Dive boat operators face charges of illegally feeding sharks in state waters

[danvolker]

Another poster's link to a thread on a spear fishing forum got me thinking. If I were a spear fisherman (never been), I'd be a lot more concerned about shark feeding. When I 1st started out on this forum, I noticed that many divers never or hardly ever see a shark, but spear fishermen see them pretty often, and sometimes have to give up or fight over a catch. I've joked that divers who want to see sharks ought to take up spear fishing.

If I understand correctly, some spear fishermen nail a fish, and put it on a stringer. Others send it up on a float. But regardless, I'd think the assumption is that the odds of a shark being attracted to your area, and making a move on your catch before you get out of the water with it, is fairly low. And once in awhile, you get 'shark mugged' as part of the price of your hobby.

But if sharks associate humans with food enough to be drawn to the vicinity of boats by the sound of engines, then watch from a distance to see whether the humans might offer food, and spear fishermen start shooting things, then the odds of a given spear fisherman getting accosted by sharks would be much higher.

I wonder how much added hassle the spearo's are getting these days off the east coast of Florida?

Richard.

My understanding is that in the places Randy does his shark feeding off Jupiter, you can have no fish around at all...just fire a speargun, and the noise of the rubber bands going off will bring in any sharks in the area, right away....
The spears all know this, and they are pissed because you really can't enjoy hunting like this.

 

[tropicalson]

Please get your facts straight. The law doesn't have the best interest for sharks or divers in mind but was put in place due to pressure from special interest groups (2002). These dive boats have raised the level of shark awareness and have brought many more people to the shark's side.

My facts are straight, thank you. Your concern for the sharks is noted and I share them as well. You may not agree, but the law IS the law, regardless. I am only interested is maintaining a safe enviornment for divers. The ocean is plenty big enough to accomodate dive operations who wish to feed sharks, or do anything else that they choose, that is within the law. Just not, for example, feeding sharks in violation of the law where the Emerald and the Calypso were cited. If you don't like the law, contact your state representative and tell him or her how you feel and why. Good luck.

 

[DelrayDM]

Wookie said:

If you come diving with me and a shark bites you, your tough luck. If I were doing anything to stir up the sharks and a jury agreed with you, my insurance company would defend me on my in water liability policy.

What if you had a history of violating a state law in state waters when that happened?

 

[The Chairman]

My understanding is that in the places Randy does his shark feeding off Jupiter, you can have no fish around at all...just fire a speargun, and the noise of the rubber bands going off will bring in any sharks in the area, right away....

I get that you want to blame Randy for all of this, but think how many more spearos that are on the reef now. Most of them hunting lionfish at that and many just don't mind it when Mr Sharky eats that lionfish because they thinks they're teaching Mr Sharkey to eat lionfish. The video I shared appears to be just that scenario and nothing more.

 

[Wookie]

Wookie said:

What if you had a history of violating a state law in state waters when that happened?

I would guess that a decent lawyer would get that not introduced as evidence.

 

[danvolker]

I get that you want to blame Randy for all of this, but think how many more spearos that are on the reef now. Most of them hunting lionfish at that and many just don't mind it when Mr Sharky eats that lionfish because they thinks they're teaching Mr Sharkey to eat lionfish. The video I shared appears to be just that scenario and nothing more.

Cmon Pete......have you not seen the constant Youtube videos from Randy's dives where they are shooting the cobia off the backs of bullsharks....and creating REALLY EXCITED SHARKS----and then bragging about this with all the youtube videos!!!
You just can't compare shooting a tiny lion fish, and the shooting of a bunch of large cobia RIGHT OFF THE BACKS of big bullsharks.....These guys don't care what they do to shark behavior....They don't care about what this could do to other people.

 

[vincent54]

I find it hard to believe that feeding sharks will create a shark attack problem. I hear they respond to sounds, as they have for millions of years, but react to the smell and taste of their food. Feeding, and spearing bring in sharks that just want to eat. They want the fish not the person.

