Florida approves shark protections

Some great news:


"Florida wildlife managers approved a ground-breaking shark protection measure on Wednesday that will make it illegal for anglers fishing state waters to keep tiger sharks or three species of hammerheads." - Miami Herald - complete article here.


Congratulations to Samantha Whitcraft and Neil Hammerschlag.  I know there were many others involved and it was a group effort (I just read Facebook and saw their posts ;) ).  And a shout out to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

White Shark in Florida

Just saw post on Shark Diver blog with video of a white shark off the cost of Florida.  Pretty far out...see video below - only lame thing, spearing with tanks - what's up with that...and not the best shot.

Pregnant sharks killed in Florida - over 40 pups dead

Received a sad note from Neil Hammerschlag this morning about the death of a pregnant bull and hammerhead shark.  Both seem to have died as a result of irresponsible fishing.  As per Neil's post:


"I am sad to report that within the last 24 hours, 2 pregnant sharks were killed.

The first  shark that washed up on shore, was in the Florida Keys yesterday. It was a 9 ft pregnant bull shark with 12 dead pups that were ready to be born.

Dead 9 ft pregnant Bull shark washed up on beach as a result of beach fishing. Shark had two "J" hooks in it's gills (Click to enlarge)

12 dead bull shark pups (click to enlarge)

The second shark washed up this afternoon, was on Delray Beach. It was a 13 ft pregnant hammerhead shark with 35 dead pups that were ready to be born.

Dead 13 ft pregnant Hammerhead with J Hook (click to enlarge)

35 dead hammerhead pups (Click to enlarge)

Both sharks were entering nearshore waters to give birth when they were captured. Witnesses reported in both areas land-based shark fishing activities in the area the previous night.  Both sharks were found dead with “J” hooks;  one shark had double “J” hooks lodged in its gills.


Luckily, team members from the RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation Program were able to respond and collect data, photos and samples.  So in less than 24 hrs, Florida lost 49 sharks (36 hammerheads & 13 bull sharks), of which 2 were reproductive females likely helping sustain the local nearshore population.

12 dead bull shark pups that were ready to be born (Click to enlarge)

It is sad to see such waste.


I am a strong supporter and promoter of responsible & sustainable catch & release fishing. However, I do not support fishing with destructive gear (J hooks) for threatened and pregnant species in areas and times of year where they congregate to give birth. This is just not responsible.


I think we need to consider at least the following regulations:


1) Only shark fishing with “Circle” hooks. This has already been instituted as part of Florida law for other fishes like groupers and snappers.
Circle hooks generally allow safe hooking of sharks in the side of the mouth, where they can be easily and quickly removed (this is compared to J hooks that sometimes cause gut or gill hooking which can be lethal).


2) Establishing protection for pregnant female sharks during the breeding season, especially threatened species like hammerhead and bulls.


3) Establishing standards and protocols for gear configurations and techniques for shark fishing that reduce fight, handling, and air exposure times, which will promote successful catch & release.


In addition, I think more research is needed to examine the effects of different types of catch & release fishing on post-release mortality to help better inform anglers on how to conduct sustainable catch & release fishing, which I support. I also believe more research identifying critical habitat for shark congregation, mating & pupping for conservation. Most importantly, we need to educate the public about threats facing sharks and how they can make a difference.


Most fishermen are responsible and ethical. The irresponsible minority reflects badly on everyone else. Responsible catch & release shark fishing is sustainable and many practice this. We just need to get everyone on board!

Brendal Davis & Mary O'Malley with dead hammerhead pups

Thank you to Curt & Kelli Slonim, Brendal Davis & Mary O’Malley for responding and being on the scene to collect data, take photos and educate the public!


