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Making Waves Fall 2020
Shark Populations Proving Detrimental to Sailfish Survival News Item Courtesy The Billfish Foundation September 8, 2020/in Advocacy, Hot Issues, News
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harter and private recreational fishing captains primarily are conscientious in practicing conservation-smart measures for their business depends on the availability of fish. Most billfishing captains practice catch and release, some also tag and many use non-offset circle hooks. But best practices make no difference. e when sharks attack and kill thousands of hooked fish, including sailfish, blue marlin, white marlin, bottom fish and coastal pelagics. Commercial fishing captains are experiencing much the same.
tality rate based on observations from a large number of boats fishing the same areas at the same time. But with sharks killing large numbers of hooked sailfish, the decline in their abundance may be accelerating with the decline of the fishery. Top Captains Speak Out
One well-known and respected South Florida charter boat captain, Bouncer Smith, shared that in deciding to retire in July 2020, he considered the bleak looking future for sailfish charters in South Florida caused by sharks. Private boat capDue to overfishing, two decades ago the National tain Doug Covin of Jupiter, Florida, echoes Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and coastal states Smith’s concerns. Covin added that financial inbegan restricting Atlantic shark harvest, prohibit- vestments in private boats usually is higher than ing the landing of at least 20 species. Now with charter boats, enlarging the negative economic increased abundance, feeding habitats are being impact if they leave the fishery. Covin learned modified by focusing on hooked fish. Captains from 4,000 social media responses to his query if report sharks seem to key off noises emitted from others were experiencing shark attacks on boats’ transducers, engine noise changes when hooked fish that thousands are frustrated. gears shift into neutral for an angler to fight a fish One captain fishing off the east coast reported 10 and from sounds of thrashing hooked fish, all yellowfin tunas killed in one trip by sharks before adding to the sound of a dinner bell. landing the authorized limit for one client. The The renowned South Florida charter and private federal yellowfin bag limit is 3 fish per person, per boat catch and release sailfish fishery hooks thou- day trip. So if a boat carries 4 anglers and each sands of sailfish each season, without a high mor- loses 10 yellowfin to sharks, that totals 40 dead
