is in no way an excuse for continuing to promote policies that are ethically reprehensible and hopelessly antiquated!

No I'm not gonna dwell.

The proposed solutions are compelling and easy to implement, and they would instantly affirm the IGFA as a responsible and forward looking organization - AND help preserve the Fish stocks the IGFA relies upon for its existence.

Not gonna happen - and fuck the breathy mission statement.

Not impressed!

IGFA Records - great Paper!

Dead Goliath Groupers in 1957 - source.

Bravo!

Great to see a paper looking into this.

Those all-tackle weight records have been a personal gripe of mine for years (and here and here). In brief, the IGFA is sanctioning and certifying the deliberate targeting of the biggest individuals = inevitably, the oldest and possibly pregnant females that are the most prolific breeders and thus the most valuable individuals. This is especially true for Sharks where their life history compounds the problem - but in general terms, this generally applies to all Fishes.

Please read this paper.

Doesn't get much clearer than that - but should you still have any open questions, here are more answers by David.

Well done!

And the IGFA?

Why do they continue to hang on to those hopelessly archaic and unethical practices?

Hearsay has it that there was a movement from within the IGFA to gradually switch from weight- to length records that would not have automatically implied killing the Fish. Apparently, some Southern Hemisphere chapters threatened that if so, they would leave and thus break up the Association, at which the proposal was quietly shelved.

Dunno if 100% accurate - but certainly plausible.

And incidentally. 

I just realized that I never followed up on the trailer posted in one of the above links. This is the finished product - not 100% directly related but certainly worth watching.

Fiji: Pro-Shark!

Matava organises Fiji to be the first COUNTRY to fully participate in the Shark Free Marina Initiative Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort and Bite Me Gamefishing Charters take the leading role in the world with a major shark conservation initiative in the gamefishing community KADAVU, FIJI ISLANDS - 14 July 2009 - Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco-Adventure Resort and Bite Me Gamefishing Charters are proud to take a world wide leading role in the the international Shark-Free Marina Initiative. The international Shark-Free Marina Initiative works with marinas, boaters and fishermen to develop policy designed to protect a vital component of the oceans health, our sharks. Matava Director Stuart Gow said "We have worked hard over the past few months in Fiji at certifying many marinas and charter fishing boats as 'Shark-Free Marinas' and so far have more than any other country worldwide." "Matava and Bite Me Gamefishing Charters was the first in Fiji to sign up and is actively promoting, coordinating and distributing information about the Initiative. We are working towards when Fiji can be the first country to be proud to announce itself as a 'Shark-Free Marinas' Country!" he continued. The majority of shark species caught by recreational and sport anglers are currently listed by the IUCN as 'Threatened' (or worse) and each year an average of a ½ Million of these sharks are killed in the United States alone. It is estimated that 70-100 million sharks are killed yearly world wide! Bite Me Gamefishing Charters actively avoids fishing for any species of shark and encourages this practice to be followed by all. By encouraging non-lethal 'catch-and-release' shark fishing fishermen and those sharks inevitably caught accidentally can enjoy their sport while ensuring that shark populations are not further diminished. By promoting sustainable practices of ocean management we hope that sharks will be around to keep our oceans healthy for generations to come. Many Fiji marinas and charter operations are already listed on the Shark-Free Marina website as well as having the right to use the SFMI logo and signs for their own publicity. We are now in the process of distributing the stickers, posters and metal dock signs to registered businesses, charter boats and marinas. The SFMI website also has an education centre that we hope everyone will find useful, it includes tips on how to catch and release shark, a list of Endangered and Threatened species plus information on how they can help protect the ocean. "At Matava, and Bite Me Gamefishing Charters we are of course both happy and proud to be spearheading this initiative in the South Pacific and indeed the World" said Matava Director and Bite Me Gamefishing Charter Captain, Captain Adrian Watt. "We also see this as a great step forward and opportunity for all gamefishing and sportfishing charter boats, both on Kadavu and in the Fiji Islands, to move forward in their standards to achieve truly world class levels of service and capabilities demonstrated by the 'catch and release' programs." Captain Watt finished by saying "We would like to thank all friends and clients of Matava and Bite Me Gamefishing Charters past and present who have contributed to the success of our ecotouirsm principles and the resort and we look forward to exciting times ahead." The Shark-Free Marina Initiative has a singular purpose, to reduce worldwide shark mortality. We encourage shark conservation at sport fishing and resort marinas by prohibiting the landing of any shark at the participating marina. The SFMI works with marinas, fishermen and like minded non-profit groups to form community conscious policy and increase awareness of the need to protect our sharks, our ocean and our legacy. Matava - Fiji's Premier Eco Adventure Resort, is an eco adventure getaway offering you a fun and unique blend of cultural experiences and adventure activities in the environmentally pristine and remote island of Kadavu in the Fiji Islands. Matava - Fiji Premier Eco Adventure Resort is a PADI Dive Resort as well as a Project AWARE GoEco Operator. With more than 12 years experience in the Fiji Islands, Matava is recognized as a leading educational dive centre. Matava offers accommodation for up to 22 guests in lush tropical surroundings in traditional thatched Fijian 'bures' with hardwood polished floors, louvre windows and private decks offering privacy, comfort and superb ocean views. Bite-Me Gamefishing Charters is our on-site IGFA game fishing specialists offering the best of superb record breaking blue water game fishing for tuna, wahoo, sailfish and marlin. As an active member of IGFA and The Billfish Association we advocate tag and release of all billfish and Trevally not deemed to be a National or World Record. www.Matava.com www.GamefishingFiji.com # # #