Please provide your comments below and forward this to others!
Thank you for your time,
Neil Hammerschlag, Ph.D.
…………………………………..
Research Assistant Professor,
Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science (RSMAS)
Leonard & Jayne Abess Center for Ecosystem Science & Policy
Director, RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation Program
University of Miami
4600 Rickenbacker Cswy, Miami, Florida, 33149
E-mail: nhammerschlag@rsmas.miami.edu

O: 305.421.4356    F: 305.421.4675   C: 305.951.6577"

Florida Lemon Sharks are Protected

Lemon Sharks - Photo by Wolf Leander

Just received an email from Doc Gruber with the following information on the protection of Lemon Sharks in Florida.  Congratulations to all those involved - great people and highly dedicated to this cause made it happen - you know who you are.

 <http://myfwc.com/NEWSROOM/Index.htm>
For immediate release: February 18, 2010
Contact: Lee Schlesinger, 850-487-0554

FWC acts to protect lemon sharks

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) approved a rule Thursday to prohibit all recreational and commercial harvest of lemon sharks from Florida waters. The FWC took this action to protect lemon sharks, because they have a high potential to be overharvested.

Lemon sharks are often found near shore in shallow water, especially in Southeast Florida, where they aggregate in large numbers each year. This makes them easy to locate and raises the potential for large numbers of lemon sharks to be removed from the population with minimal effort by fishermen.

Lemon sharks also are susceptible to overharvest because of their life history characteristics. They are slow-growing, reaching sexual maturity at 12-15 years of age, and have a low reproductive potential, producing 6 to 18 pups per litter every second or third year.  Juvenile lemon sharks experience a mortality of 40-60 percent.

Recently, some preliminary data from an ongoing tagging study found that at least 7.5 percent of tagged adult lemon sharks from a Southeast Florida aggregation succumbed to fishing mortality in one season.  At that rate, the entire lemon shark aggregation could be harvested in a few years.

In addition, recent regulatory actions for other shark species might put more fishing pressure on lemon sharks in Florida waters, where 90 percent of known lemon shark aggregations occur. The harvest of lemon sharks will still be allowed in offshore federal waters adjacent to state waters.

Healthy lemon shark populations are especially important to Florida’s dive charter industry which provides ecotourism trips to see lemon shark aggregations in the winter months.

The FWC’s lemon shark rule takes effect on March 23.  More information about recent shark-management actions <http://www.myfwc.com/RULESANDREGS/Saltwater_Regulations_Sharks.htm>  is available online at MyFWC.com/Rules, click on “Fishing – Saltwater.” 

Lemon Sharks Could be Safe in Florida

Lemon sharks may have more to smile about.  Photo by Wolfgang Leander

Just got an email from The Doc, link to an article posted in the Sun Sentinel regarding the protection of Lemon Sharks in the state of Florida.  We have written about the subject before in this blog.


By David Fleshler:


"They are the lords of the reefs, powerful 10-foot sharks that prowl shallow coastal waters, snatching stingrays, crabs and mullet.


But while lemon sharks can hold their own in the undersea jungle, they face a tougher time against the predators equipped with powerboats, baited hooks and satellite tracking devices.


The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission this month is considering a ban on the catch of lemon sharks, hoping to protect a species that plays an important role in maintaining the health of coral reefs.


The proposal for the ban came from a group of scientists and environmentalists clustered around University of Miami professor Samuel Gruber, the world's foremost lemon shark expert. They fear that restrictions on catching other shark species over the past couple of years are leading fishermen to turn their attention to lemon sharks. Since 2004, the Florida lemon shark catch has risen more than 400 percent..."


Read complete article here.

Florida Lemon Sharks Need Your Help

Lemon Shark
Photo by: Wolf Leander

Click on image to enlarge 

I have been receiving various emails, Facebook messages, etc. regarding the Florida Lemon Shark petition...please see below:

"For those of you who are not aware, the situation with lemon sharks is very critical and time sensitive.  Please sign this petition -- it takes two seconds!  These animals are in real danger of getting wiped out very quickly.  Fishing regulations have changed and lemon sharks will now be targeted.  And they can't handle the fishing pressure.  

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/4/urgent-help-needed-to-protect-lemon-sharks

And if you're in Florida, please, please come to one of the FWC Public Lemon Shark Workshops.  There will be a lot of interesting shark people and divers there, so besides doing something really good, it will be fun!  

