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!

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!

 

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.

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.

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!