IGFA Weight Records - Rebuttal!

This stuff is just not cool - source.

The debate continues.

Remember David's paper, an the lame reply by the IGFA?
Here is his response, and I cite,

We are grateful for the productive discussion...

Hahahahahahaha!

PS - published version here!

 

Thank You Sean Paxton!

Underwater Thrills alerts me to this op ed by Sean Paxton.
Please, do read it.

I must say, once again, I am impressed.
Like Guy Harvey, Sean and (Shark) brother Brooks are prominent and well regarded representatives of the recreational fishing guild and having people like them speak out in favor of Shark conservation is highly gratifying indeed. All these gentlemen have a proven track record of advocating and above all, implementing pragmatic and consensus based solutions like the Shark Free Marina Initiative and the Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge and having them on our side is simply priceless.

I was particularly intrigued by the reference to IGFA.
Whereas they have been brilliant in advocating tag & release for Billfishes, they remain equally appalling when it comes to Sharks. Certifying all-tackle weigh records for Sharks means that the trophy hunters will continue to specifically target the heaviest, biggest individuals which in the case of Sharks will always be pregnant females. Can you imagine a hunter willfully shooting a pregnant animal? Unthinkable! It's high time the IGFA took a stand against this wasteful, antiquated and ethically reproachful practice by introducing length records and advocating catch&release - and yes I'm repeating myself!
Many species will give birth in specific coastal locations, meaning that informed trophy hunters know exactly where and when to target them. The Florida legislation will be a great step forward in preventing just that.

Anyway, Kudos and Thank You to Sean!

Ethics should not need to be regulated

Amen to that!

Sharky of The Chum Slick has written this great post about the recent killings of Sharks by sport fishermen. And let's not forget Mr. Donlon's abomination in Ft. Myers!

What is particularly riling is that in order to book themselves an IGFA record, they specifically target the largest individuals - and those are invariably pregnant females, i.e. the very breeding stock that would deserve special protection, and not persecution. To compound the problem, they are very easyly caught as they turn up at predictable times in the coastal Shark nurseries.

How does it feel to kill a pregnant mother and dozens of babies? Or to sit in a bikini on the corpse of a threatened animal?
So much for IGFA's "sportsmanship" and proclaimed conservation efforts - and I'll leave it at that.

Luckily, some are bucking the trend.
Very shortly, I'll be able to tell you about a great initiative that aims at protecting Sharks by working organically with the sport fishing community.
Keep watching this space!

Trophy fishing for Sharks?

Dumpster full of Blue Sharks after fishing tournament - Long Island, NY

Hmmm...
...these derbies provide significant socio-economic and educational value for the rural coastal communities? What possible educational value could come from killing and stringing up trophy Sharks?
Anyway, it'll be interesting to watch the finished product!

Here's the trailer.



I say, trophy tournaments are an abomination.
And I'm not only talking about Sharks! Targeting the biggest and oldest Fish that happen to also be the most prolific breeders, and this only in order to get immortalized, or whatever, in some record book is not only ethically reprehensible, it deprives the Fish stocks of their most valuable individuals.

The real culprits?
The IGFA and their record keeping which ultimately incites anglers to continue to target and kill mature pregnant females - and yes I'm very much repeating myself! Thankfully, some forward thinking anglers are starting to question that practice and more and more kill tournaments are being reformed - and there's even eco-shark- fishing businesses like this one!.



But in the end, it all depends on the IGFA.
If they want to remain current and relevant, they must finally do away with their weight records in favor of other non-lethal measurements - especially in the all-tackle category!
Guy?