Oct. 19th - Fort Myers, FL - 6pm - 8pm - Joseph P. D'Alessandro Office Complex, 2295 Victoria Ave.

Oct. 20th - Dania Beach, FL - 6pm -8pm - IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum, 300 Gulf Stream Way."

I will go to the Oct. 20th meeting, hope to see some of you there.

Mako "Gaff Kill" Florida - In Depth Look

The story below first came to my attention by my wife reading something off her iPhone, but it did not really register until I saw the post below on the Underwater Thrills blog:


"What started as an email this week about a breeding aged Mako shark "caught with a gaff" off the coast of Florida may well have documented a fisheries crime.

Luke Tipple, Director of the Shark Free Marinas Initiative and marine biologist, went in depth today at the SFMI blog and looked at the fisheries ramifications of killing sharks with gaffs:

It’s not usually our style to let others speak for us but in this case I think a YouTube user said it the best:

"I have been big game fishing for 25 years and this is the most amateur kill i have ever seen. No wonder they have never seen anything like this before. They gaffed a green mako feeding on roadkill and were lucky they weren’t pulled in or worse, get there boat torn up after pulling him aboard. Drunken morons with no skills that are lucky that Mako didn’t tear them a new ass. What a disgrace, the fish deserved better. – YouTube user Zencaster"

While that is an interesting (and colorful opinion) I’d like to point out that the real issue here is that several fisheries laws may have been broken. First, watch the video…carefully.

IMPORTANT LEGAL RAMIFICATIONS

Video time 1:10 (Reporters Voice): the crew wounds the shark with a gaff… 

Here is the case to be made against the fisherman’s actions which appear to have been at least initialized by an illegal fishing method, free-gaffing or using a pole with a hook to capture the animal in such a way that it led to the animals harvest.

Case 1: How they might have broken the law in State Waters

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission manages their State waters (shore to 3 miles out) while being coordinated by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) through an Interstate Fishery Management Plan. While the plan has undergone a series of recent revisions the current regulations clearly define that a shark may not be speared.

Current regulations define the term SPEARING as:

The catching or taking of a fish by bow hunting, gigging, spearfishing, or by any device used to capture a fish by piercing the body (gaff hooks .ed). Spearing does not include the catching or taking of a fish by a hook with hook and line gear, or by snagging (snatch hooking).

They further go on to clearly state:

Regulation #68B-44.003: Bag Limit Applicable to State Waters, Gear Restriction.
(2) The harvest or attempted harvest of any shark in or from state waters by spearing is prohibited.

Thus in State controlled waters the fishermen might have broken the law by ‘free-gaffing’ the shark, ie they did not use a permitted method of capture, therefore they broke the law. Check out the regulations for yourself here: MyFWC.com or download the PDF version here: Current shark regulations (Note, even though there are currently amendments being discussed to these laws they only serve to strengthen the current regulations and do not in any case permit free gaffing sharks)

However: The video clearly starts with the disclaimer that they were 18 miles offshore, is this a loophole?

Case 2: How they might have broken the law in Federal waters

Federal waters are controlled by NOAA who run the Fisheries Office of Sustainable Fisheries: Atlantic Highly Migratory Species and have published the Guide for Complying with the Atlantic Tunas, Swordfish, Sharks, and Billfish Regulations (DOWNLOAD HERE)

Within this guide is given the strict instructions (click here for the most up to date digital version):

No person may fish for, catch, possess, or retain any Atlantic HMS (Highly Migratory Species .ed) with gears other than the primary gears specifically authorized in this part. Consistent with paragraphs (a)(1) and (a)(2) of this section, secondary gears may be used at boat side to aid and assist in subduing, or bringing on board a vessel, Atlantic HMS that have first been caught or captured using primary gears. For purposes of this part, secondary gears include, but are not limited to, dart harpoons, gaffs, flying gaffs, tail ropes, etc. Secondary gears may not be used to capture, or attempt to capture, free-swimming or undersized HMS. Except as specified in this paragraph (b), a vessel using or having onboard in the Atlantic Ocean any unauthorized gear may not possess an Atlantic HMS on board.

