Great White hooked in Florida

[letterboy]

Feel free to post your thoughts on their facebook page Go Fast Fishing Charters - Treasure Island, FL - Fishing, Hunting and Fishing | Facebook

Florida on the other hand.

"Anglers may catch and release prohibited shark species in state waters."

These are Florida's guidelines, which they didn't seem to follow.


Catch and release methods: By using the following techniques when fishing for shark, anglers can greatly increase fish survival rates.

• Use tackle heavy enough to land a fish quickly to reduce exhaustion, which could result in its death or weaken it making it more vulnerable to predators. (Prohibited species that die while on the line after being caught in state waters should be returned to the water.)
• Release the fish while it is in the water when possible.
• Use a de-hooking device to remove hooks safely.
• Use non-stainless steel hooks - these hooks can dissolve if they remain in a fish.
• Use non-offset circle hooks when fishing with natural bait to avoid gut hooking a fish - circle hooks tend to hook fish in the jaw, making them easy to remove.
• Bend barbs down on hooks so they can be removed with less damage to a fish.

the news article says they pulled anchor and were drug around, they did not mention whether this was just for the fun of it of it was a technique they were using to bring the large fish in close.

When fishing large gamefish don't they normally pull anchor?

also, California laws are WAY more restrictive then Florida, with just about anything, comparing them to Florida is apples to orangutangs . . .

 

[Oldbear]

If the Great White is truely a protected species in Florida then it should be exempt from the Catch and Release regulations of a "Game Species"...hence it is protected. These guys identified the species first and then proceeded to actively hunt it. Can you imagine going after an endangered or threatened species for fun or sport as long as you don't "kill" it right away. How about using a paintball gun and shooting a Bald Eagle or a tranquillizer dart to shoot a lower 48 grizzly bear for sport...these are all non-lethal methods?


I know a three hour ordeal could incite capture myapathy in large mammals such as deer or elk; I wonder if it affects marine life too?


IMO these guys are hiding under a loop-hole in the law since they knowingly went after a great white, but just did not "land the shark".

 

[letterboy]

If the Great White is truely a protected species in Florida then it should be exempt from the Catch and Release regulations of a "Game Species"...hence it is protected. These guys identified the species first and then proceeded to actively hunt it. Can you imagine going after an endangered or threatened species for fun or sport as long as you don't "kill" it right away. How about using a paintball gun and shooting a Bald Eagle or a tranquillizer dart to shoot a lower 48 grizzly bear for sport...these are all non-lethal methods?


I know a three hour ordeal could incite capture myapathy in large mammals such as deer or elk; I wonder if it affects marine life too?


IMO these guys are hiding under a loop-hole in the law since they knowingly went after a great white, but just did not "land the shark".

you are not wrong, but they did not technically commit an illegal act, you can activley hunt great whites, as long as you don't keep them. obviously I don't believe many do down here, but you still can.

we don't have elk hunting laws in Florida, so I would be willing to bet if someone killed an elk in Florida there would not be any penalties. . . (unless there is some unregulated species regulation saying you cannot hunt them...)

 

[vincent54]

Ok, that's worse than ocean girl riding the great white for go pro.

 

[Peter_C]

• Use non-stainless steel hooks - these hooks can dissolve if they remain in a fish.
• Bend barbs down on hooks so they can be removed with less damage to a fish.

Hmmm...

 

[letterboy]

It also appears to be catch and release federally as well.

 

[Hank49]

Ok, that's worse than ocean girl riding the great white for go pro.

Are you kidding? That was awesome. She's nuts, but it was amazing to see.

 

[Oldbear]

I don't know Florida's Game Laws either. But in most states "game species" have to be listed as such to be covered in the game regulation so you might not be able to hunt an elk in Florida. If they are not listed as "game" then they are usually, but not always, protected by other regulations. When I was a biologist for the USFWS we had a conversation that went along these lines.

To legally hunt Big Foot in Colorado all that you would need would be a small game license since all big game have their own species specific license & regulations. It was determined that since Big Foot was not listed as a Colorado Game Species (big or small), then hunting them would be illegal all together. This is further supported by the fact that there is not a Big Foot Hunting Season in Colorado.


I did see great whites listed as protected / prohibited in the Florida Regulations...and saw that you can catch and release them. I did not see if the catch and release of protected shark species' provision applied to just the incidental/unintentional catching of them or actively pursuing them for the purpose of catching them...two distinct methods of which I could not tell by he FWS's website. To me the later would put undo stress on the shark and possibly kill it and was not the intent of "Catch & Release".

I suppose this is where the lawyers take over...

 

[mike_s]

Isn't even targeting a protected species a crime in Florida? .

They were 30 miles offshore. do Florida fish/game laws even apply there?

 

[CaliDenna]

Feel free to post your thoughts on their facebook page Go Fast Fishing Charters - Treasure Island, FL - Fishing, Hunting and Fishing | Facebook


It's also on USA Today FB page where they stated a fisherman "accidentally" hooked a great white. People are jumping all over the post both supportive and telling him he's an idiot.
http://www.facebook.com/usatoday

---------- Post added March 20th, 2013 at 03:02 PM ----------

Wow! Free speech??...I posted on USA Today and they deleted it minutes later. All I said was that they were incorrect in saying it was an accidental hooking and that in his interview with ABC he said he chummed for it and let it drag him around for 3 hours which could have and might have caused stress and harm to it.

---------- Post added March 20th, 2013 at 03:07 PM ----------

New Zealand has definitely done a good job in it's language

Great white sharks are listed as ‘vulnerable’ globally by the IUCN, and are fully
protected in New Zealand waters under the Fisheries Act 1996 and Wildlife Act
1953.

As a result:
Trade in great white shark products in New Zealand is illegal.
It is illegal to take or harm great white sharks in New Zealand fisheries
waters (out to 200 n.m.). It is also illegal for any New Zealand-flagged
vessel to take great white sharks on the high seas. (‘Take’ includes
catching, pursuing by any means or device, and the attempt to take.)
It is not illegal to accidentally catch a great white shark provided the shark
is immediately released alive and unharmed. If the shark is dead and
examination of the specimen by a Department of Conservation (DOC) or
Fisheries officer is not possible, the intact carcass must be discarded
at sea.
No part of the shark may be retained.
Anyone accidentally catching a great white shark must report the details
of the capture and fate of the animal to DOC as soon as possible.
Commercial fishers should complete and return an MFish Non-fish /
Protected Species Catch Return.
Offenders face fines of up to $250,000 and 6 months imprisonment


http://www.doc.govt.nz/documents/co...sh/great-white-shark-identification-guide.pdf