H/T: Shark Year Magazine.

Cat Island - Action?

Stellar pic by Lupo!

I was frankly shocked to read Robert's testimony.

Thing is, I should have known better.
Years ago, when searching for Oceanic Whitetips off the coast of the Big Island, I witnessed how game fishermen would preempt those Sharks from stealing their catches by throwing in baited drums around the FADs and letting the Sharks fight to their death whilst they went on to target their coveted billfish. The only OWT we saw in a pod of Shortfin Pilot Whales was consequently totally spooked and never came close enough for any meaningful pictures.

So, what to do?
I was hopeful that yesterday's decision by the ICCAT to protect the Oceanic Whitetips would take care of the commercial fisheries but no such luck: the Bahamas are not a contracting party. Thankfully, Patric has already taken up my last thread and proposed some meaningful immediate actions, re-posted by Richard here and Felix here.
Building on that, and if I had it my way which I never do, here's what I would propose.

• Get some Bahamian allies! This will not work if the push is being viewed as coming only from some foreign Shark whacks!

• Establish a Bahamian Oceanic Whitetip conservation and awareness website as Patric suggests, and roll it out to the operators. Any takers for doing that?

• Define commercial Shark diving protocols. My gut would be to follow what Jimmy has already developed and successfully implemented & have the operators agree to it. Now that this has (alas!) become a multi-user site, there also needs to be some code of conduct in order to avoid crowding and multiple boats vying for the same animals. Yes that would mean that everybody operating Shark dives around Cat Island would have to talk to each other, as in self regulating. Easy! :)
  

• Start new, or consolidate existing research projects and showcase them on the above website. Read Patric's suggestions.
  

• Calculate the commercial value of those Sharks to the local tourism industry and go and talk to the local community. Have the local powers that be agree on not enabling the targeting of those Sharks. This thing will only fly if the locals on Cat island can be convinced that protecting Sharks is in their very own interest! Remember the fiasco of that new Shark operation on Hawaii and how it was dispatched by the locals for poor planning and lack of proper outreach! Hell, provided that they agree to some protection, one may really think about offering them a cut of the cash flow, as we do here in Fiji via our Marine Park levy! Clients love paying extra for protection!
  

• If there are any, convince the local marinas to become Shark Free
  

• As soon as it is official, roll out the new IGFA non-lethal, release-only length-based certification to Cat Island. Maybe even combine it with something like this to get the game fishermen on board and kick-start the research - yes it's maybe radical but is it really totally anathema, the more as it would funnel incremental income from Sharks that are being kept alive to Cat Island?
  

• Integrate this whole project into the present push for a Bahamian Shark sanctuary, i.e. get the same actors involved plus produce the according media

• Please: no activism, no demonizing, no finger pointing! This is about being constructive and showing the way for an outcome that benefits all the stakeholders, especially the local community! Remember, we're talking about developing long-term sustainable ecotourism here, not some parachute-in-parachute-out adrenaline fix before everybody flocks to the next adrenaline hotspot!

• And finally: yes, this has got nothing to do with natural encounters and the like. But as I said elsewhere, that's nothing but wishful thinking anyway. Natural resources, if we want to preserve them, will need to be managed - and the sooner we understand that, the sooner we will be able to enact forward looking policies.
  

Again, just my 2¢ and by no means meant to be exhaustive or the only solution.
But it may be a good starting point.

Thing is, somebody must do something, right now!
Difficult but certainly achievable if intelligent and motivated people get their heads together, develop a pragmatic goal-oriented strategy and for once are bigger than the usual sum of big egos, petty historical feuds and personal agendas.

As a friend (yes another one!) wrote, I am wondering out loud if this site could be all that it could be. All the elements are there:

1. rare species
2. opportunity for research
3. good base of operations
4. tie in with push to get Bahamas to declare a sanctuary

Totally correct!
It really is a fabulous chance for doing it right from the outset and establishing yet another iconic Shark hot spot - if done responsibly!

We've just seen what is the alternative, so can we for once maybe learn from those mistakes.

Shark-Free Beaches?

Back to the controversy.

I got quite a bit of flak for having posted my take on the land-based Shark fishing in Delray Beach.
The organizers of the anti-fishing movement are excellent and passionate people who love Sharks with a vengeance, and the post was seen as a stupid and unnecessary contribution that would ultimately weaken their case. If so, I hope they'll accept my sincere apologies.

Of course, it wasn't meant that way.
Where I'm coming from is that I believe that Conservation must be pragmatic, smart, whenever possible consensual and fact-based. The Shark-Free Marinas Initiative is an excellent example of how that can be achieved.