Let’s make sure you caught that:

Secondary gears (gaffs) may not be used to capture, or attempt to capture, free-swimming or undersized HMS

By capturing a free swimming shark without the use of primary gear they may have broken the law in both State and Federal waters leaving no real argument that could be made for where they were or what permits they were operating under.

Action

It is clear that these fishermen, knowingly or not, might have broken the law. As the NOAA documents clearly state: Since fishery rules frequently change, it is your responsibility as a fisherman to become familiar with the latest regulatory updates and to comply with the current official regulations.

Since the fishermen were so kind as to video and broadcast their video it should be an open and shut case for someone who knows fisheries laws.

SFMI will be writing to the following people and urge you to do the same:

NOAA’s Highly Migratory Species Management Division at:
Phone: (301) 713-2347
Fax: (301) 713-1917
Email: Craig Cockrell (Craig.Cockrell@noaa.gov) or Peter Cooper (Peter.Cooper@noaa.gov)

JustNews.com (the agency that made the news report)
Phone: 954-364-2500
Email: Click Here

From SFMI

I’d hazard that I’m not the first to pick up on these fine points of the law but if the video does indeed tell the full tale then these laws need to be enforced. If however the fishermen can provide video evidence of them using PRIMARY tackle (ie hook and line) to initialize the capture then they would be within their rights to have landed the shark. If this turns out to be the case then I will instead turn this report into a cautionary tale of how the media should be more responsible in reporting on shark harvests, particularly when dealing with species considered by some to be globally threatened. If you’d like to comment you can reach me atstaff@sharkfreemarinas.com

Cheers,
Luke Tipple
Director of Shark-Free Marinas

Diving South Beach

Yesterday I went diving a few miles off South Beach with some friends with the intent to get dinner - I was not expecting any sort of decent visibility from previous trips or any decent size fish for that matter.  But as luck would have it, we had both.


We dove a wreck and a cemetery, but it was not until the last location that we would find our last keeper and an hour and a half ordeal to get the grouper out of the hole he was in.  While I was not hitting anything, Manuel clearly had it aim on - but to get the fish out or part of it was a complete team effort.  The fish was wedged in a hole about 45FT deep and in the end we basically had to fillet the fish underwater to get it out - but it was worth it.


Oddly enough, no sharks came by, not even a nurse...how disappointing.


Regardless it was a fun and exhausting day - and the snappers last night that we prepared on the BBQ were well worth the workout...

An Update from Samuel Gruber and Lemon Sharks in Florida

Lemon Shark - Photo by: Wolf Leander

As per Samuel Gruber:

Dear All: Herewith is a summary version of the recent meeting in Fort Lauderdale where we presented testimony to the FWC. As Bill said, we have to keep up efforts as we move strongly in the conservation arena. Out goal will be to get the lemon shark on the prohibited list or at the very least extend its closed season. We will need to convince both the Florida Wildlife Commission and the National Marine Fisheries Commission and this will take data, effort and time as well as funding to get the job done. There are funding agencies in interested in helping us attain this goal.

Changes to Current Shark Fishing Rules on the Horizon--Our effort to get Florida’s

Lemon Shark, Negaprion brevirostris protected by the FWC

Walt Sterns and Samuel H. Gruber

Last week we attended one of five Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) public workshops held this month to receive comments on a plan to bring he Florida’s shark regulations into agreement with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's (ASMFC) Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Coastal Sharks.

Attending last night’s meeting, held at International Game Fish Association headquarters in Ft. Lauderdale was Gary and Brenda Adkison for the Shark Foundation, Steve Stock for the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, Drs. Samuel Gruber and Bryan Franks for the Bimini Biological Field Station, Bill Parks for the Christine Baltzer Parks Environmental Foundation and members of Reef Rescue, a few dive operation representatives, some university graduate students and Walt Sterns, senior author of this report.