Having fished a countless times off the Keys, everyone I knew used to chum with fish guts and corn meal. Basically feeding the sharks.
The sharks never harassed boaters because of the chumming, so why would divers get nervous over someone chumming underwater. It's fun watching the sharks come in and clean up the bits.


It is a big to do about nothing. If you're afraid of a shark find a spring or lake.

 

[Wookie]

I love all of the folks walking around telling folks to go swim in a lake. Hey, guy, sharks don't have to want to bite you to kill you. If you don't understand, read the report of Markus Groh. This was an excellent operation with an unparalleled safety record and they still had a diver die, not because he was bit, but because the shark happened to swipe the diver with it's teeth. The distinction is fine, but still exists. Folks who were there say the sharks were in a frenzy. What does that mean? Hell if I know, but I imagine a pack of wolves (you're from Michigan, right?) arguing over the remains of a deer they brought down. Don't be the fool who sticks his hand in there to take the meat away. In fact, don't be there period.

I'm not arguing that there isn't a time and a place to perform these types of activities. WPB probably isn't the place. In Key West they do it out in the backcountry where the swimmers don't go.

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

I've been out on the Emerald for a few feeding trips in the past year - Last Sunday I was out there hoping to spot some of the tigers and great hammerheads. Funny; we did two dives off the back of the Esso Bonaire laying out bait and nothing came in except for six goliath groupers. Guess they don't automatically turn up when divers enter the area, let alone ring the dinner bell loud and hard. I believe Randy said a few bull sharks turned up on the perimeter towards the end of our second dive, but they never came in or followed us and the fish back up to the boat.

All that said, I agree with earlier posts - FWC has a case against these four individuals and under the law they have to be prosecuted. No ifs, ands, or buts. How it will stand up in court is up to the legal system and the evidence FWC has.

WHAT!!???!!!??

Randy is bringing this nonsense to the Zion Train wreck trek????

The truth about these operations is coming out and is even worse than imagined.

This is probably the MOST popular wreck site in northern palm beach county, a prime site for the annual goliath spawning aggregation, and visited by many recreational boats every day. Thousands and thousands of divers each year.

This is just as bad, or worse even, than doing feeding on Breaker's Reef. The Zion Train is deep (95'), with current. The last thing many divers there want is close shark approaches by artificially stimulated animals seeking food, especially on more advanced expeditions like night diving.

Can someone verify whether this is outside the three mile limit? If not then Halcyon's post should be grounds for additional prosecution.

This guy needs to be shut down, for good. His arrogance and hubris is going to ruin the best of Palm Beach diving if this keeps up.

 

[danvolker]

For those who had not heard of him, Frank Hammett was one of the first divers in Florida, and certainly the most prolific in spearfishing all of Palm Beach 's reefs from the mid 1950 time period up to around 2003. Skin Diver magazine once did a story on him in the 60s, Calling him the "Butcher of Palm Beach"...which is actually what brought the maker of Ultimate Spearguns, Pat Frain to Palm Beach...to dive with this prolific a spearfisherman...
I dove with Frank through the 80 to late 1990 period....and one thing Frank was always very CLEAR on....was that you NEVER feed your speared catch to a shark....All the old timers knew this, and they would fight to make sure the sharks would never learn to associate food with divers...This was a big deal to all of them, and it was common sense....And there was a great deal of spearfishing from 1953 to 2005....and the sharks may have come in to an area due to scent....but they were not fed- and their behavior to divers remained the same....
Suddenly we have a couple of dive operators with the hubris to act as if they knew better, and with disregard to all other divers that were sure the feeding of sharks would forever alter shark behavior in a dangerous way.
In just the last year...sharks "are acting differently"...and have become far more aggressive to humans.....This was not from normal spearfishing....not from baiting...This was from divers in the water FEEDING SHARKS!

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