Surely, nobody is seriously contemplating to ban all land-based fishing (for Sharks and "regular" Fishes) in Florida.
Anglers are a passionate and powerful group and their hobby is just another -albeit for some disturbing- way of enjoying the outdoors. From a Conservation point of view, they are certainly entitled to pursue it as long as they don't kill endangered species.

Here's an example from Australia.



Once again, the way to go is to sit at one table and agree on a compromise, whereby the anglers are allowed to fish provided that they do so sustainably.
In the case of game fishing for Sharks, all of which are endangered to some degree, that really boils down to practicing catch and release, very much in line with what the IGFA is already doing with Billfish. I understand that some anglers do kill the Sharks and eat the contaminated meat - but from what I can discern, many don't, so it should not be mission impossible to convince the recalcitrant rest.



Incidentally, Sean Paxton & Brooks Paxton II are already working on certifying released Sharks as part of the Int'l Land-Based Shark Fishing Association. Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, as they will also certify dead Sharks and also, because some of the Sharks on their list should be fully protected - but certainly a step in the right direction.
Also, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is presently reviewing its Shark management rules and it very much looks like they are willing to take aboard the above reservations, along with measures aimed at protecting juveniles, pregnant females and banning Shark kill tournaments.

But what about the argument that land-based fishing is endangering the other aquatic recreationists by drawing in Sharks?

I've actually been totally sold on that one for quite a while - but maybe contrary to the proponents of a ban on Shark fishing, I intuitively believe that the worst perpetrators may well be the "regular" fishermen that use chum and then drag in struggling fish that send out distress signals which are irresistible to Sharks. Incidentally, that's what the Shark fishermen claim, too!
On top of that, many anglers will then clean their catch right on the shore and thus create a further Shark attractant. I've personally witnessed it in French Polynesia and the next blog post will mention a glaring example from Hawaii. And there's the famous case of Walker's Cay where the regular dumping of carcasses by a game fishing operation established a resident population of Bull Sharks.

If the above is true, the only solution would be to establish mutually exclusive zones: no fishing where people swim and no swimming where people fish.
Yes Delray Beach may resolve to chase away the anglers (but it should really be all of them, not only those who target Sharks) citing that the area is just to small to support both activities - but in the big scheme of things, anglers certainly deserve their own space where the other users agree to take a step back.

Bottom line: talk to each other!
It's really always the same: the best and most enduring Conservation is the result of negotiations - and yes, sometimes the parties will only agree to talk after having been shown the "stick", like in Ft. Myers. The result of those talks will likely be a compromise, meaning that some Sharks will be killed - but in exchange, we could have a say about what species, how many, where, when and how and be reasonably confident that the anglers will abide by those rules. And maybe export the concept to other states where land-based Shark fishing is equally popular.
To me, that would be quite an achievement!

Anyway, as I said, just a thought.

PS: I just found this poll on the Orlando Sentinel website - please cast your vote.

Fischer Reality Check - Comments by Dr. Michael Domeier!

In-water SPOT-tagging of an enormous GWS - source.

Sorry for the protracted silence.

We've been extremely busy.

Plus, I've found myself embroiled in a rather unexpected and increasingly pointless debate with Chris Fischer of Ocearch.

Chris should have followed the advice of Domeier's publicist, see below.
Now the exchange has piqued the interest of the man himself who has sent me a vigorous rebuttal of Fischer's assertions, initially however with the request not to publicize it as he wanted to keep to the high road and instead let Karma take its course.

Well, I don't believe much in Karma.

It is unpredictable and takes much, much too long to eventuate.

So upon much cajoling by yours truly, here are Michael Domeier's comments - and from what I recall and have been able to observe from the sidelines, I for one have no doubt that they are a truthful representation of the facts - tho still way too karmically polite!

Unabridged - although the formatting is mine.

Enjoy!

Any PR expert will tell you to never get dragged into a public, negative pissing match… excellent advice that I try to follow. 
But once every few years I’m forced to slide down the slippery slope to correct serious misinformation that affects me, or my organization… misinformation that only I am capable of correcting. 

Some people are so comfortable stretching the truth that they actually begin to believe the lie themselves. 

Remind you of anyone/anything?? A popup tag removed from a shark at Guadalupe Island? A tag presumably recovered from another shark off El Choyudo? Pictures of Junior circulated with wounds falsely attributed to my tagging of the same shark a year earlier? For each of these things I finally made a concise statement that set the record(s) straight. Here we go again, but perhaps not as concise due to the complex situation. 