The series of meetings was to record public comment on various options for amending its shark management rules (68B-44, F.A.C.), with the possibility to modify them to comply with or go beyond the ASMFC shark management plan.

According to the introduction by FWC’s staff, the ASMFC’s management plan sharks includes a minimum size limit of 54” (4.5 feet)/137.2 cm, measured tip of nose to fork of the tail; a bag limit for lemon, bull, sandbar, dusky, hammerhead, tiger, etc., and other caveats designed to "achieve conformity" with the regulations agreed upon by the ASMFC.

Public comments were generally in agreement that instituting a blanket, minimum size limit (54”) without taking into account that species’ natural history, would be counterproductive and not protect or benefit the conservation and management of sharks.

Several informed comments were presented, based on the life history strategy of the large coastal species suggesting that it is more important to protect the young breeders than the juveniles. Thus the commercial and recreational take should reflect a minimum size that excludes sharks in their first years of maturity. Such a regulation will protect both the juveniles and first breeders. In the lemon shark, this is about 74” or 190 cm fork length. Other problems for large coastal shark include development or destruction of coastal nursery habitats required for juvenile development.

More specifically In the case of the lemon shark, several of the public spoke in favor of moving this species to prohibited status. The lemon shark’s life history pattern was discussed and it was pointed out that this shark has been reported by NMFS as THE most vulnerable of the large coastal species. Lemon sharks take from 12-15 years to reach sexual maturity equivalent to a length of approximately 92” (7.8”)/235 cm which is a lot bigger than the present suggested minimum length of the ASFMC.

From juvenile to adult, lemon sharks most of their lives in a coastal habitat from very shallow to 200 feet of water. This nearness to shore makes them highly vulnerable to both commercial and recreation fishers. But more recently it has been shown that adult lemon sharks from far and wide gather on large aggregations off Palm Beach and Martin counties. This greatly increases their exposure to targeted fishing. It would not be unreasonable to predict that if targeted the entire breeding population could be wiped out in a number of days or weeks. Based on the data we have been compiling over the past three years on the South Florida’s lemon shark aggregations, the “highly vulnerable” status could be taken as an understatement.

From a commercial standpoint, the lemon shark catch has historically been miniscule representing only 0.7 of the entire Atlantic coast long line fishery. Lemons rank # 7 in commercial landings at 62,000 lbs. vs. 1.5 Million pounds of sandbar shark taken annually. Further the value of the fins is relatively lows, being grade B on the world market. Thus the total value of the lemon shark take is very small and would not seriously impact the economy of the fishery if they were excluded.

Historically the lemon shark was not particularly targeted or under heavy fishing pressure. But recently that picture has changed as fishers are trying for larger individual sharks.

Our goal over the next several months will be to bring together all relevant information on the lemon shark to make the case that this species is highly vulnerable, has a relatively low abundance and could be extirpated from Florida waters unless protected. This applies to both federal and state regulation. We believe that elevating lemon sharks to a prohibited species for both commercial and recreational fishers is a goal that can be achieve with the help of the public at large.

More information: To see the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission's (ASMFC) Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Coastal Sharks in its entirety - http://www.asmfc.org/speciesDocument...stalSharks.pdf

Spinner Sharks living up to name

Great video shot of spinner shark jumping out of the water along the coast of Florida...

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?cl=11792187

Anohka

I have only been to four Indian restaurants in Miami, not sure if there are any more honestly. Two have been good while the others, simply put, sucked. None compare to places I would frequent in Boston.

Anohka (one of the good ones), located in the Grove, is a small family owned restaurant. I have been there more than once, the food is good, but expect to wait for it. It is also a bit on the pricey side, at least compared to the other three.

Good place to take a date - you will have a lot of time to talk, unless of course there is nothing to talk about anymore - awkward silent moments. But at least you know it was not meant to be.

Lamb kebab was very good as were the samosas and nan bread...