Chris Fischer, at every opportunity, proclaims 1) that he spent $5 million to fund my research; 2) that he enabled me to become a great researcher; 3) that I greedily hoard the data and don’t share with the public; and 4) that he developed the equipment and methods to capture and tag large adult white sharks. 

1) There is no way Chris Fischer ever spent $5 million of his (or anyone else’s) money on my research. 

We joined forces to conduct 2 expeditions before he got a TV deal. My last Guadalupe Island expedition (Fall 2012) cost about $40K… and that was with the boat making a profit. So do the math. Also, there was never going to be a second expedition (2008). Chris had a big sponsorship from Red Lobster and was departing for a ‘round the world expedition. I even flew to Ft. Lauderdale to attend his big send-off party at the IGFA Hall of Fame. I flew on my own dime, wished him well and said goodbye. When Red Lobster dropped him, ending the voyage before it even began, we got together to do another expedition in 2008. He did not put his life on hold, bet his savings, etc., to provide me two boat rides to Guadalupe Island. I was the one who spent months and months in preparation for each trip… he just showed up at the dock. 

Yes, he paid for 2 trips to Guadalupe, but then struck a TV deal that allowed him to recoup those costs as he was getting $400K/episode. 

We were able to make multiple episodes from a single trip. Furthermore, I tapped two other private foundations to help pay for the tags and research; financial support that he never acknowledges. Fischer was fairly paid for all of the work we did together… this was not a huge philanthropic venture. On the contrary, he made it clear: “no cameras no trips.” The huge $$ figure he throws around must be for the entire operating cost of his ship and production company for each year he was making these television shows. But that’s not a fair way to account for the actual cost of the research (a fraction of the yearly operating budgets were due to the handful of research trips)… and he never discusses the INCOME. Any real accountant would tally just the costs of the specific trips… or think like this: what would it cost to charter a vessel for each research trip, and then subtract the income! Perhaps he took a loss, I don’t know; my organization took a financial loss… but no way did either of us wrack up losses in the millions. 

2) None of my recent white shark papers would have been possible without the 10 years I put in the field before I met Fischer. 

Fischer just happened to be in the picture as I began to really put all the pieces together. I knew SPOT tags were the only way to push the science forward. I also knew the sharks would be easy to catch, but I wanted to lift them from the water to safely remove the hook and do extra sampling (sperm, blood etc). I was developing a stand-alone pneumatic lift to accomplish the task. When Fischer showed me a picture of his new boat at a Billfish Foundation Board Meeting, I instantly recognized that the lift designed to pick up a yacht could shortcut my lift building plan. I asked if I could use the boat. The answer was “yes,” but only if I allowed cameras. I had never cooperated with a film maker in all my years at Guadalupe (well… Guy Harvey is an exception… but he’s an exceptional guy), and I had requests on a monthly basis, but this seemed like a good trade. 

When it comes to enabling, I think one needs to look at who really benefited from this collaboration. 

I brought Fischer into my world… he took my idea and crafted an entirely new career/image for himself. He even used the experience to gain his coveted Explorer Club status. Brett’s a good guy, but even he will tell you he (Brett) had no interest in catching sharks… even as we were heading to Guadalupe for the first time. If it wasn’t for my bringing Fischer into the marine science world, and consequently primetime television… he would be sitting in his home in Park City without a big boat waiting at the dock. Yes, he was about to lose the boat. If I had stayed true to my original course I would have accomplished the same work, it just would have taken me longer 

3) I do not hoard data. 

Like any professional researcher, I gather data until there is enough to analyze, allowing me to write an excellent publication. Then I publish and share with the world, just like every other working researcher that I know. In fact, I was careful to publish our latest findings in an open access journal, so the entire world could read the paper for free. 

I also disseminate results on our Facebook page. And yes, I have an app that costs a whopping $3.99… that helps me fund the research (actually… it brought in enough to do a nice upgrade (soon)… but not much more). I don’t have huge tv deals and corporate sponsors. So what’s the problem? Fischer slammed my app (and me personally) when it debuted and encouraged people not to purchase it. No, I don’t give the data to Fischer… why should I… it’s my data? He got all the TV shows and celebrity status he wanted… I got data. Furthermore, releasing research results prior to publishing can be problematic when the time comes to publish. Ask any researcher about that. I’ve been sharing more data lately simply to try to keep my organization afloat. But the last person I want running around the world, interpreting my unpublished data, is Chris Fischer. But that hasn’t stopped him from doing so. His brand building (photo shoots and interviews with big hooks draped around his neck, the hyped fishing template for the show) really hurt my reputation as a legitimate researcher. 

4) For our initial expedition I told Fischer he didn’t need to bring anything, just bait…I would do the rest.

I did the rest… and he forgot the bait (thus the infamous bait arguments on TV program). I conceived of the idea to use his yacht-lift to tag sharks, I designed the cradle, I designed the hook, the buoys, the line… everything. When the cradle didn’t work the way I had hoped, I was the one that tore it all down and fenced in the entire platform… Chris wanted to use the crane to pull the sharks onto the platform (yikes). Yes, my home-made hooks were prone to bending and breaking, but there was no place to buy such big circle hooks and we caught a few sharks that first year. And yes, the crew helped refine my concept for safely catching and handling the sharks. 

The SPOT tags used by all now, were built specifically to my design specs. 

I tried the off-the-shelf version and it failed. My version worked, and continues for me and for those who have followed. Lately I’ve made significant changes to the attachment of those tags… but that’s another story. 

Every single place we went with the ship was under my specific direction. 

I was in the wheelhouse each time we dropped anchor, putting the ship on my numbers… and we caught and tagged sharks every place we went. Our success was not due to the exceptional fishing prowess of Fischer; it was due to years and years of observation, study and note taking.

I  hate this sort of thing, and hopefully it will be years before I have to put myself out there like this again. 

But sometimes it’s a necessary evil. There are moments of clarity when you have to act, today was one such moment. Let me share a similar moment from years ago: while doing a big promotional push before the debut of our first TV episode, Fischer and I were both doing nonstop interviews in NYC. During a short break, my wife and I watched one of Fischer’s interviews, on FOX News, from the lobby of the hotel. We sat in stunned silence as he proclaimed that the entire research program was his idea and that he had pulled together the boat, crew and research. Just weeks prior he had proclaimed that I was nothing more than “a passenger with permits.” Suddenly it was clear this was not a good situation for me. The science message was being lost by the growing ego. In the end, I could not bear to watch the series that was based upon my own hard work. I tried to watch an episode during the season when Peter Klimley took my place… I was sickened at how Peter was made to look so foolish… turned it off again. 

There have been a huge number of people on-and-off the Fischer bandwagon, many of whom can confirm my statements if you care to track them down. Brett was a good friend… he knows the truth… unfortunately our friendship could not endure the awkwardness to keep in touch. 

I will be the first to say that I’ve noted a different tack from the Fischer camp lately… less fishing hype and more attention to the fish being studied. 

Perhaps lessons have been learned. But in my heart I know Fischer’s ride is about recognition… not about sharks. He didn’t know a clasper from a cloaca before I met him. I hope he does great things for the world… I hope he becomes more self-aware and learns to let his actions speak rather than his words. This whole thing started because he could not stand the fact he was not getting all the credit for a paper Nicole and I invested nearly 15 years to produce. 

Dr. Michael Domeier

PS: simply brilliant post by Patric here - kudos!

“I once thought (call it an evolution) that science and tv could be married together to deliver the best and brightest to waiting audiences. Then the major cable players started cutting doco budgets, slashing and burning them in an almost Visigothic manner until a 60 minute show was left with a budget of $150,000 and that included post production.

What do you get for $150,000 or less? You get Gurney Productions and sharks. There will always be someone who is willing to drop their pants and chain wrap a Tiger shark, and film it, (yes ABC that's you buddy) for a few film credits and the chance to film the next piece of shit that comes down the chute.”

PS2: Megalobomb unleashes!

The most challenging experience one will face during a career in white shark research is being suckered into working with someone that is a dick. Like a one-night stand, they/their projects may look attractive and say all the right things, but then you wake up and realize that you’re some wrinkly married man’s mid-life crisis.

One Thousand!

That's a lot of blog posts!

Patric of Underwater Thrills has just reached this milestone and we feel compelled to shout a big Kudos and Congratulations!
I've said it before, the blog by Shark Diver is as good as it gets: always up-to-date, always interesting, sometimes funny, often brilliant and visionary. And thankfully, often controversial, scathing and unflinching - the way a Shark Diving and Conservation blog should be!

Shark Conservation has recently made very satisfying inroads and we should be thankful for that - and persevere and redouble our efforts!

Sharks continue to be brutally slaughtered by the tens of millions - not only by the industrial Shark finning mafia but also, by the members of the oh-so-noble IGFA.
And they continue to be demonized by the mainstream media - and alas, also by Shark-related media like Discovery's Shark Week who I hear will insist on producing this season's idiotic anchor show "Deadly Beaches" in spite of the outrage by the Shark Conservation Community. Have we managed to keep them out of Fiji or are they trying to sneak in under the radar? Keep watching this space!
And there remains a sad and increasingly lonely group of yesteryear's Shark Diving Operators who insist on tarnishing the reputation of the whole Industry with their reckless cowboy antics and still treat Sharks as mere ATM machines. Which begs the question, who will facilitate Deadly Beaches in the Bahamas?
And whilst this is going on, the relevant Authorities continue to dither and precious resources keep being squandered on frivolous science.

All very dire.
Much to do for people who care. Like Patric.
Buddy, very well done and may you continue to entertain, amaze and inspire us for many years to come!

5,341 Bucks!

Yes this pic is from Destin! Great destin-ation marketing huh!

Pretty sweet!

That's what Team Tim's Tree Service bagged for catching and releasing a 7 1/2 feet Hammerhead at the Are You Man Enough Shark challenge this week in Fort Myers. And they could have earned themselves another ten grand by catching one of the previously tagged five Sharks.
To me, that should be plenty of incentive for keeping this format in the future - and hopefully, for getting rid of the horrible name in the process!

Compare that to the measly 250 bucks for landing the biggest of many dead Sharks in Destin, and it should be pretty obvious what they guys over there ought to do.

Yes, as WhySharksMatter said, the victory in Fort Myers has indeed been the result of clever and respectful Shark Conservation - but let there be no doubt that threatening to disrupt proceedings via a vocal Conservation rally played an important role as well!

That's also the message to Devin: evolve, and everybody will be happy to work with you in order to find attractive alternatives - or else!

Talking of which, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has scheduled a series of public workshops this month to receive comments on the management of sharks, including possible changes to Shark bag and size limits, the prohibited Shark species list, and Shark landing requirements and gear rules.

Would be great if this could be turned into an ethical debate, as in stopping the despicable slaughter of pregnant females. No reason why the fishermen shouldn't follow the lead of the hunters - or is there?

Time for IGFA to show some leadership!

Excellent!

Please read this press release by Mote.
It really looks like the Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge has been a total success.
Kudos!

From an e-mail by a friend.

On a positive note, I went to Sarasota this weekend to the Guy Harvey USC...

I was able to watch Bob Hueter SPOT tag a young female great hammerhead. She was about seven and a half feet, so not exactly a baby, but maybe not quite sexually mature yet (they mature at @ 92 inches). Anyway, the shark looked to be in good shape when she swam off. Overall I'm really, really happy that I went...

Anyway I guess you can see that I was impressed.
Hopefully I'm not being naive or overly optimistic, but I really do feel good about this. I'm glad I got to see the hammerhead release, because that is one of the biggest concerns. This was a relatively small one. I know they'd like to tag a big pregnant one, so they can find out where they go to pup, etc.
I am still nervous about that, but definitely less nervous than before.

What a remarkable change!
Like me, this particular gentleman was initially skeptical and to see him so totally converted is truly remarkable! Good on him for having conducted his personal due diligence, and for having kept an open mind about the issue!

Me, too, I'm really impressed - so far!
Due to my personal distaste of game fishing for Sharks, I shall never quite warm to the concept.
But having said this, my hope is that this will establish a trend and that the existing kill tournaments will gradually switch to the catch and release formula - hopefully, without any new Shark tournaments being established.
If on top of that, the IGFA could be convinced to stop certifying those disgraceful all-tackle records for Sharks, then this would really be huge progress over the current status quo!

Fingers crossed!

Pundits

When it comes to opinions, there’s controversial and then there’s just plain asinine.

Take for instance this, and many other articles and posts dealing with the Bahamas Shark Incident and Adventure Travel in general. They all portray us as as a death-seeking, reckless and lunatic bunch of complete idiots and desperadoes that need to be stopped for their own, and the sake of mankind at large.

Well, as the Germans say, "paper is patient", it does not care about the rubbish people write on it.
So is obviously the web which is increasingly populated by whackos and wannabees hawking their latest Conspiracy Theories (Reptilian Humanoids anybody?), extolling the virtues of esoteric Quackery (how about Cetacean Aquacranial Therapy for a change?) and yes, sniping from the comfort of some air-conditioned suburban office to enlighten us with these increasingly irritating pieces of supercilious horse manure.

What ever happened to the Pundits, "erudite (i.e. non-rude) persons who make comments or judgments, esp. in an authoritative manner"?
As in: intelligent, informed and above all, impartial and unbiased?

Having been drawn into the unfathomable depths of the current US primary process, I'm starting to wonder.
Does the political preference of, say, senior Chihuahua-owning and Bible-thumping middle-class white Baptist widows residing in rural Pennsylvania really constitute a valuable piece of information worthy of profound analysis on Larry King Live?
Is anybody, ever, going to revert to the Big Picture and put things back into proper perspective? And, maybe, educate the public in the process?

Instead, to get back to our nick of the universe, all I can see is an unnerving succession of, I'm sorry to say, uninformed and condescending morons pontificating about the dangers and ethics of feeding Fish and how what we do teaches Sharks to associate humans with food. The "obvious" consequence being that the so conditioned Beasts will then retaliate and devour some other poor innocent and unsuspecting sod when denied an adequate culinary offering.

Did I once say that I wasn’t about to join the fray?
Well, I guess I must have changed my mind. Seriously, enough is enough.

About the former, may I point out that people who attract Fish by offering them food are called Fishermen, not Divers.
Worried about the safety of your precious beaches? Go break the cojones of the guys surf casting from the breakwater, how about that.
So, please, take your fight to IGFA and not us.

The latter at least sounds plausible. Plausible, yes - but it is dead wrong never the less.

With the notable exception of a prominent statistician who has obviously never seen it fit to leave his office in favor of some lowly menial in-loco experience, all relevant industry professionals assert that they cannot discern any such behavioral changes. As a matter of fact, nor can we, and this after close to ten years of baiting.
But then, our collective experience is obviously worth precisely zilch as everybody knows that we’re just a gang of greedy reckless lunatics whose sole aim in life is to kill our clients whilst lining our pockets in the process.

And what about the relevant Scientific community?
There, opinions vary but on closer inspection, they once again are not based on facts, but on personal conjecture and on individual preferences instead.
In my experience, your average Marine Biologist tends to be highly paranoid about having some large Shark sniff at his heels (or, God forbid, gobble down a priceless specimen!) whilst he's engaging in some groundbreaking field research. Thus, any activity that could carry even the most remote risk of infringing on his well-being will inevitably be frowned upon, proof or no proof.
The veritable Shark specialists on the other hand could not care less about such mundane trivia and continue to bait, tag, manhandle and generally, interact with Sharks in total impunity. And, some would say, in reckless lunacy.
In brief, nobody has so far deigned to stoop so low as to try and scientifically prove, or disprove those assertions.

Is anybody of Authority ever going to present us with some proper evidence?
Watch this space!

Having said this, I reject, denounce and repudiate, and deeply apologize for the foregoing which is evidently nothing but the un-erudite ranting of some reckless and incompetent lunatic bozo. Considering who I am, not only a Shark diver but also, believe it or not, a Lawyer, I’m sure you understand.
No Pundit intended!

Targeting pregnant Sharks in Florida!

Oh yes - there's nothing wrong with this, just some harmless FUN! And highly educative for the kids! Source.

And I cite.

FWC enforcement officers in the Keys are aware of the nocturnal shark-fishing activity at Sea Oats Beach and pay special attention to it during the shark pupping season, agency spokesman Officer Bobby Dube said.
"Fishermen are allowed to catch sharks," Dube said. "Finning is illegal but catching sharks is not."

Right!

Read this - fishermen are targeting and killing pregnant Sharks in the Florida Keys, and the FWC sees nothing wrong with that. Much like the IGFA that continue to certify those all-tackle weight records which for Fishes inevitably equals the biggest, likely pregnant females that happen to be the most prolific and thus most valuable breeders.

Remember this?

Looks like 5 years on, progress is still zilch - which is even more disturbing considering the legions of Floridian Shark divers that swamp us with all those terminally boring videos and ALL purport to be saving Sharks by changing perceptions yada yada! How about less self promotion and less breathy statements, and instead, more meaningful action on the ground folks!

You know who you are!

For real Men!

Wilson alerts me to this game.

For real men?
I'm obviously too old and technophobic for that kind of stuff - but then again, it quite remarkably appears to be completely devoid of any attacks, chomping and killing and all of those other pedagogically valuable attributes commonly associated with Shark toys and the like. So I guess that's progress and thus a good thing!

Which brings me straight over to the Are You Man enough Shark Challenge - remember?
Looks like after having been dragged there kicking and above all, screaming, Jack Donlon has seen the light: his tournament has become catch-and-release and a continuation of the excellent trend pioneered by the Guy Harvey Ultimate Shark Challenge.
And since it's popular and thus, good business, Jack plans to roll this out even further! Yes it's ultimately all about the money - but if it entertains the plebs and saves Sharks in the process, all I can say is well done, good on him and best of success with it!

Tho I still believe that those IGFA weight records must be abolished - and that, anyway, game fishing for Sharks is for wanquers !
Yes, please excuse my French!